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DELIVERED BEFORE THE ACADIA LYCEUM, WOLTVJLLB, N, S., DEO, 8, 1857. 6Y TUB REV. WILLIAM SOMMERVILLE, A. M., DKrORMID PRKSBtTltRIA^r MlNlSTaR, COHNWllUS, N. R. rUDLISHEU BV RKQLEST. SAINT JOHN*, N.B. PRLNTED BY BARNES AND COMPANY, rRINCB WILLIAM l-TRBET. 18n«. l.«l» .^. ^""■MS'LMJIBII ..6^ Cyay/ort/ PAMPHltT BIND(R Syrotuie, N. Y LECTURE. Infm ? ^r "'^L'='^"™°" o;J" ^hich lately came mU> my hands, entitled " The CuitisriA^ Lue," the author refers his purpose to attempt a development of character nn formed upon the feiblo to a rema.Uf Professor M'Dougall on "The extonsSo diffusbn of the M wifl I'r?"^' T* '"''S'on, in its strict personal form, comports .11 with so id.ty and compactness of intellect;" and his own oLer lTZJ\^''''f^'lV^'' '^^^ "' certain dcpartmaS of htera are. It cannot fail to have como under the observation of persons reasonably conversant with life and character, that thero are tZT-^ ''T"' u- •■ ".'^"'^e^^es « gre.-vtor measure of intellectual supenonty and cult.vat.on, who are not ashamed to exhibit thei cla.m8 detached from Christianity, and affect to look down with vntSV^'*^ "pon those whoLavc placed their necks under the yoke ot Christ, arid are pleased with his burden. When Chesterfield was ,n I- rancc a lady of rank took the liberty of asking him } ow tl o Parhament ot Eng a,u , composed of the most talented and culti° vated me., of the land, could tolerate such an absurdity asChi-is- t.amty ll,s reply was to this effect, that he Lad no doubt they were fully prepared to set it a.sidc, but they had not as yet S able to discovei- any thmg better to substitute in its room. The r. Kf!!'ti P'^'-'/^P^f >J ni'^'-etlian he intended. It is sufficient to stultify he mocker, that his superior sagacity has never been able to furnish any thing superior to the teachings of the Book, whose foolishness excites his scorn. r.«) 1 nt ^'^ '^A^.rf ,*^ **^'' ^"S''«^ g''^""^ than that the earnest, the resolute, and the believing study of the Bible, is compatible with the tl?rZ?k^flV''^'''Tn"-*'"^^'"^*'^*^ understanding; and to use the words of Ihonias DeQuincy, as quoted by Bayne, " My faith is. In ntelllf .f K't' T"1 ^Y' ^^ ' ™^^<^ Feasibility,' be an infide an intellect of the highest order must build upon Christianity ;" and that there IS no department of study so well adapted to the growth and maturity of the understanding as Biblical study. The man of natural powers say, if you will, not merely moderate, but below med.ocny shall be raised, by the study of the •■ >e, to a position of respectability among bis fellows, an/ display . peietratiW and grasp, in some instances, calling forth surprise. The masculine w!;ir '1 '"tP'".^".""^"' ^^ *^« unlearned and ignorant Apostjes, are ascribed by their persecutors to their having been ""^tu^ "( I III' II 111',... '•> 7'"SiiaS; rs;£»'-- who ndiciiS ;^^ ^J'fm science fl.r i'"'.'''' '''f" ''«v«rjc. Civ -2 ' ' ^^ '"''•''''fl »^v«rotJ,.tt'f.; ',''''•'' --^ •'^•'•''"nn lo ' 7" ''■•^;'»''' to tlion,. ''••"•inij docs no o? aclvanecd ; and there a .1 j .''*'''" l"'Pulation. ^'ery early after tl> ' .,. *"^' "'"'^'^ ♦,. f.t, ., ^ r^^^ "le )n-<)iinil!Tation "-.r*".?! 'Si,;""' '?• r""."',''';,' ,::",,»- ^™.i and were cnnf ".^^'^^'"f. awoke from thnU. ' , ' ''"^' '""fnafors, t'>eir se en I k"'!?'^'' ^^■^'^"' footing Lbro.d f ""^^7^ "'' •"^■^'"•'tv rn _MMPHlfT KNOf* 'PIVfiMi. in (|..i "rfriimoiit ii, ' an. I J,,„.Jc,., "• It JIlCToIv '• ninl iiH'ccU'd ^ow to tho nssociatfotis 'e iinprovj'm, '"' iiiiioii of ^'tioiio.I; Lot '•y iins Lccri ''"'i^tianilv, ' 'iltiiiiateJy '•'itlioii were ''« I'loposal g Sa\71.!,'C,S ? to proc(>e(! '■''t ; toach *o tJjcm, 'aniffer of r We, ,. too "I'n'.-itioti. "10 wJioso limit Ojat aiuJ that and ole- 3011 « iil, "iiids of L'niativo 'ligation eiifalily s boiii^ ^'iiafoi's, .^oiirity, iiits of cstab- sliook I'Ollglit old in e that ins in in no ■-'hris- and (' the Ihi'v 6 iiuNt haw iM'jfiiii tu t'.fl Ihi' mms- of ft hlrong liand, in whi.h thov were powcrlcHH ; and ignoiaiit c. the prcshurs of (iod'n hand, tliev could fiunish no olhor cxphination of tho tcrnhinfy to fall bcloro the (Jod of the ( "hiistian ; and necordinfjly rotVr the oppressive jK.wer to tiieir iiil.rH, and hearken to the nu'reNt nhstraction that niit^lit appear to implicate tho "{.owc-s tliat be" in a design to overthrow their relij^iun, Tiie conneetion between tlio sprcjul of tlic Bible an.) n nation's nilvanoenient in every thing that implies intellect\ial improvement and pros].erity, is too eonstaiit and uniform t«> be ascribed to an a.