person, under the injunction to forsake all they had, and take up their cross, and follow him. The specific instance of the Saviour's direction to an inquirer, cited above, is in perfect accordance with all his instructions both to inquirers and to converts; and we have reason to conclude, from the results which took place in recorded instances of conversion under his teaching, that he was minute and urgent, in such cases, in inculcating the duties of justice and benevolence. Look, for instance, at the case of Zaccheus. Where fore do we find this "rich chief of the publicans" saying on the very spot of his conversion, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him four-fold. Such a declaration from such a man, bears on the face of it the impress of the divine teacher's instructions on these topics of duty. Shall we then fancy that it is not expedient to touch on these topics? and that we give full and safe instructions to anxious souls, when the amount of our direction is, 'to humble themselves before God, and cry for pardon? while we say nothing of their "doing justly and loving mercy." This brings me to observe 2. That faithfulness to the souls of men and to our divine Master, requires us to present these duties prominently on such occasions. They form an integral part of the requisition to repenting sinners; and it is indispensible for them to know it. If they are to be converted, it is requisite to show them from what they are to be converted, and to what;- -converted from idolatry of the world, lust, injustice, and every sin; and converted to the service of God and beneficence towards men out of a pure and fervent heart, and not merely to inoperative emotions, as they may be led by a selfish heart to conclude, provided we say little or nothing of practical duties. In this way, we may indeed make fewer apparent converts;-and so did Christ. Had he said nothing of practical benevolence to the "very rich young ruler." he would doubtless have professed himself a disciple; and had he presented no practical cross to be taken up when he addressed the clustering thousands on the shores of Tiberias, who can tell but they would have continued with him instead of ́all going away and leaving him alone with the twelve.' But though we make fewer converts, we shall be in a fair way to make more that "shall endure to the end and be saved." The touchstone of practical benevolence, applied so decisively to the heart of the young ruler, is still as discriminating and important a test as ever; and the sooner it is brought in contact with the heart of avarice, the better. It may prevent many a false hope; and lead ultimately to one which will not "perish when God taketh away the soul." I trust I shall not be understood to mean that any of the great topics now so extensively urged, and so gloriously effectual under the exhibitions of divine power and grace, should cease to be presented with all possible clearness and force. And far indeed would I be from advocating such a presentation of these duties as to leave it possible for the sinner to infer, that external duties are the essence of religion. All I plead for, is such a prompt and thorough presentation of the practical duties of godliness as we find in the Bible, and especially in Christ's instructions. Thus presented, I plead for them, 3. Because I believe them requisite at the time, to the future and extensive usefulness of genuine converts. When the individual is born into the kingdom of God, it is of vast importance to his future usefulness for him distinctly to understand, that he is not only converted from the path of death to that of heaven, but from sin and selfishness to the complete devotion of himself, and all his means of doing good, to the service of God. Wherefore do we see those converted under the preaching of Christ such eminent instances of human goodness-devoted, heart and soul, like angels come down from heaven to minister in his kingdom. Is it not the same divine Spirit which now converts men? Whence then the difference? Is not one, among the many reasons we can discover, to be found in the frank and timely developement of the selfdenying principles of discipleship which the Saviour made at their vocation. 'He that would be my disciple, let him forsake all that he hath--deny himself and take up his cross and come and follow one who hath not where to lay his head.' And what makes the difference between the practical devotedness of Christians in the primitive ages and those of more modern date? It was neither the extent nor the accuracy of their doctrinal knowledge, for in both these respects, many of their writers even, whose works have come down to us, would bear but a poor comparison with those moderately indoctrinated at the present day. It is to be sought perhaps mainly in the fact that the practical and obvious duties were inculcated upon them, line upon line, and precept upon precept. And why do we see a marked difference now in different countries, and in different sections of the same country, among Christians professing the same system of tenets? Nothing is more obvious. British Christians, for example, exhibit their devotedness to the cause of Christ by a munificence to which we, as a general fact, hardly begin to aspire. Are they more wealthy? The declarations of men acquainted with the facts, assure us to the contrary, as respects the class of persons generally from whom the resources of pious benevolence are derived. This however, is a well known fact, that the evangelical clergy in England insist more on the practical duties than those in this country. Look again at the different sections in our own country, and we shall see that men of equal resources, do ten times as much in this way in