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loaths himself for the undue estimate which, in a proud moment, he puts upon them; and how truly he esteems others better than himself. His God sees him examining his heart, and comparing its principles, motives, and designs with the word. He observes how impartially he pursues the scrutiny; and how readily he suffers the word to bear on his conscience. He be holds with what earnestness the Christian enquires into the frame of his heart, with relation to the doctrines, the privileges, and the precepts of the word; -how desirous he is to be perfect in all the will of God. He is witness how this scrutiny empties him of self-complacency; how it produces a deeper conviction of his moral inability to do any thing good; how it drives him to the Fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, and makes him value the blood of sprinkling.

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It was Hagar's mercy that the Angel Jehovah saw the dangers to which she was exposed by leaving her master's house arrested her, in her course, and commanded her to return and submit to her mistress. Remember, my soul, that this Angel seeth thee in all thy ways! he counteth all thy wanderings: all thy conduct toward others is before him; - he beholds and judges between thee and those with whom thou contendest, and those which contend with thee. Thy motives, the undisguised state of the case, with all its various shades, are open to his eyes, No partiality to thyself,-no false colouring, -no misrepresentation, can escape his notice, nor make the case appear to him otherwise than it really is. Look well, therefore, to thy motives and thy designs; for thy "God is a God of knowledge; by him actions and thoughts are weighed." If thou be guilty, go and submit thyself to him thou hast offended, or be sure your sin will find you out; and the same measure thou metest, shall be measured to thee again. If thou art innocent, be assured" he will bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noon-day." What a blessing for the believer, who, through the power of indwelling sin, is prone to wander from the house of mercy and of safety, that the Jehovah-Angel sees all his wanderings, brings him back with weeping and supplication, restoreth his soul, and leads him in paths of righteousness, for his own name's sake.

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The Angel Jehovah consoled Hagar, by informing her that he had heard her affliction. He saw the state of her mind, and all the painful feelings of her heart. To thee, my soul, it is consoling under all thy troubles, that thy God seeth thee. He is well acquainted with the cause, the degree, and the effects of all thy afflictions. Not a groan can heave my breast, nor a tear drop from my eye, but the Jehovah-Angel is privy to it. No plan can be laid in the councils of my spiritual enemies, but he sees its commencement, how it is designed to operate, the in struments and seasons of its accomplishment, and knows well how to oppose it, or make it work for my good. He sees all my

perplexities about my spiritual or temporal concerns. Every step of my future life is before him; all my relative connections, my personal or family concerns, are under his direction. Com mit, therefore, my soul, thy ways unto him, and he shall bring it to pass; cast all thy care upon him, for he careth for thee. With the present be not dissatisfied; about the future be not anxious; of thy temper and conduct be zealous and watchful; for, remember, "thy God seeth thee.”

ON THE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE. Mr. EDITOR,

HAVING learned so many instructive anecdotes from your Miscellany, I feel bound in justice to tell you whatever of an interesting nature befals myself. This morning, being Monday, rather a leisure day with me, I called upon a friend, for whom I have a high esteem, on account of his fervent piety, though he is tinged with some notions unworthy of his general good sense. As I entered, I perceived, from his countenance, that he was, to use sacred language, "walking on his high places.'

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"I had a delightful day yesterday," cried he, "for we had a fine minister in the morning, who gave us a charming sermon; and our own minister gave us nearly such another in the afternoon. The first sermon was on those words, "Whom have I in Heaven but thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." Instead of treating it in the dry literal way, applying it to David, as if he had none in Heaven or earth that he loved in comparison with God; which, you know, is very discouraging, when we find we have not the same feelings, he took the text in a new, spiritual light, as the words of the true David, the Lord Jesus Christ, who says of the church," Whom have I in Heaven but thee, the church triumphant above, and there is none upon earth that I desire but the church militant below." Now, what could be more new, striking, evangeli. cal, and comfortable? And, in the course of the sermon, there were many texts introduced and explained in the same way, as gospel allegories.

In the afternoon, our minister took for his text, Ps. cxxxix. 6, "Thine eye did see my substance, yet being imperfect." He told us, that all the commentators, in wandering after the literal meaning, had missed the true sense; "which," says he, "I will now give you: David here preaches the doctrine of original sin, and confesses that God saw him to be an imperfect, sinful creature, even in the womb." He then proceeded to prove this from the fifty-first Psalm, where every one knows that David confesses his original depravity as the source of his natural transgressions. Though this sermon was not quite so charming as that in the morning, yet, you see, it gave a new view of the text,

and brought the gospel out of it, in a way one should not have expected. This reminds me of a wonderful preacher in the same way, who lately preached on "Abraham begat Isaac, and Issac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs." He said, it had a gospel sense, and referred to the mystery of the Trinity, and the work of the Holy Ghost. Abraham begat Isaac, means the eternal generation of the Son of God, who is the only begot ten of the Father; then the Holy Ghost is represented by Jacob, for he proceeds from the Son as well as the Father; and, lastly, "Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs," signifies, the work of the Spirit in sending forth the twelve apostles."

This last interpretation appeared to me so striking, that I could remain silent no longer, but exclaimed, 'How justly has the apostle said, "Unlearned and unstable men wrest the Scriptures;" that is, put them on the rack to torture them, in order to make them speak what they never intended!' I am so far from being charmed with these new evangelical interpretations, that I am shocked and alarmed. All the novelty and ingenuity which they display, make no compensation for the banishment of that which is the great design of preaching, to make known the mind of the Spirit in the Scriptures.

