Ir has been said, where mystery begins religion ends. No sophism can be more destitute of foundation. Religion begins with mystery, nor is it possible that mystery should be excluded from it. The divine nature is, and cannot but be, to us a mystery. Our own nature, compounded as it is of spiritual and corporeal faculties, is also a mystery. The whole course of nature is a mystery. So is the divine government of the world, baffling continually the profoundest calculations of human wisdom. Shall we, then, wonder if the mode of being peculiar to the "God invisible and immortal" be beyond the grasp of our apprehension? shall we expect that while we are in this earthly tabernacle such a subject may be brought down to the level of our capacities; and that, though in almost everything else we 66 see through a glass darkly," we shall be permitted to "see face to face" the glories of the Almighty, and to know Him even as we are known? Surely this is to forget the distance between things finite and infinite, between heaven and earth, between matter and spirit, between things temporal and things eternal. But again, it is urged that a mystery, when revealed, should cease to be a mystery; otherwise, it is in effect no revelation. This also is a mere strife of words. A mystery is any thing hidden from human comprehension-anything imperceptible to human faculties-anything unattainable by human research. Whatever relates to the essence of the divine nature is of this description. But though the subject of the thing revealed be mysterious, the evidence by which it is made known may be such as to command our assent; and though the mystery revealed be still a mystery, it may be received without any impeachment of our understandings. To a man born blind, everything to him invisible is a mystery. But does he act contrary to reason in trusting to the testimony of others, respecting objects which he cannot himself discern? Though unable to walk by sight," may he not walk "by faith?"

And why may not we do the same with respect to things indiscernible or incomprehensible by our natural faculties? Faith in God is our proper guide in the one case, as faith in man is in the other. In both, though the subject be hidden from our view, enough may be known to satisfy every reasonable inquirer of its reality and its truth.-Bishop Van Mildert.

ON THE WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. No. I.

THE Spirit worketh joy in the heart of believers immediately by himself, without the consideration of any other acts or works of his, or the interposition of any reasonings, or deductions, or conclusions. This does not arise from our reflex consideration of the love of God, but rather gives occasion thereunto. He sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, and fills them with gladness by an immediate act and operation.-Dr. John Owen.

The Spirit gives a distinct witness of his own, which is his immediate work; and is, in a way of peculiarity and transcendency, called, "the witness of the Spirit."-Caryl.

The Spirit of God, without consideration of, or reflecting upon, any of those gracious qualifications he hath wrought in the soul, does by his own immediate power imprint this persuasion upon the heart, "Thou art a child of God;" and by an inward, and secret, yet powerful voice, doth say to the soul, "Thou art a believer; thy sins are pardoned."—Samuel Clark.

There is an extraordinary witness of the Spirit; and that is, when, in an immediate and powerful manner, the Holy Spirit impresses the soul with an assurance of divine love, and gives the heart of a saint such a full discovery of his adoption, without the more slow and argumentative method of comparing the dispositions of their souls with some special characters of the children of God in Scripture.-Isaac Watts.

This is that Spirit of adoption which constituteth us the sons of God, qualifying us so to be by dispositions resembling God, and filial affections towards him; certifying that we are so, and causing us by a free instinct, to cry, "Abba, Father."-Isaac Barrow.

I soon found (says Mr. Wesley) what spirit he (Mr. Spangenberg) was of; and asked his advice with regard to my own conduct. He said, "My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Have

you the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit, that you are a child of God?" I was surprised, and knew not what to answer. He observed it, and asked, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" I paused, and said, "I know he is the Saviour of the world." "True," replied he; "but do you know he has saved you?" I answered, “I hope he has died to save me." He only added, "Do you know yourself?" I said, "I do." But I fear they were vain words.-Wesley's Journal.

It is the property of saving faith, that it hath a force to appropriate and make Christ our own. Without this, a general

remote belief would have been cold. comfort. "He loved me, and gave himself for me," saith St. Paul. What saith St. Chrysostom? "Did Christ die only for St. Paul? No; NON excludit, sed appropriat;" he excludes not others, but he will secure himself.-Bp. Brownrigg.

The precedence of the direct witness of the Spirit of God to the indirect witness of our own, and the dependence of the latter upon the former, are very clearly stated by three Divines of great authority; to whom we refer the more readily, because many of their followers of the present day have become very obscure in their statements of this branch of Christian experience:

St. Paul means, that the Spirit of God gives such a testimony to us, that he being our guide and teacher, our spirit concludes our adoption of God to be certain. For our own mind, of itself, independent of the preceding testimony of the Spirit, (nisi præeunte Spiritus testimonio,) could not produce this persuasion in us. whilst the Spirit witnesses that we are the sons of God, he at the same time inspires this confidence into our minds, that we are bold to call God our Father.-Calvin on Romans viii. 16.