one section as they do in another; and the difference may be seen connected with the same cause. What then is the inference from facts like these? Must we ascribe the difference wholly to a want of piety on the part of those who come short in the practical duties? I trust not. There is a fashion, a tone of public sentiment, operating here as on everything pertaining to human feeling and action. And now for this public sentiment, those who are commissioned as guides and standard-bearers in Israel, are in no small degree responsible. How shall this sentiment be elevated to the just standard? Above all other means yet untried, I should say, is that of inculcating, in somewhat of the truly primitive style, the practical duty in question during the revivals of religion with which God may see fit to bless and replenish our Zion. Let the sinner see at the time to what a state of feeling and of action he ought to be converted if he would be Christ's "disciple indeed;" and let the young convert be timely reminded, into what a new world of benevolent action he is born. Direct the sinner to give himself wholly to be the Lord's; and encourage him, when he has done it, to start in the career, with Christ and the primitive disciples for his pattern. If the Spirit has breathed the breath of life and love into his soul, he will readily fix his standard at almost any point which you shall show him his Lord requires. But leave him to fix the standard low, by saying nothing expressly on the point, and when the fervor of his "first love" has subsided, you will labour to little purpose in an attempt to elevate it. One soul thoroughly converted to the work of the Lord, is worth more to the honour and prosperity of the church than ten such as those to whom the apostle was compelled to say, "I stand in doubt of you.' This thorough transformation may perhaps be effected ly the timely use of means in cases apparently the most hopeless. Instances occur in the records of every age, in which men previously distinguished for particular traits of abandoned sin, have become as highly distinguished for the opposite traits of godliness. The mad persecutor has become the devoted martyr-the devotee to mammon, the munificent patron. Perhaps as a reason of this, the enormity of their particular sins may have led them especially to contemplate the opposite virtues, at the time of conversion. At any rate, the facts encourage us against despair, even in the hard case of the most native and deep rooted avarice. The muscle of a miser's fingers is his heart; and though that be contracted to the size of a grape-shot, and of the same iron hardness, and hold his fist clenched round his purse with the unyielding gripe of the tetanus-yet, when this adamant is made to yield to the glow of an etherial flame, we may expect to see the spasmodic grasp relax. If then the moment is improved, we may expect a thorough cure. What then shall we say of the converted worldling who professes to be cheered with the hope of future felicity--to have become an "heir of all things" by having "put on Christ"-imbibed the spirit of infinite benevolence-but who is found as pennyless as ever when an application is made for his substance to send the same precious gospel to the millions who are perishing for lack of vision? One of these two things we are obviously compelled to say: either he has contrived to gain a selfish hope, that must perish with his money;' he is one that hath this world's goods and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, and thus proves his destitution of love to God;' or else his spiritual guide is in fault for not having taught him the way of God more perfectly.' And what shall we say of the character of a revival of religion in any place where converts are said to be multiplied by fifties or by hundreds, but where, on the application of a thorough test, no material increase of Christian beneficence can be discovered! Would to God this were but an hypothesis-a picture without a prototype; and that I could have sketched it without the recurrence of what has been recently told me from the east and the west. Fault must be somewhere, when facts are thus. It was not so in the revivals of 1816, and I trust it is not the general characteristic of those with which God is now blessing our churches. Revivals are the hope of Zion for stability here, and her resources for spreading the gospel to the earth's end; and it is all-important that they should be so conducted as to answer these ends to the utmost. In the warmth of my solicitude, I have said so much on the above topic, that I have no space left to treat of the article of "justice" in this relation as its importance demands. Nor, perhaps, is it requisite that I should go over again with a similar course of suggestions for the purpose of applying them distinctly to this topic. It is ob vious that most of them, (mutatis mutandis,) are equally applicable in their full force. I will briefly add, that if the duty of justice were more frequently enforced on the conscience during seasons of revival, we should find more of integrity and less of scandal in the subsequent lives of those brought into the church. Let the base criminality of a departure from the strict morality of the gospel, be portrayed; and let a sketch of social intercourse be exhibited, based on that golden rule of Christ, "whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them'--let these subjects of be neficence and justice be presented also in their practical bearings in private conversations with the inquirer and the convert--and especially let them be exhibited to candidates for church membership, in questions, gentle in manner, but as distinct and discriminating as the meekness of wisdom