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my feet, and a light unto my path :"-
"Search the Scriptures, for in them ye
think ye have eternal life; and they are
they which testify of me:"-"Thou shalt
guide me with thy counsel, and after-
ward receive me to glory." But though
this star will not direct the believer to
the visible presence of Jesus, it will con-
duct him to his glorified and beatific
presence, where he shall see him, not in
a manger, but on the throne: not wrap-
ped in swaddling bands, but arrayed in
his mediatorial robes, and where he shall
for ever cast his crown at his feet, and
celebrate the riches of redeeming grace
and dying love to all eternity.

Let us consider, in the next place, the worship presented. There was great rethey fell down and worshipped him," they paid him divine honours; and

verence:

"Jesus is worthy to receive

Honour and power divine."

There was great faith: how unlikely to the eye of sense that this child should be an object of Divine worship, that he should be the infinite God; and so Jesus still appears in his gospel, to all who are unenlightened, as "a root out of a dry ground, having no form or comeliness in him." The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him."

something; it must cost us some self-denial; some sacrifices must be made for the cause of God. Some suppose that the gold presented on this occasion paid the expenses of the journey into Egypt; and so the cause of God in the present day requires the liberality and support of the friends of the Redeemer; and what an honour to be permitted to do anything for the cause of Christ! yet, when we have done our best, we can only say, with one of old, "Of thine own have we given thee;" or, with the poet,

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"My best is stain'd and dyed with sin,
My all is nothing worth."

Several reflections are suggested by this
subject, but to notice only one or two:
first, it was a silent reproof to the Jews.
They paid no regard to the star, nor to
the birth of the Saviour; it was reserved
for Gentiles to do him honour, at his in-
carnation; so the blessings of the gospel
were first offered to that people, but they
refused them: hence said the apostles,
"It was necessary that the word of God
should first have been spoken to you;
but seeing you put it from you, and
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting
life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." And
might not the same be applied to us?
The blessings of the gospel have been
freely offered to us, but have we not, to a
great extent, made light of them? Might
it not be said of us, "They that were
bidden were not worthy?" Let the dis-
tant Gentiles be invited to partake of its
blessings. We see, also, from this sub-

And there was great liberality: "When they had opened their treasures they presented unto him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." It was customary in the East, in visiting persons of rank, to offer them presents; hence the patriarch|ject, the homage Jesus expects from his Jacob said to his sons, "Carry down the people. It is true he does not expect man a present;" the gold is supposed to costly sacrifices, or long and painful pilhave been a tribute to the Saviour's grimages; but he expects us to enlist royalty, the frankincense and myrrh an under his banner, to submit to the yoke acknowledgement of his Deity, and this of his authority, and to acknowledge him may show us that our religion must cost as our Lord and our King. us something. It is true, that we can bring nothing in our hand to recommend us to the Divine notice or regard, or to merit the least favour at his hands, for the invitations and blessings of the gospel are without money, and without price; at the same time our religion must cost us

We

see, also, the danger and guilt of neglecting the Star. If the wise men had neglected the Star, they had not seen the Saviour; and so if we neglect the Star of revelation, we shall not see Christ. Hence, says the apostle, "We have a more sure word prophecy, whereunto

ye do well, that ye take heed; as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts." And the evangelist Luke says, "Through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace;" but how shall our feet be guided into the way of peace, if we neglect this Star? The heathen have no Star to guide them; "how, then, shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"

Finally, let us anticipate that period when Jesus shall have universal homage -when Jews, as well as Gentiles, shall come to do him honour-when they shall come, not from the east only, but from the west also; and the north, and the south; yes,

"From north to south, shall princes meet, To pay their homage at his feet."

"The kings of Tarshish, and of the isles, shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts; yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him. He shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba; prayer, also, shall be made for him continually, and daily shall he be praised." "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. His name shall endure for ever, it shall be continued as long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in him, all nations shall call him blessed; and blessed be his glorious name for ever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and amen.”

October 7, 1847.