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The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God. The witness which our own spirits do give unto our adoption is the work and effect of the Holy Spirit in us. If it were not, it would be false, and not confirmed by the testimony of the Spirit himself, who is the Spirit of truth; "and none knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God." (1 Cor. ii. 11.) If he declare not our sonship in us and to us, we cannot know it. How doth he then bear witness to our spirits? What is the distinct testimony? It must be some such act of his as evidenceth itself to be from him, immediately, unto them that are concerned in

it, that is, those unto whom it is given.Owen on the Spirit.

The Spirit of adoption doth not only excite us to call upon God as our Father, but it doth ascertain and assure us, as before, that we are his children. And this it doth, not by an outward voice, as God the Father to Jesus Christ, nor by an angel, as to Daniel and the Virgin Mary; but by an inward and secret suggestion, whereby he raiseth our hearts to this persuasion that God is our Father and we are his children. This is not the testimony of the graces and operations of the Spirit, but of the Spirit itself.-Poole on Romans viii. 16.

(To be continued occasionally.)

LITTLE SINS.

THERE is no sin that can properly be termed little. The least iniquity will cost either the blood of Christ, or the blood of your own soul. Little sins are spreading sins; "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump." (1 Cor. v.; Gal. v. 9.) "Elijah's cloud, although only of the bigness of a man's hand, (1 Kings xviii. 44,) in a few hours clothed the whole heavens in black." You will find little sins something in repentance, which you counted as nothing in the commission. Little sins are leading sins: the child conveyed in at the window, may open the door to let all the great thieves in. When Gad came into the world, his mother said, "A troop cometh. (Gen. xxx. 11.) When the messenger of the King of Israel came to the Prophet, he said, "See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door; is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" (2 Kings vi. 32.) Shut the door against every sin; for whose messenger is it? Look behind, and see who comes after. "Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?" The devil is not far off, when sin knocks for admission; and the door being opened to the messenger, it is like to stand open for the master to enter. Take heed, brethren, that you give no toleration to any sin: little sins if allowed become great sins. The allowance of sin, is that which makes the great waste upon conscience, and the great spoil upon our peace. I will not say what grace there may be in the heart, but sure there is but little tenderness in the conscience, that doth not bid defiance to the least of sins. Richard Alleine.

DODDRIDGE ON THE RENEWAL

OF THE COVENANT.

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SURELY there is nothing we should do with greater cheerfulness, or more cordial consent, than making such a surrender of ourselves to the Lord; to the God who created us, who brought us into this pleasant and well-furnished world, who supported us in our tender infancy, who guarded us in the thoughtless days of childhood and youth, who has hitherto continually helped, sustained, and preserved us. Nothing can be more reasonable, than that we should acknowledge him as our rightful owner and sovereign ruler; than that we should devote ourselves to him as our most gracious benefactor, and seek him as our supreme felicity. Nothing can be more apparently equitable, than that we, the product of his power, and the price of his Son's blood, should be his, and his for ever. If you see the matter in its just view, it will be the grief of your soul that you have ever alienated yourself from the blessed God and his service; so far will you be from wishing to continue in that state of alienation another year, or another day, you will rejoice to bring back to him his revolted creature; and as you have in times past yielded your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin, you will delight to yield yourselves unto God, as alive from the dead, and to employ your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.

An Example of Self-dedication, or a solemn Form of renewing our Covenant with God.

I

ETERNAL and ever-blessed God! desire to present myself before thee, with the deepest humiliation and abasement of soul; sensible how unworthy such a sinful worm is to appear before the holy Majesty of heaven, the King of kings and Lord of lords, and, especially on such an occasion as this, even to enter into a covenant transaction with thee. But the scheme and plan is thine own. Thine infinite condescension hath offered it by thy Son, and thy grace hath inclined my heart to accept of it.

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I come, therefore, acknowledging my self to have been a great offender; siniting on my breast, and saying, with the humble publican, "God be merciful to me sinner." I come invited by the name of thy Son, and wholly trusting in his perfect righteousness; entreating that for his sake thou wilt be merciful unto my unrighteousness, and wilt no more remember

my sins. Receive, I beseech thee, thy revolted creature, who is now convinced of thy right to him, and desires nothing so much as that he may be thine.

