tion, between Christianity in the Apostles' days and Christianity now, brings them over many difficulties: and learning, and ingenuity and sophistry are called in aid to cover up others: and the clamour, the stupid but vehement clamour, that "great is Diana of the Ephesians!" is raised to cry down the truths, which they are unable to refute. But however little agreement there is among those men in other points, they all agree in the indignation they express against the few who declare the true gospel, which owns no distinctions of character or state between man and man, but that of those who believe it and those who believe it not; which addresses all men as lost sinners; and levels to the dust all the fancied superiority of some above others, in declaring that "whosoever believeth shall be saved."

Those who contradict the assertion, that men are to do nothing in order to their obtaining God's grace and mercy, must suppose that they have found a different way of obtaining it from any which the Apostles knew of. When one of these was addressed of old by an alarmed sinner, scared by the terrors of the Lord, with that question, "What must I do to be saved?" did he tell him in reply, Do this or that preparatory WORK in order to obtain or be qualified for the mercy of God? Nay, the Apostles were better taught, and were better teachers. The answer is explicit, BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved?"

But I would be glad to be informed explicitly, what kind of work this is, that sinners are to do in order to their obtaining God's grace and mercy. It must of necessity be something done by them independently of that grace and mercy, of which they are yet supposed to be destitute: and I suppose it must be something of a religious nature. Now what say the scriptures concerning the religious works of unrighteous men? The sacrifice of the wicked, that sacrifice, by offering which they intimate an expectation of its being accepted, is, what? something that contributes to their obtaining God's grace and mercy? no such thing: is, an abomination to the Lord. What else indeed can it be? Their persons unrighteous in his sight, how can any of their works be accepted? Their hearts enmity against him and "alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them," how can their offerings be imposed on the Searcher of hearts, as any thing good! And if there were no other text in the bible to prove, that by the wicked we are not to understand merely the irreligious profligates of the world, that text which I have just now quoted, would be sufficient to prove it: for the wicked is there presented to our view in a religious exercise, offering his sacrifice. And if his religious acts, so far from contributing "to obtain God's grace and mercy," are an abomination to the LORD, I am at a loss to know what else he is to do in order to obtain it. The word of God testifies against all he does as sin; and protests against the proud hopes that he cherishes from his doings as vain and deceitful: but, in the glorious Gospel, brings near a righteous

ness and salvation suited to such a wicked sinner; and suited to him, as in every thing else, so in its assurance that whosoever BELIEVETH shall be saved. And I am bold to assert that, the more every system different from this is examined, the more absurdly inconsistent it will be found with the dictates of right reason; as well as the more impiously derogatory to the perfections of JEHOVAH.

NEW ARGUMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE MOSAIC CHRONOLOGY. The valley of the Nile, it is well known, is covered with a bed or stratum of alluvial mud deposited by the river during its periodical overflowings; and this bed or stratum is superimposed on sand in all respects resembling the sand of the adjoining desert. The quantity of deposit in any given time is, however, much less than one would be apt at first to imagine, considering that the great fertility of Lower Egypt is solely to be ascribed to it. During the period of the French expedition, a great variety of experiments were made, by the savans who accompanied it, upon the thickness of this alluvial bed; and some curious and interesting results were obtained. In the traverse section of the valley of Syout, and other places where the deposits could be made without obstacle, and without being in any material degree, augmented or diminished by local causes, about two hundred pits were dug, and the depth of the whole alluvial stratum carefully measured; care being taken to make allowance for what seemed partial or accidental inequalities. The mean of all those measurements gave for the average thickness of the mud stratum nearly six and a half metres, or rather more than twenty feet. We take it, however, at twenty.— Having ascertained this point, M. Girard next applied himself to determine the quantity by which the soil is raised or thickened in the course of a century, from the depositions of the river; and the pits of the nilometers furnished him with the basis of an approximate calculation, which gave the centenary elevation of the soil, from the cause already mentioned, at less than four and a half inches. Dividing, then, the whole thickness, or depth of the stratum, by the quantity added to it in the course of a century, the quotient is 5,650; from which it follows, that the origin of this superimposed soil, must have preceded the year 1809, the date of the experiments, by 5,650 years, being only 154 less than the Mosaic chronology gives as the age of the world at that time; a difference which, considering the peculiar nature of the data upon which the calculation is founded, and how much the smallest error, either in the measurements, or in the centenary "valuation," would affect the ultimate results, must be thought quite immaterial. Making all due allowance for these circumstances, however, the coincidence between the sacred chronologist and the deduction of science, strikes us as very remarkable; nay, as affording one more proof how nature and revelation harmonize, when the truth is sought in the love of it. We may add, that the French savant has carefully avoided drawing the in

ference to which his own premises necessarily lead; an avoidance which is only the more absurd, from the obvious nature of the conclusion obtruded upon the mind of the reader.—Caledonian Mercury.

From the Christian Mirror.

MR. CUMMINGS-To the question in the last number of the Mirror, how much ardent spirits a person may use as a medicine, in case of sickness?—my answer is short and decisive: none at all, necessarily. Nearly sixty years extensive experience, in the profession, has aburdantly satisfied me, that the Physician is under no necessity of ever tolerating the internal use of spirituous liquors, in case of sickness.— When the Temperance Society in Portland was formed, I disliked the exception, as being totally unnecessary and improper, giving unlimited toleration to the use of ardent spirits, under this pretext.

The preparation of medicine is the province of the apothecary, and he is prepared with the volatile and other high proof spirits necessary for dissolving, extracting and preparing the medicines for the use of the practitioners; and it is his province to prescribe them, and order the mode of introducing them into the system, and in such form as he judges most proper. Therefore the medicines thus prepared, render the further internal use of spirituous liquors unnecessary-and in no case are the sick indulged (necessarily) with the internal use of spirituous liquors, and I wish the exception totally expunged from every such association.

