die: Once I believed Popery would never return into England; but,' said he, 'I find it was not faith, but fancy.' I wish it may prove not so, with many of us. Now, that which I am to speak unto you is this, how we should live by faith, both in the prospect of the danger of it, and if it should come upon us. I shall name a few things, which I exercise myself with. If you have more supporting thoughts and a better guidance of light, I pray God confirm it unto you. "The first thing I would exercise my thoughts upon, and that my faith rests in, in this case, is this, that there is a fixed, determinate time, in the counsel of God, when Antichrist, and Babylon, and idolatry, and superstition, together with that profaneness of life which they brought in, shall be destroyed. It is so fixed that it shall not be altered. All the wisdom of men, all the sins of men, and all our unbelief, shall not hinder it a single day. It shall assuredly come to pass in its appointed season. This time is reckoned up in Scripture by days, by months, by years; not that we should know the time of it, but that we should know the certainty of it; for if it hath but so many days, but so many months, then it must have a certain period. The fixing and computing of the time of the man of sin, of Antichrist, by days and months and years, is to secure our faith in the punctual determination of the season, but not to satisfy our curiosity when that season should be. But the consideration of this, that there is such a determinate season, is a great foundation of faith and patience. When we know it will come, that there is such a determinate time, that it will surely come, is a great ground of patience to wait for it. This is a great consideration with me, and I leave it with you. Here I can exercise faith without fancy in the counsel of God, that he will pour out all his judgments and plagues on the antichristian world until antichristianism be destroyed and rooted out.

"The judgments of God shall come upon the antichristian world when they

look not for them; when the kings of the earth do not look for them; yea, when believers themselves do not look for them; they shall come so suddenly. The Holy Ghost saith so expressly, Rev. xviii. 18, 'Her plagues shall come in one day,—death, and mourning, and famine, -and she shall be utterly burnt with fire.' The reason is, 'For strong is the Lord that judgeth her.' Almighty strength shall be put forth for the accomplishing of it. And if this be not enough, the seventeenth verse tells you that it shall come in one hour. And I do verily believe, that the destruction of this cursed antichristian state (of the head of it) will be brought about by none of those means we see or know of; but that the strong Lord shall break in upon her and destroy her by ways unknown to us. It may be to-morrow; it may be not these hundred years. She herself, when it is done, shall look for no such thing, verse 7th. When she is boasting herself, destruction shall come. The kings of the earth shall have no expectation of it, for they shall cry, (verse 16th,) Alas! alas! that great city Babylon, that mighty city; for in one hour so great riches is come to nought.' Believers themselves will be like the children of Israel in Egypt; they could not believe Moses because of the cruel bondage they were under. So will God's judgments come upon antichrist, the old enemies of Jesus Christ.

"I would very much consider with myself the greatness of the indignation of God against those that shall in the least comply with antichristianism, when it doth come upon us. In Rev. xiii. 11, there is mention of a beast that had two horns like a lamb, and spoke as a dragon, (which I think is the pope,) and he exercises all the power of the first beast, or the pagan power. And what then? Verse 16th, he causes all to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads, that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark. No matter what the mark is. To receive anything of him is to receive his mark, either in our foreheads, publicly, before

the world, or in our right hands, privately, to be shown as occasion serves. Why, what then? Chap. xiv. 6-10, if any man worship the beast, and receive his mark, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out, without mixture, into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. I believe, with all my heart and soul, that this will be the portion of all the men and women in this nation that shall comply with any return of antichristian idolatry amongst us. God shall pour out his indignation upon them."

These are the deliberately recorded sentiments of Dr. Owen, whose deep insight into the word of God and into the character of the man of sin well entitle him to be heard on so serious a subject.

As to the period when this catastrophe shall take place, of which Rome shall be the dreadful subject, Dr. Owen exhorts us, no doubt judiciously, to take no heed of computations, in which so many have been so greatly mistaken. We know that the time is determined; but the beginning and the end is known to God alone, and we must live by faith until its accomplishment. The Lord will hasten it in his time. And it would seem from the word of God that the Spirit of God