ONESIPHORUS.

A WORD IN SEASON TO THOSE WHOM IT MAY CONCERN. SIR,-In your last number is an extract, entitled "A Month from Home;" it is very excellent, and the heart of each Christian must respond to the sentiments it contains; but as that quotation does not profess to enter into detail, may I be allowed to suggest a plan which, by the blessing of God, may prove useful to many. I should, however, just state, that I am taking for granted that every Christian family that can afford to leave home for one, two, or three months in the year, can quite as well afford to spend a guinea in a parcel like the following:

whose ears at present are only open to the oaths of the blasphemer, the song of the drunkard, and the despairing cries of perishing companions;—and would there not be more real heartfelt satisfaction in distributing a parcel like this, than in the most refined enjoyment that centres only in self?

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Let the church of Christ awake. Too long has the spirit of slumber and guilty inactivity rested upon its members; too long has the cause of Christ been viewed as a secondary consideration; too long has warm-hearted devotedness been stigmatized as the offspring of a wild enthusiasm; while a form of religion bearing the very impress of spiritual decay, is applauded as that happy medium (at last discovered) by which the lucrative friendship of men of the world and the esteem of professors may be yoked together. From such Laodicean lukewarmness may the churches of Britain be delivered!

I am, sir,
Yours, with much esteem,
CONSTANTIA.

Oct. 14th, 1847.

TESTIMONY OF PROFANE HISTORY TO SCRIPTURAL FACTS.

PUBLIUS LENTULUS TO THE SENATE OF ROME.

THERE has appeared in this our day, a man of great virtue, named Jesus Christ, who is yet living amongst us, and with the Gentiles is accepted as a prophet of truth, but his own disciples call him the Son of God. He raiseth the dead, and cureth all manner of disease; a man of stature, somewhat tall and comely, with a very reverend countenance, such as the beholder may both love and fear; his hair is of the colour of a filbert full ripe, and plain down to his ears, but from his ears downwards somewhat curled, and more orient of colour, waving about his shoulders. In the midst of his head goeth a seam, or partition of hair, after the manner of the Nazarites; his forehead very smooth and plain; his face, nose, and mouth so framed, as nothing

THE LORD IS GOOD."

can be reprehended; his beard somewhat thick, agreeable to the hair of his head for colour, not of any great length, but forked in the middle, of an innocent and mature look; his eyes grey, clear, and quick.

In reproving, he is terrible; in admonishing, courteous and fair-spoken; pleasant in speech amidst gravity. It cannot be remembered that any have seen him laugh, but many have seen him weep.

In proportion of body, well-shaped and straight, his hands and arms most beauteous to behold; in speaking, very temperate, modest, and wise; a man of singular virtue, surpassing the children of

men.

Poetry.

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Around the hearth where peace and virtue
grow;

Parental love and filial reverence twine,
Like clustering tendrils on the fruitful vine,
And make the spot where these affections
bloom,

A little Eden 'midst the desert bloom.

Is He not good? Behold the child of grief
Seeking in vain from earth required relief:
He looks to God, nor looks to Him in vain :
Removed his woe, rebuked his mental pain,
He learns to trust when future trials rise,
That all combine to fit him for the skies.

Is He not good? Behold the book of heaven,
To erring man in matchless mercy given,

VOL. XXV.

Whose pages tell of overflowing grace,
Beaming on earth from great Messiah's face,
To light the path from darkness, sin, and

woe,

To that bright region where unwithering grow

The trees of life upon the hills of God; Where dwell his saints-the Christian's last abode

The home of rest,-the land of ceaseless
joy ;

Of deathless life, and bliss without alloy !
W. LEASK.

CHRISTIAN SYMPATHY.

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted," Gal. vi. 1.

THINK gently of the erring!