This day do I, with the utmost solemnity, surrender myself to thee. renounce all former lords that have had dominion over me; and I consecrate to thee all that I am, and all that I have,the faculties of my mind, the members of my body, my worldly possessions, my time, and my influence over others, to be all used entirely for thy glory, and resolutely employed in obedience to thy commands, as long as thou continuest me in life; with an ardent desire and humble resolution to continue thine through all the endless ages of eternity; ever holding myself in an attentive posture to observe the first intimations of thy will, and ready to spring forward with zeal and joy to the immediate execution of it.

To thy direction also I resign myself, and all I am and have, to be disposed of by thee in such a manner as thou shalt, in thine infinite wisdom, judge most subservient to the purposes of thy glory. To thee I leave the management of all events, and say, without reserve, "Not my will, but thine be done!" rejoicing with a loyal heart in thine unlimited government, as what ought to be the delight of the whole creation.

Use me, O Lord, I beseech thee, as an instrument of thy service! Number me among thy peculiar people! Let me be washed in the blood of thy dear Son! Let me be clothed with his righteousness! Let me be sanctified by his Spirit! Transform me more and more into his image! Impart to me, through him, all needful influences of thy purifying, cheering, and comforting Spirit! And let my life be spent under those influences, and in the light of thy gracious countenance, as my Father and my God!

And when the solemn hour of death comes, may I remember this thy covenant, well ordered in all things and sure, as all my salvation, and all my desire, though every other hope and enjoyment is perisl.ing! And do thou, O Lord, remember it too! Look down with pity, O my heavenly Father, on thy languishing, dying child! Embrace me in thine everlasting arms! Put strength and confidence into my departing spirit; and receive it to the abodes of them that sleep in Jesus, peacefully and joyfully to wait the accomplishment of thy great promise to all thy people, even that of a glorious resurrection, and of eternal happiness in

ADDRESS TO FEMALE SERVANTS, ON THE SUBJECT OF PERSONAL RELIGION.*

You may, however, be placed in a family where you will have little or no encouragement to worship God, either in public or private. But remember that your religion needs not depend upon those by whom you are surrounded. It is certainly a great help to associate with those who love and fear God, and who are able and willing to help us in our way to heaven; but we must not rely on others.

Religion is a strictly personal concern, and the sooner you give your heart to God, and seek an interest in the atoning blood of your Saviour, the more happy and the more useful you will be.

If you do not already possess a Bible, let me entreat you to obtain one immediately. Read a few verses every day, and pray for the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that you may understand what you read. Commit to memory a few verses every Sabbath, and pray that the truths you learn may be engraven on your heart, as well as on your memory.

If you be a slow reader, or have not much time to spare, you had better confine yourself at first to the New Testament, and the Psalms: you may afterwards read with pleasure and profit the historical books of the Old Testament. You will meet with much in the Bible that you may not understand at first; but if you earnestly seek the teaching of the Holy Spirit, you will doubtless be enabled to understand all that is essential to your salvation and to your spiritual edification. You will also learn from that blessed book how to act towards all with whom you have to do. You will there read, "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye also unto them." This command may lead you to think how you would like to be treated were you a mistress instead of a servant. In the sixth chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, you will find some invaluable directions for your conduct.

You may also derive both pleasure and profit from reading the accounts given in the Scriptures of different servants.

In the sixteenth chapter of Genesis, you may read of the pertness and insolence with

*Friendly Hints to Female Servants, on the best Means for promoting their own and their Employers' Happiness. By Mrs. J. Bakewell. Fourth Edition.

which Hagar, the maid of Sarah, treated her mistress, after she had been raised by her to a post of high honour. She left her place, and wandered in the wilderness without a home and without food. There the angel of

God met her, and instead of praising her spirit, as the world call it, he said, "Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands." It would be well for young people generally if they could always meet with judicious friends to advise them under trying circumstances.

In 2 Kings v. you will find a very pleasing account of a little captive maid-servant, who was the honoured instrument of restoring her master to health, by telling her mistress of the wonderful power of Elisha, the Prophet of Israel. A judicious mistress will never listen to the tattle of her servants, but she will always be glad to receive any information that is kindly and respectfully offered. Besides, this young girl was the means of leading her master to the knowledge of the true God, by inducing him to visit the Prophet.

In the same chapter you will find an awful account of the punishment inflicted on a deceitful and lying servant. Now, though you do not live with a Prophet to whom the Lord reveals what is done out of his sight, God himself sees and hears you, and will most certainly bring you to judgment for every false word and dishonest action. In the eighth chapter of 2 Kings, you may read of Hazael, who slew his master, Benhadad, King of Syria.

In

In the book of Ruth there is a beautiful picture of kindly and Christian feelings which existed between Boaz and his servants. the thirtieth chapter of Genesis, you may read of a faithful servant, who told his master he wished to leave him, and received this very uncommon answer: "I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, tarry; for I have learned by experience that the Lord hath blessed me for thy sake." Alas! how few masters can use such language in our days!