If the Physician, for certainty, prepares the medicines for his own use, he therein acts as an apothecary,

If these remarks and observations are worth your attention, you will make such use of them as you think proper.

June 22.

AARON PORTER.

From the Quarterly Register, &c.

HINDRANCES TO PIETY,

IN YOUNG MEN PREPARING FOR THE MINISTRY.

3. Serious young men are too soon put upon the performance of religious duties, in public, and are often injudiciously pressed, to turn their attention to the ministry, before a fair opportunity has been given to themselves, or to others, to form a correct judgment of their religious character. I have known several instances of young men apparently destroyed, in consequence of possessing a remarkable gift of prayer. They soon found out that their prayers were admired and praised, and their foolish hearts were puffed up with vanity. The greatest caution is necessary, to guard against imposition, when youth in an obscure condition offer themselves as candidates for the ministry. The prospect of rising from a low mechanic trade, to learning, eloquence and respectability, is as powerful a bait as can easily be presented to the youthful mind. Ambition may give the first impulse, but it will lead the person to

assume the character which it is judged will best answer its purpose. And when a young man is once taken up to be educated, you cannot easily dismiss him, unless he is guilty of some great delinquency. You have taken him from the business to which he was brought up, and changed all his prospects, and it would be cruel to drop him without some urgent cause. The course of preparatory studies is begun too soon after conversion, by many young men. They should be left for months, if not for years, to prove their sincerity, and to evince that their piety is lively and progressive. During this period, they should study their own hearts, and read those books, which most faithfully describe the work of grace in the heart, and furnish the most decisive marks for discriminating between true and false religion.

4. The hindrances to piety in young men, while engaged in classical and scientific studies, arise from the books which they are obliged to read, the company with which they are associated, and the emulation which is excited by the competition in which they are engaged. The heathen authors which are read in all our schools, cannot well be dispensed with, and yet the reading of them has been injurious to the morals and to the spiritual health of many. A preacher of the gospel cannot and ought not to remain ignorant of the mythology of the pagan world, and of the state of morals among the most refined and civilized of the nations of antiquity; and it would not be easy to devise a method of arriving at the knowledge, less. exceptionable than the study of the classics under the guidance of a Christian preceptor. But still it is difficult for the susceptible minds of youth to pass through this course of study, without suffering some injury. The case is like that of a young physician, whose profession requires him to come in contact with diseased subjects, and even with such as are infected with contagion; but he cannot avoid it; he must run this risk ;and his only security is in fortifying his system against these impressions by strong antidotes. And the same must be the plan of the spiritual physician he must endeavour to preserve himself in a high state of health; and must constantly have recourse to prayer, watchfulness, and the word of God. I am persuaded that much of the evil arising from the study of the Roman and Grecian classics, might be prevented, by a proper course of teaching. I do not mean that the plan of making excerpts of the best parts of heathen authors, or causing the student to omit those parts which are indelicate or immoral, is of much importance. What I mean is, that if the teacher would combine Christian instruction and admonition with every lesson -if he would take every occasion to point out the deficiencies of the religious and moral systems of the best of the heathen, and contrast with their loose morality and absurd theology, the pure and beautiful system of the Bible, these lessons would, by contrast, be placed in a more striking light. And it deserves to be remembered, that occasional weighty remarks, out of their common place, and singly exhi

But

bited, often make a deeper impression on the memory and conscience, than long and laboured discourses on the same subject.

The hindrance from associates destitute of the spirit of piety, is often sensibly felt; and with some of our candidates for the ministry, I know that there is so great a conformity to the manners and spirit of the careless part of the community, that the nicest observer can discern no difference between the prefessor of religion, and the youth of decent morals; except when the communion table is spread, the one is found seated among the people of God, while the other stands aloof. There is, in my opinion, much need to look after young men who are preparing for the ministry, while within the walls of a college. If a faithful representation were given of many, during this part of their preparatory course, those on whom they depend for aid, would not be likely to patronize them any longer. As a remedy, some propose, that pious youth should be educated in seminaries by themselves: but unless you intend to seclude them from intercourse with the world altogether-which would require them to go out of it—you must accustom them to withstand the temptations arising from the spirit and company of men of the world. And if your candidate cannot resist the current, when in the small society of a literary institution, what reason is there to hope that he will faithfully withstand the torrent, that bears almost every thing before it in the society of the world? The way for men to attain to eminence, is not to remain ignorant of all temptation; but it is to meet and overcome it. If there were due vigilance and fidelity on the part of those who superintend their concerns, many who are in a course of education for the ministry, would never be permitted to proceed further than their college commencement.

5. I have already noticed the fact, that too much social intercourse is unfavourable to piety; and one of the greatest hindrances to the cultivation of an elevated piety in Theological Seminaries, is, that the young men are too much in each others' company; that they are too little alone, and have too little provision made for retirement, and the performance of the duties of the closet. Persons fond of conversation, and those who are of an affectionate temper, can with difficulty resist the temptation to visit too often, those with whom they are familiar, and to spend too much time in their company. This habit steals away the time which should be devoted to study, and consequently interferes with the seasons appropriated to reflection and devotion. For this evil, no effectual remedy can be devised, as long as a large number of young men are nearly secluded from other society, and inhabit one edifice, where a few steps will bring them into the presence of each other.

In my judgment, the students continue in our seminaries for too great a portion of the year. It would be better to adopt the European arrangement, of extending vacations through the summer. During this period, the students, instead of post