Ye know not of the power
With which the dark temptation came,
In some unguarded hour.
Ye may not know how earnestly
They struggled, or how well;
Until the hour of weakness came,
And sadly thus they fell.
Think gently of the erring!
Oh! do not thou forget
However darkly stain'd by sin,
He is thy brother yet:
2 x

Heir of the self-same heritage;
Child of the self-same God;
He has but stumbled in the path,
Thou hast in weakness trod.
Speak gently to the erring!
For is it not enough

That innocence and peace have gone,
Without thy censure rough?

It sure must be a weary lot,

That sin-stain'd heart to bear;

And they who share a happier fate, Their chidings well may spare. Speak gently to the erring!

Thou yet may'st lead them back, With holy words and tones of love, From misery's thorny track. Forget not, thou hast often sinn'd, And sinful yet must be: Deal gently with the erring one, As God hath dealt with thee.

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Review of Books.

[THE SABBATH QUESTION.]

1. The SABBATH. By RALPH Wardlaw, D.D. A Tract for the Times.

2. The SABBATH. By the Rev. JOHN JORDAN, Vicar of Enstone, Oxon. A Tract for the Times. Traces and Indications of the Primitive Sabbath in many of the Institutions and Observances of the Ancient World.

3. The SABBATH. By Rev. ANDREW THOMSON, B.A. A Tract for the Times. The Sabbath not amere Judaical Appointment.

Seeley and Nisbet.

We have not been, by any means, unconcerned spectators of the late controversy in Scotland on the subject of sabbath railway travelling. It was so intimately connected with the sacred character and divine authority of a venerable institution, and the relation which the civil power ought to sustain to its due observance, that no one, who had the interests of truth and mankind at heart, could be indifferent to the discussion of a question of such vast importance. We rejoice in it, however, inasmuch as it has been the means of calling the attention of men of all classes and all shades of religious opinion to the sabbath, and of awakening a spirit of inquiry into its divine origin, its universal and permanent obligation, and the mode in which its sanctification may be best promoted. Apart from all questions respecting its origin and authority, it must be admitted, that the profanation of the sabbath is not only connected with, but introductory to, an incalculable amount of wickedness and misery; while, on the other hand, a religious observance of it is never found but in connexion with a greater or less proportion of peace and prosperity. It is an institution which, admitting it to be divine, reflects as much of the goodness and benevolence of its mighty Author, as it does of his wisdom. It is a blessing to man, considered merely as a labourer, for without its provision for rest, his energy must soon

exhaust itself, his frame be overwrought, and his strength be supplanted by debility and premature infirmity. But as a moral being it is still more valuable to him, as affording an opportunity for withdrawing from those worldly employments which, by constantly engrossing his attention, would blunt his sensibilities, harden his heart, and entirely alienate the mind from God. It is advantageous to the commercial prosperity and wealth of a community, as was abundantly demonstrated some years since, in the evidence of the vicar of Harrow before a Committee of the House of Commons; and it is of unquestionable value to the stability and weal of the commonwealth, as Edmund Burke long since declared. But if piety be the best and surest source of domestic enjoyment and personal happiness, it is still more necessary to the comfort of home, and the peace and bliss of individuals. A careful examination of the records of our prisons and of our benevolent societies, would, we think, satisfy all, that most of the vice and misery with which we are surrounded is to be traced to the desecration of the sabbath. It is sabbath-breaking which almost universally gives rise to and encourages intemperance, in no small degree it offers inducement to dishonesty,-while a large portion of the licentiousness and profligacy of our large towns especially is to be ascribed to it. On the other hand, let the sabbath be honoured, let it be spent in the discharge of appropriate duties, and in the realization of appropriate enjoyments, and Voltaire himself is a witness that devotional feelings become deeper, the defences of morality stronger, and the influence of religion more commanding and durable. Parents should ponder well these two facts. It not unfrequently happens that in the homes of our childhood we learn the first lessons in sabbath profanation, and are thus brought early under those influences which lead us to think lightly of sin, and to transgress with increasing facility the laws of God,

until pursuing the course into which we were led by home authority, we become careless to the voice of religion, and the obligations of morality and propriety. This is true in many cases where parents pay some outward deference to the forms of religion, and are found in the house of prayer; it is in their family that they neglect the observance of the sabbath, and thus make the domestic circle but an introductory scene to that of the ruin of their children and dependents.