Remember, too, that you are a sinner before God, and that you must repent and seek forgiveness through the blood of Christ. The Saviour is ever ready to receive you, if you be willing to forsake sin and flee to him for refuge. Your soul is precious in his sight, and although he is both able and

willing to save you to the uttermost, if you come unto God through him, yet he will require a strict account of the use you have made of your religious privileges, and awful will be your doom if you reject his proffered mercy. You will not be able to plead at the day of judgment that you had no time to attend to your spiritual interests. If you have time to dress, to eat, and to sleep, you may take a few minutes from each, and employ them either in reading, meditation, or prayer.

There is one great privilege which you enjoy in every family, in common with your fellow-creatures: you can lift up your heart to God in private prayer.

Do not neglect this all-important duty: ask for those spiritual blessings which you feel you need: ask for those temporal comforts which proceed either directly or indirectly from the hand of God. Ask for wisdom to perform the duties of your station, and for grace to bear its difficulties: and depend upon it, you will be guided and supported throughout life.

Pray not only for yourself, but for your fellow-servants, if you have any, and for the family with whom you live. Many instances are on record, of servants having been made instrumental in the conversion of members of the household, of which they formed a part; and doubtless many more are known only to Him who knoweth all things.

A friend was lately speaking to me of a pious servant, who lived with her parents sixteen years. The lady speaks in the highest terms of affection and respect of this faithful servant. She remembers the prayers which she offered up with her and her brothers, when they were children, and the efforts she made to promote their best interests. The father of this lady had a very violent temper, and would frequently enter the house in such a rage as to terrify the whole family. Nancy was always a peace-maker, and she invariably strove to avoid anything that would increase her master's irritation: on the contrary, she would soothe and quiet him by every means in her power. But her most powerful efforts on his behalf, were at a throne of grace: there she pleaded with God that his temper might be subdued and his spirit humbled, and often would he return home meek as a lamb, when his trembling family had been expecting him to be like a lion. The observation most frequently made on such occasions was, "This is in answer to Nancy's prayers."

Whatever be the hour at which you are expected to rise in order to serve the family in which you live, resolve to rise at least ten minutes before that time in order to serve God. Never leave your room till you have thanked your heavenly Father for his care of you through the night, and implored his protection and blessing through the day. Pray for grace to resist the temptations to which you may be exposed; pray for wisdom to guide and for

strength to support you in the duties you have to perform, and the difficulties you have to encounter. You know into what sin you are most liable to fall: whether it be idleness, untidiness, gossiping, self-indulgence, or whatever it may be, pray particularly and earnestly to be preserved from it. God has said, "My grace sufficient for thee;" but it is his will that we should seek his grace by fervent and persevering prayer.

But let not your communion with God be confined to any time or place. Whether you be alone or in company, you may address your Heavenly Father in ejaculatory prayer. If an unexpected temptation beset you, propose to yourself the solemn inquiry, "How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Should you be sinking under the load of care that devolves upon you, recall to your mind that precious promise, "As thy day is, so shall thy strength be." If you be mourning under a sense of unpardoned sin, breathe the publican's petition, "God be merciful to me a sinner." If you feel overpowered with gratitude and joy, let the language of your heart be, "Praise the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, praise his holy Name."

Whilst I am writing on the important subject of personal religion, I feel bound to address a few words to those servants who are religious professors. It is plainly your duty to enter no family where you would be deprived of an opportunity of attending the house of God, at least once on each Sabbathday. If you bargain for this beforehand, and explain that you merely want time to worship God, and not to gossip with your friends, your request will seldom be a hinderance to your getting a good place. Tell your mistress that you are willing to make up for the time you desire on the Sabbath, by doing what you can beforehand, to lessen the Sunday's work, and by rising a little earlier on Monday morning to do what may have been left undone the preceding day. You will thus convince your mistress that you are in earnest in desiring to seek the salvation of your soul; you will gain her esteem and confidence; and she, if unconverted, seeing you adorn your Christian profession, may be led to think more seriously of religion than she has ever before done. "Let your light shine before men, that they, seeing your good works, may glorify your Father who is in heaven." while you are thus determined to secure some part of the Sabbath for the public worship of God, do not evince any unwillingness in cases of domestic affliction or any other emergency, occasionally to resign the privilege. member that you may serve and obey God as acceptably by waiting on the sick, and endeavouring to promote their personal comfort and spiritual welfare, as by worshipping him in the assembly of his saints. In short, "whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

But

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You must be particularly careful to conduct