-ideiit. Jt woiil.l be a prodigal waste of time to compare tho condition of Christian and heathen lands. Hut to make it manifest that it is not nominal ("liristinnity, but the Jiible, that is connected Avith the tlilferenee in intelleetiial and social position, we eomparo <'hristiiin nations with reference to that instrument. Thereare only two eoujitiies in the world in which the Bible may be said to be an open book— Britsiin and the United States ; and the intellectual superiority of these countries is unquestionable. In these there is no department of R(;icnce and art that is not cul- tivated; and the human mind is roused to an activity and expan- sivenesH of operation, that proclaim the fetters broken which bind down the energies of man. Other lands can furnish men of yreat eminence in particular spheres; but these can produce their giants of every complexion of literary attainment. Other lands borrow or buy our knowIed>,'e and oiir 'men. Tlicrc arc excepted spots in both eountries, that serve to establish tlie connection between tho •spread of Biblical knowledge and progression; and to shew that the former is not the consef|uent but the' precursor and sure pledge of intellectual, and conseipiuitly of social eminence. Witness the South and West of Ireland, anil the Southern States of tho North American ( 'nion. These countries lag far behind, or deteriorate, in which the Bilile is either partially or wholly a proscribed book— permitted only to speak what may be agreeable to the priest or slaveholder to hear. Nothing can save them but the removal of every restriction, that the \\ ord of the Lord may have free course ; when even these shall evince the elasticity of the human mind, when subjected to proper training, and the "Word shall be gloritied in the reactionary movement. The Celt shall no longer be a byword, and Ethiopia shall stretch forth her hands. But I shall attempt to show that tho consequence of the study of the Bible must bo the promotion of the versatility, the expansion, and the elevation of the human mind. 1. Biblical study is adapted to promote versatility of intellectual tftbrt. It is a matter of common observation that the exclusive applica- tion of the inind to one subject has the effect of ultimatelv inducing an incapability of directing its energies to other departments of inqniry, Familiarity produces ease of application ; and the thoughts /•'../ I 6 ^Xmoffiir^lr/"™ '" ^'^-^;J-^^tio„ i„ Hluol. tl.oy can ruu wua most tacility, and consequ-iiitly most satisfaction A fnll fun,! tvTi^'w. ' '«"^'^'-«at'«". continue to introduce the topic with ^ n btKr/r'"""^"^-^"'^ ^''^ "»---- they s;:„ t wnen Dound up to the examination of tonics new to them It i« hard to say whether the reluctance to puf fortT I rcu effort is i some casesthe parent or the child of imibility ; but I ni^suuie tl e general opinion will be in favour of the latter ^ tomo^l '1? J''"'^'«^T ""^ ^^'' "^^'^ "P«» tJic mind of bcin^' ■•*^^>-- 4- e IhJZ-A ' V ^H abrupt transitions, affords the relief which the mind craves, the object, the glorious objrvt of the whde noier ■;>. I mAmL PaWPHlET BINDER --— - Syracuse, N. Y. hoy can run A full fund '• invariably ti.>pic with fy nianifost liem. It is effort is in •resume the leing accus- und from a liave been established ual to one mechanic, id the cir- ty lays t^io an endless lay driving f shoes for plougli or find him -pleading m on the •ws. The iitied, and pplo. nteracted, id by the 'ed to call There we liners and poetry of exhibited ey aids us re years ; I'ginnents 3 lover of and the extrava- hat over s a spell ibbon or ly afford my, the repose ; f which le never lost sight of, nor the unity of the composition rudely broken. Tlie startling anecdote, the bewitching episode, introducing us into the domestic circle or chamber of secret counsel, arrest the attention of childhood, and draws it onward to the examination of facts and principles and rules worthy of application when gray hairs proclaim the decline of life. If I were asked what training is best calculated to prepare the mind for entering on any such studies as are to fit the man for future usefulness with personal enjoyment, I would say, the study of the Bible ; and perseverance in the study will be found subservient to direction and success in any legitimate department, by tlie very discipline to which it subjects. I cannot pretend to illustrate the foregoing view by entering into details. Take two specimens of reasoning. We assume that the argument is correct and conclusive. To study the Bible, the cor- rectness of its positions must ever be regarded as settled. And the careful student, with whatever misgivings he entei'sj upon his task, never fails to reach inspiring confidence. The unbeliever or the doubter is like Hume, who is reported to have acknowledged that he never read the New Testament through with care. These exam- ples, which I propose to introduce, are brought forward because, as the connection between the premises and conclusion is not obvious, they furnish materials for the e.xercise of the reasoning powers. Nor is it my intention to analyze the arguments for the purpose of illustra- ting their conclusiveness, but simply to exhibit them. (1) In Romans