The tracts mentioned at the head of this article form the first three numbers of a series now publishing in Scotland, on the sabbath,-an undertaking which seems to have arisen out of the controversy to which we have referred. The subject may be said to be divided in these essays into five great parts:-I. The establishment of the authority, and permanent and universal obligation of the sabbath, in these three tracts mentioned above.-II. The adaptation of the sabbath to man's nature and position, two tracts by the Revs. Dr. King and J. Hamil. ton.-III. The influence of the sabbath, by the Revs. W. Glover, Dr. Hannah, and Dr. Steane.-IV. Sabbath desecration, by Dr. Symington and Rev. P. M'Owen,-and, lastly, Sabbath sanctification, three essays, by the Revs. Dr. Bates, Dr. Winter Hamilton, and E. Bickersteth, with a concluding address, by the Rev. J. A. James. The names of the men who have thus undertaken this important work are almost of themselves a sufficient guarantee for the sound and valuable character of the tracts; and the ones before us abundantly fulfil the expectations which might have been formed. We heartily wish success to the project, and would commend the extensive circulation of these treatises to the attention of the Christian church.

The first tract in the series is entitled, "The Sabbath," and is by Dr. Wardlaw. It is, as he informs us, but an abridgment of a portion of one of his larger works, and contains the argument for the early origin, the universal and permanent obligation of the sabbath, and the change of its celebration from the seventh to the first day of the week. In discussing these topics, various arguments are employed which appear to us quite satisfactory, while no objection of any weight or worth is avoided, but replied to calmly and fairly. An old writer has said, that to praise mathematics is as needless as to gild gold, and it may be almost as unnecessary to say, that the production before us is characterized by that clearness of thought and logical precision of reasoning which in so eminent a manner mark all the productions of Dr. Wardlaw.

His re

plies to the objections of an opponent have always appeared to us one of the most

valuable portions of his controversial works; and though, in a mere tractate, these replies cannot possibly be very extended, yet it is hardly commendation enough to say, they are sufficient. We recommend this essay to those especially whose views on the subject have been at all influenced by the plausible and fallacious arguments of those writers who represent the sabbath as of no authority under the Christian dispensation.

The second tract in the series is by the Rev. John Jordan, vicar of Enstone, and presents corroborative and substantiating evidence of the divine institution and permanent obligation of the sabbath, drawn from an examination of the "Traces and indications of the primitive sabbath in many of the institutions and observances of the ancient world." We regard this as a production of special excellence, and would commend it to the attentive perusal of our readers, as the result of extensive research employed with considerable ingenuity in the cause of truth. It is not to be understood, however, that we subscribe to all the opinions advanced, or that we think the author has succeeded in establishing all his positions; in some instances his sense of the importance of his subject, and his ingenuity appear to us to have led him beyond the limits of the certain and the important into speculations which, however interesting, must, with our present limited sources of knowledge, continue mere speculations. For example, Mr. Jordan, on the supposition that the days on which the dove was sent out of the ark by Noah were sabbath-days, (a supposition, we consider, without any sufficient foundation,) proceeds to assign reasons for the occurrence of particular events connected with the deluge, on particular days. "Thus," he says, "the day on which the patriarch entered the ark, and that on which the waters begun, were appropriately the second day of the week, because on that day in the week of creation, God divided the waters that were under the firmament from the waters which were above it, and the reversal of his operations on the same day, would remind the world that He who can make by his word can unmake by the same word, and that He who had originally ordered all things for good was now pleased in judgment to undo his own work for a season." "In the same manner he reasons to the fact and propriety of the termination of the rain on the seventh day of the week, the appearance of the mountains on the second, and the uncovering of the ark on the first. These speculations are really irrelevant to the subject under consideration, and where we have nothing but hypothesis for their foundation, we may doubt their propriety and use in the exposition and establishment of a scriptural doc

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