can devise. Let the person thus publicly pledge himself, as he ever ought, "to do justly and love mercy;" and if it appear obvious that he has no heart to such a life of devotion, the safest advice he can receive, is, to seek a more decisive conversion before he take the vows of God upon him. Let it ever be remembered, that what is thus done and felt in immediate connexion with our espousals to Christ, will give a tone to the whole subsequent life. It was the frequent remark of a very able and experienced divine, whom many now in the ministry remember as their spiritual father-"the higher you aim, the higher your arrows will reach." And perhaps the observation of all conversant with this subject, rebukes the presumption we are so ready to cherish in behalf of the new convert, that he will subsequently elevate his aim to a higher standard of feeling and practice. While immediate repentance is ever to be urged, let it be a repent ance of all sin, and conversion to all duty. But I have promised to speak of two objections before I close. What has already been said, prepares the way for their speedy solution. 1. "To dwell much on topics of external duty, will divert the attention of enquirers." Divert it from what? seeking their salvation? Certainly not, provided the very way to seek salvation is to be converted to the cordial performance of all the duties Christ has enjoined. These duties may indeed be presented in such a manner as to divert the mind from Christ and the necessity of holiness of heart. But if presented in their proper connection with the doctrines of grace, they lead to no diversion except it be that very needful diversion of the sinner's mind from the pursuit of a selfish hope. 2. But they will lead to selfrighteousness." Presented in such a manner as to lead the mind to regard them as the meritorious ground of justification, doubtless they will foster this hateful and ruinous sin, so congenial to the proud heart. But did Christ so present these duties? And is he " a workman that needeth not to be ashamed" who cannot venture to follow his Saviour's example, lest he should foster fallacious hopes? cannot guard the manner in which he presents these duties, and therefore cannot dare to pre sent them at all at the crisis when they are most needed, and will prove most effectual? Let him but cast his eye on the fallacious hopes which are liable to spring from his silence on these topics, and then let him consider not simply whether he should have the courage to preach them, but whether he should have the presumption to depart from the divine model, and thus by his silence leave men to the exposure of building their hopes of hea It is my design in this paper, to remark freely, but kindly, upon certain usages connected with the burial of the dead, which have long struck me as extremely improper. 1. It is not uncommon within the circle of my acquaintance to trespass on holy time by preparatory arrangements. I am aware, that cases may and do often occur, in which it is not only lawful but necessary, to bury the dead on the Lord's day; and circumstances may even require the coffin to be made and the grave to be dug, on the Sabbath. But I have known such cases of hurry and bustle as the following. A parent, or child, or some other dear relative, dies on Saturday, and at a season of the year too, when the remains might be kept for a week, if it were necessary; but no, all the funeral preparations must be hurried on, as if God had required them to be made and consecrated upon his holy day. Thus the mantua-maker is sent for and kept away from public worship; crape and silks are brought home from the merchant's shelves on Sabbath morning; half the females in the neighbourhood are expected to assist, more or less, in making up mourning for the bereaved family; saws, planes, and hammers, are heard all day in the work-shop, and nobody seems to suspect that there is anything but kindness, and sym pathy, and piety, in all these mournful preparations. But how must a holy God regard them? Are they works of necessity or mercy? In the cases now supposed they are neither. All the parties concerned, might keep the Sabbath as usual, and still have time enough left to prepare for the funeral, long before any change in the corpse would render interment necessary. Why then, should the merchant open his store,and the mechanic be sent to his bench of tools, and why should the house of mourning be converted into a milliner's shop, on the Lord's day, in which he hath said thou shalt do no work?" Shall we be told in reply, that these funeral preparations are wholly unlike ordinary secular employments, inasmuch as all who are engaged in them, must needs spend the day in solemn and profitable meditations upon death and eternity? Specious as this subterfuge is, I am sure that it can weigh little in the balances of the sanctuary. For, in what chapter or verse does it appear, that we may work for the dead unnecessarily on the Sabbath, any more than for the living? Will it be said that the custom which I am here deprecating, is sanctioned by the example of some of the most pious and conscientious members of our churches? My first answer is, that if it were so, it would prove nothing, so long as it is known that even good men are liable to be swayed by the tyranny of popular customs. But I am happy to believe, that few, if any, intelligent Christian professors among us are justly chargeable with such profanations of the holy Sabbath. 2. I think I have sometimes known the dead hurried away to the grave on the Lord's day, to save time. For example, when a town pauper, or some other poor and obscure individual dies, at the end of the week, something must be done to save appearances, The neighbours can |