has purposely hidden the precise period
from our view. The prophet Daniel was
a man full of wisdom and of the Spirit
of God, and many revelations were made
to him in regard to these things; and he
tells us that he heard, but he understood
not; and that when he made further
inquiries for a clearer insight into the
meaning of what was told him, he was
informed that the words were closed up
and sealed until the time of the end. Yet,
there was a prevalent opinion amongst
the Jews, and the judgments of the most
judicious biblical critics and commenta-
tors are in harmony with that opinion,
that the close of the next century, at the
farthest, will witness the consummation
of the hopes and the fulfilment of the
prayers of God's people on this great
subject. Some are quite disposed to fix
a considerably earlier date. The inter-
vening period may be one of trial and of
conflict; and it is needful that every
Christian should gird up his loins, and be
prepared to resist unto blood, if he be so
called. "He that shall endure unto the
end the same shall be saved." May you
and I, and all your readers, dear sir, see
the end, if the Lord will, and endure to
the end, and shout the hallelujah.
I remain, dear sir,

Very cordially yours,
WILLIAM TILER.

Union, which was established in 1798, offers the means of procuring an annuity for a widow, or a certain sum for orphans, in a secure and economical manner. By means of its half-yearly payments it has since its establishment cheered many a lonely widow and gladdened the orphan's heart by its timely aid, whilst it is now affording seasonable help in sums varying from 251. to 50l. per annum to no less than twenty-six widows of devoted evangelical ministers.

Notwithstanding, however, the exist

ence of such a Society, and the universal acknowledgment that such a provision should, if possible, be made for those we so dearly love, when by the hand of death we are removed from them, there are as yet but few who have availed themselves of its advantages. The rate of payment to ensure an annuity is regulated by the ages of both husband and wife, and is as low as any of the insurance offices, whilst its affairs are conducted in the most economical way. Its funded property raises it above the possibility of bankruptcy, its mode of paying annuities ensures the funds from lose, and the fact that there are no proprietors who receive interest for money lent, renders this Society a safe investment.

My dear young brethren, the Protestant Union recommends itself especially to you; its merits deserve a careful consideration; it is open to all Protestant evangelical ministers; within the reach of all, as its graduated scale permits payments for an annuity for any sum from 10l. to 50l.

It would be quite superfluous to urge the wisdom of making such a provision. Does not affection suggest that a policy for an annuity in this Society is the most suitable present which could possibly be given to a beloved partner?

The Protestant Union is not sufficiently known. If it were, its members would be more numerous. The ministers of the Scotch Kirk belong to a society of the kind, and each minister is expected to subscribe to its funds as soon as he is ordained. This is surely a wise arrangement, which we might do well to imitate, as this Society also admits the bachelor who is expecting and desiring to change his state.

We are constantly eye-witnesses of the comfort which is derived by the widows of those ministers who were its members; and the following affords an illustration that its advantages are within the reach of all. I know a minister whose income has never yet been more than 1007. per annum, who immediately on his marriage became a member of

this Society, and for a trifle more than 10l. a-year he has insured an annuity of 50. for his widow, (which may be increased by a division of profits,) or, if he leaves no widow, his orphan children may receive a sum equal to 400l. He could not have insured his life for 500l. at a less rate, and this at 5 per cent. would not realize more than 257. a-year for his widow; by his annual payment he has never been burdened, but the thought that if he should be early removed from his beloved wife and children, they would not be left to the precarious support of charity, or be compelled to make a special urgent appeal, has often cheered him, whilst he feels grateful that he has been enabled by this Society to provide a sum sufficient to prevent them from feeling distress.

I need say no more, as perhaps some of my young brethren are only hindered by inability, and cannot spare from their scanty income even the amount required for the smallest annuity of 107. This reason ought not to exist. Deacons and members of churches, shall it exist? Would you not be conferring a greater favour, and more strongly mark your affection for your beloved pastor, by making him a member of this Society, than by giving him a present of a service of plate? The amount required for the latter would enable you, by paying in one sum (for this the Society allows), to ensure the former. A slight effort on the part of the members of churches would greatly increase the number of members of the Protestant Union, greatly decrease the sorrow of the widowed minister's wife, and free you, Mr. Editor, and your fellow-distributors of the profits of the Evangelical Magazine, from much of that pain you feel when obliged to refuse deserving cases.

I have already, dear sir, occupied too much of your space; but if what I have written should lead any one to take the claims of this Society into consideration, I am sure you will be gratified, as well as Yours most truly,

E. G.

THE LOVE OF MONEY.