For what else but the real mind of God, expressed in his word, can be the food of faith? Unless we derive his genuine meaning in any passage, our faith is not fixed on the truth of God, but the ingenuity of man. What will be our condition at the last day, if it should be found that, instead of taking into our hearts his declarations of truth and grace, we were carried away with the novelty of some allegoric meaning, forced upon his words in defiance of his plain meaning? And, when once the heated imagination of a popular preacher is allowed to melt down Scripture as wax, to take any impression which his ingenuity chooses to give, the Bible, instead of being, as you think, rich in meaning, has really no sense at all. The doctrines of the gospel, far from being supported by such fanciful comments, are really betrayed into the hands of their enemies; for, when they see certain truths brought out of texts, where common sense may see they never were intended to be taught, they suppose that the doctrines themselves are only the reveries of ingenious brains, which can only be supported by twisting Scripture contrary to its original meaning. Or else, they learn to use ingenious liberties with those texts which really contain evangelical doctrines, and put them on the rack, to banish Christ out of them, reversing the process by which you attempt to force Christ into them: for, they say Why is it not as fair for us as for you?'

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As I now perceived that my friend had too little relish for my sentiments to give them casy credit, I enquired for one who resides in the house; and, being told that he was in the next 3 T

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room, I called him in. He is an ingenious man, and, though of a sceptical turn, indifferent to all sentiments, he loves to argue against the peculiar doctrines of the cross. Yet, as the Devil has been forced to confess the glory of Christ, I thought I might draw him into the conversation in such a way as to correct the errors of my friend. It is needless to relate by what process I brought him to the point I wished; let it suffice to know that, when he found we differed on the proper way of interpreting Scripture, he seized the opportunity to speak thus:

"As to the Scripture, I have sometimes thought there is not much meaning in it; for I have heard some famous preachers give such strange, out-of-the-way sense to their text, that I was convinced they did not trouble themselyes to find out what was really meant by the words, but what curious things they could say from them. At the same time, I have watched the countenances of religious people, and seen them highly charmed with the hocus pocus of this conjuror, who could bring a hen and chickens out of a snuff-box; or, in other words, bring out of a text what was never in it. I have often said to myself, Do these people read the Bible every day, to know no more of its meaning than to be caught with such perversions?

"But," said he to my friend, " as I know you are partial to such strange twists, I will not hurt your feelings by harping on this string; but will make my peace with you, by expounding Scripture on your own plan. You often tell me, I must be regenerate, because our Lord says, "Ye must be born again." Now, what a fine view of the resurrection is this! When we spring from the womb of our mother Earth, and are born into a new world!-this is all the regeneration I want. Nay, don't tell me that is not the meaning of the speaker. It is a fine new interpretation of the passage, and suits my gospel, if not yours. As to its not being the real meaning of Christ, when he spake of the new birth, I am sure it is as much his meaning, as original sin was David's, when he uttered the text we heard yesterday afternoon. Yet, I know, you were charmed with the interpretation given to those words; though it is evident, to every unprejudiced man, that David is only magnifying the Omniscience of God, who saw him before his body was perfectly formed in the womb."

I saw my friend began now to have enough of his own system; I, therefore, thought it prudent to ask him to walk a little way with me. I then begged him to reflect seriously on the consequences which result from such treatment of Scripture; - told him how sorry I was to find his minister had been influenced by the taste of his hearers to adopt such a strain, instead of examining into its soundness, and then exposing its fallacy. We then parted; but, if I find any happy result, I may perhaps inform you, for the benefit of your readers.

J. B.

THE CAUSES OF DEISM.

Is there not a Cause? DAVID.

AN infallible authority asserts, that the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. If this testimony be true, the primary cause of Deism lies deep; it is seated in the depravity of human nature. The fountain is empoisoned, and the streams partake of the deadly infection. Opportunity and temptation do not communicate; they only draw forth the latent corruptions of the fallen soul. These seeds of infidelity already contain the germ of life, though concealed for a time beneath the surface, smoothed by civilization, early correction, or careful education. But the effects of rain and sunshine are not more certain in the vegetation of the natural world, than the influence of occasion and solicitation upon the human heart. Every man is by nature in a state of virtual infidelity; the declarations of revealed truth are not really believed: and the transition to speculative unbelief is neither difficult nor surprizing. But though we state that the awful depravity of nature is the general and remote cause of Deism, we nevertheless acknowledge the presence and operation of other causes which are subordinate and occasional.

Immorality inclines men to receive the principles of infidelity. A corrupt tree brings forth corrupt fruit, answerable to its degenerate nature: so from a corrupt heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetuousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, &c. These immoralities, which stain the conduct, become an immediate and powerful inducement to Deism. As they are congenial to the heart whence they proceed, so they are sincerely loved. The degenerate parentsoul looks with a partial eye upon her own offspring; indulges them with that freedom in secret which is the proof of sincere attachment, and is jealous of every thing which threatens separation from her darling idols, her beloved lusts. Resolved to persist in the crooked paths of rebellion against God,-every extenuation of the evil of sin is eagerly sought after, and every assurance of impurity is joyfully received. To such a course of conduct, how suitable and relieving is the creed of Deism!It is a theory derived from human depravity, and demonstrates its origin by its application.-It furnishes an apology for every crime by an appeal to constitutional inclinations, as to principles authorized by the God of nature; silences the harsh clamours of conscience, by a disavowal of superstition; and administers the sacrifice of annihilation to every intrusive fear. "The fool hath

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