tablishing every man's own ideas the standard of right and wrong. As to the pardon of sin and acceptance with God, wretched teachers are they. Rejecting the only name given under heaven among men, whereby they can be saved, they leave us the sport of doubts about the future, dissatisfied with every thing, and believing nothing.

How pre-eminent in consistency, in agreeableness to fact, in moral excellence, in transforming power, is the law of God!-the whole system of religion as contained in the Bible. What it reveals is great; what it commands is great; what it promises is great; what it threatens is great. Every thing in it is great, grand, dignified, and divine. All who receive it in sincerity, are ennobled by it. Its object is to exalt Jehovah, and to make wretched sinners happy in life, and blessed in eternity. And yet this law was rejected, slighted, contemned, and violated by the ten tribes. Its great things were counted by them as a strange thing.

The meaning of the expressions used, will be sufficiently illustrated in the following particulars : First, Men count this law a strange thing when they consider it as no way regarding them. Thus it was to Israel like a foreign law. They viewed it as the law of Judah, but not of Israel. Its penalties, of course, did not, according to their ideas, reach them, or its promises affect them. Thus men still count it a strange thing, when they do not feel its importance to themselves, nor realize the danger of disobedience unto it. They hear it preached, and perhaps read it too, without examining themselves by it; considering it addressed to others, and not to themselves. The great things it contains, in their eyes, are too abstract, too far removed from the common occurrences of life, to have any influence on human happiness. They do not apply them to their

own cases do not bring them home to their conscien. ces, as matters in which they themselves are personally interested. Thus they remain careless about the laws, and totally negligent of suitable improvement under it.

Secondly; Men count this law a strange thing, when they remain ignorant of it, with full opportunity of knowing it. This is a necessary consequence of the preceding remarks. They who regard religion as a thing foreign to them, will soon become perfect strangers to it. Thus it was with the Jews in the days of good Josiah. Under his father's wicked reign, the knowledge of true godliness had almost become extinct. The book of the law had been lost; but now it was found, and its contents filled the king and his court with consternation. Equally ignorant were the ten tribes, in the days of the prophet Hosea, during the reign of Jeroboam, the son of Joash. Thus men still count it a strange thing, when they do not read it, or attend on its preaching; when they are unacquainted with its great things, and no way desirous of learning them; when they are satisfied with a superficial knowledge of religion, and take no pains to increase it; when they rather lose what they know, than acquire more. If they were as familiar with it as with other matters, they would not be so ignorant of it. In all cases, they who know not the law of the Lord, count it a strange thing for a wayfaring man, though a fool, may understand it if he will study it.

Thirdly; Men count this law a strange thing, when they do not love it or esteem it. Thus Israel cast away the law of the Lord of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. What we know not we cannot love, nor can we esteem that in which we feel not some personal interest. They who realize the value of God's law, and understand it well, count Vol. III.-No. IX. 3 T

it their greatest delight. Oh, how I love thy law! said the Psalmist; and with him will all believers join. They who cannot, are strangers to its excellence, its preciousness; and for them, as long as they continue thus, its great things are written in vain. Seeing, they do not see them; and hearing, they do not hear them. Their hearts are alienated from God, and their affections placed on what he hates and condemns. They do not approve of his law-object to some parts-doubt of others; receive this, and reject that; are pleased with a part, and dislike the rest. Alas! they count it a strange thing. They feel no attachment to it-find no pleasure in it.

Finally; Men count this law a strange thing when they do not obey it. Did they love it, they would fulfil it; but because they hate it, they first cavil with it, and then reject it. These be thy gods, O Israel, said Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which brought thee up out of Egypt; and the people worshipped the calves at Bethel and Dan, though God had forbidden idolatry, and declared that HE brought them up, out of the house of bondage. Thus men still act directly contrary to the will of God as revealed in his word. Some, whilst they profess to know God, in works deny him; being abominable and disobedient. They corrupt his worship; abandon his ordinances; disobey his commandments; and attempt to unite God and mammon: others, not a few, wholly reject this law, loving darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. They consider it a cunningly devised fable, which deserves no credit, nor respect.

These are some of the ways, in which men count the law of God, and its great things, a strange thing. Dreadful folly to do so! Aggravated crime! How justly were the ten tribes punished! And all they who act like them, may look for the divine displea

sure.

FOR THE CHRISTIAN'S MAGAZINE.

CHURCH OF GOD.

N°. XIV.

Officers, &c.

WE have stated the first requisite in a Christian

minister to be piety; i. e. according to the large theological sense of the term, a principle of true religion, or devotedness of heart and life to the love and service of God in Christ.

We have stated his next qualification to be aptness to teach. This we have shown to contain,

(1.) A good natural capacity; or such a degree of native talent as is susceptible of the proper cultivation.

Some who have accompanied us thus far, will stop short here, and discover a willingness to dispense with acquisitions which were formerly considered as essential to a well-ordered ministry. Piety," they say, "will keep a man straight upon the main arti"cles of truth; and strength of mind, though rough "and unpolished, will enable him to impart them to "others in a plain but impressive manner. This," they will add," is vastly superiour to the drowsy "discourse of hundreds who have been through col"lege, have studied divinity, and pass for great "scholars."

We protest, once for all, against learned dulness. Little as we delight in solecisms and uncouthness, we

will pardon the maulings of Priscian's head by the club of untutored power; we shall esteem ourselves repaid for an injury to syntax, or for a rugged illustration, by nature's pathos and vigour; when we should lose our patience with solemn insipidity, or doze under the influences of a leaden diploma; nor deem it any recompense for the loss of our time, that we were put learnedly to sleep. Yet, bad as this is, it is still worse to suffer the insipidity without the poor consolation of some literature to qualify it-an affliction of much more frequent occurrence than the other.

But by what sort of artifice do men cozen their understanding into such argumentation as this?" Ta"lent without education is better than stupidity with "it; therefore, talent ought not to be educated!!" Here is a colt of excellent points and mettle; He is worth a score of you dull, blundering jades, that have been in harness ever since they were able to draw; therefore, he will do very well without breaking! It is surprising that so many, otherwise discreet persons, will maintain that to be wise and good in the Church of God; which they know to be absurd and mischievous in every thing else. In fact, talent, instead of being exempted from the necessity of cultivation, is alone worth the trouble, and needs cultivation in proportion to its strength. Talents are born, knowledge and skill are acquired. God creates the one; he has left the other to be obtained by experience and industry. No talent can coin facts; and without facts it will run to waste.-Without information it has no materials to work upon; and without discipline it will work wrong. The

* PRISCIAN, a famous old grammarian. Hence one who violates the rules of grammar, is said to break Priscian's head.