THE love of money, the spirit of accumulation for its own sake, or for the sake of worldly advantage and gratification, no sooner enters, but it takes possession of the whole heart, and leaves no place for the remembrance of God. The understanding cannot admit even a thought of him, it is so filled with worldly contrivances; the memory is so surcharged with worldly cares, that no trace of God can be either made or found in it; and the heart and affections are so entirely pre-occupied with worldly treasures, that there is no room in them for this pearl of greatest price. Worldly men seldom embrace any distinct form or character of religion; and when they do, they are rather the dupes of an ingenious kind of hypocrisy, which deceives themselves, or they artfully assume it for the purpose of deceiving others; then religion and its profession, the inspiration and the work of Mammon, are no better than disguised atheism. Judas, "the son of perdition," was an atheist in his heart. Mammon allured him to the apostleship, that he might rob the poor, and betray his Master. Dr. Styles.

DEPENDENCE ON GOD THE POSITION OF A CREATURE.

Dependence was at first the condition of our being, and when that dependence was rightly placed, it was the glory and dignity of our nature. It was a fearful moment for Adam and his posterity when that mysterious thing, called defection, induced his inclination to depart from God. That departure, when God, in anger, abandoned the sinner to his choice, was a fall from the very centre of happiness, into a region of wrecks and atoms, which, having no repose, and no enjoyment in themselves, could not impart them to him who had thrown himself into the midst of them, to be at once their sport and their victim. Hence the dependence of man, which was once his distinction and his security, is now, and will be, till he returns to God, his weak

ness and his punishment. Little do they think, who are living without God in the world, that every step they take is carrying them farther and farther from his presence and favour, that they are forming a character, by a series of thoughts, feelings, words, and actions, which is as much estranged from God as if there were no such Being in the universe; and can such a course be one of preparation for that state of blessedness where he is all in all? Among intelligent beings, there must be moral affinity before there can be any real communion; and he that does not seek and acquire conformity to God on earth, will find himself destitute of the only qualification to enjoy him as the chief good in heaven.-Ibid.

STANDING MIRACLES.

Those who possess a record of miracles, combined with the revelation which they attest, are in a far more favourable condition to receive the revelation as a whole, than those who actually witnessed the miracles themselves. The gospel is its own witness, and the greatest standing miracle that has been vouchsafed to the world. It embodies all other miracles, presents them in the form of testimony, and combines with them the evidence of astonishing agreement and consistency. It portrays a character of absolute perfection without a blemish, without an infirmity; a miracle infinitely beyond the power of frail, imperfect man to invent or conceive. It displays in its writers a sublimity which surpasses human comprehension; a Divine prescience in mere men, which establishes their claim to a spirit beyond humanity; a unity of object which, separated as they were by time and distance, proclaims a single, allpervading mind: and in these characters, an approximation to the goodness they delight to celebrate, altogether wonderful. Inspiration glows in every page; purity shines in all its precepts; and its doctrines shed celestial radiance on the character of God, the realities and glories of a world to come. With this book in our

hands, the only miracle we want is, the union and devotedness, the universal charity and heavenly aspirations of all who profess and call themselves Christians.-Ibid.

THE FIRST SIN.

The first sin involved man in guilt of the most alarming extent. Singly regarded, it is a breach of only one positive precept; but it is, in fact, a violation of the great principle of all law, and

strikes at the obligation of all government, and the foundation of all order. It was a single act, but it was the act that cut asunder the golden thread on which were strung, in beautiful connexion and succession, the pearls which form the circle of order and law round the diadem of God: it cut the golden thread of authority, and the pearls, the precepts, fell scattered to the ground. One sin, as it is levelled against the Divine authority, so would it dethrone the Divine Majesty. Ibid.

PRAISE.

Delays of praises are very pernicious to devout gratitude. Our feet should move as quickly to the altar of thanksgiving as to that of supplication.

LESSONS FROM INFERIOR CREATURES.

Animals and birds teach us many useful lessons: thus, when the squirrel is disturbed, it skips from bough to bough, continuing near the earth; while the lark, when alarmed in her nest, flies upward with rapid wing, singing as she soars. Just so the worldling, when beset with grief, goes from one terrestrial object to another; while the Christian, leaving all his earthly cares behind him, rises on the wing of faith and prayer, to seek, with tuneful heart, his rest in God.

TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.

What an anchor is this! The wildest storm can be made a calm, and with such a pilot we can sail safely over the most tempestuous seas. There will be times when the Christian will need the encouraging words, "It is I; be not afraid." The Lord has all hearts open before him; and he knows which, like David, is grieved for his sins, and which, like Judas, mourns after a worldly man

ner.