iv., Paul represents David as describing the blessedness of the man to whom God imputeth righteousness without works, f, quotes the first and second verses of the 32d Psalm in confirmativ^n of his appeal. But in these verses the Psalmist expresses nothing but the blessedness of the forgiveness of sins, of the covering of transgression, and the non-imputation of iniquity. Tlie imputation of righteous- ness, of righteousness without works, is not once mentioned— not even righteousness either with or without works. Yet the Apostle so clearly apprehends the connection between what is expressed and the imputation of righteousness without works, that he unequi- vocally represents David as describing it. The investigation of the argument shall supply a lesson in logic as good as any found in Watts or Whately. Tlie statement is approached with the greatest satisfaction, because Ave are not to inquire whether the reasoning be good or bad, but to trace the connection between the premises and the conclusion in an argument known to be good. The attempt of the infidel to invalidate the conclasiveness of the argument, may help to deliver him from his doubts of the origination of the reason- ing with Him that cannot err. The next specimen is found in the discourses of our Lord. He charges the Pharisees and Scribes with proving themselves partakers with their fathers in the blood of the prophets. But he bases the proof of the indictment upon acts to which, I do not hesitate to say, no man not led by the Spirit of Christ, wonld have appealed. It is MHU 1? 8 cotiiinonly regurdcd as a fuvourablc indication of the revival uf tlic spirit of the confessors and martyrs of other days, tliat the places of their interment are sought' out, their spirit ami principles applauded, and that Old Mortality is not satisfied with chiselling out anew the time-effaced inscriptions on their tombs, but erects tombs and monuments, at great expense, and without number, to consecrate the spots where they fell, or where their dust still reposes. Of a similar circumstance our Lord takes hold, Matthew xxiii. 29 : " Woo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because yo build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepul- clircs of the righteous, and say, if wo had been in the days of our fathers wc would not have been partakers with thcni in the blood of the prophets," Luke xi. 48 : " Truly ye bear witness that yo allow the deeds of your fathers : for they indeed killed them, and yo build their sepulchres." This is a startling conclusion ; and tho more startling, that in the first blush of the premises, we are utterly unprepared for it. But it must be just; and it will prove a good intellectual exercise to discover the connecting link. Take two examples of addresses to the imagination, One involves as bold an image as was ever presented to meet the craving of the excited fancy. Tho despotic king of Babylon smote the people in wrath with r. continual stroke He ruled the nations in anger ; but lie also must come to his end. Tho efi:ect of his overthrow is^ to diffuse rest and joy. Death and desolation have a respite. The whole earth is at rest, nml is quiet. They break forth into singing. " The fir-trees rejoice, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying. Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us." But there is yet another picture, so grand, so awful, that in the contemplation of it, a thrill of horror passes through the frame. The repose of the dead is disturbed. The multitudes of rulers and people who fell under his oppressing hand rush in one tumultuous throng to hail his approach, and to utter their triumphant scorn of his insane assump- tion and real weakness. An unwelcome recognition is that of the proud king by those whom he had crushed and slaughtered. The apprehension of tho solitary Baptist, whom he had unjustly beheaded, rising from the dead, filled Herod with alarm, surrounded, as he was, by the elements and instruments of power. Is there, then, an imagination so vigorous as to realize the horror of a king once — a king no more— around whom his untold victims congregate in all the frenzy of anticipated vengeance? A few words uttered under Divine direction are sufiicient to delineate the overwhelming horrors of such a meet- ing. " Hell from beneath is moved for thee, to meet thee at thy coming ; it stirreth up the dead for thee, all the chief ones of the earth ; it has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. Al! they shall speak, and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we i ' Art thou become like unto us ? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols. The worm is spread under thee, and tho worms cover thee. How .ut thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer ! sou of the morning." mmmmmmm PAMPHLET BINDER Syratuie, N. Y. revival of tlio I at the places Liid principles -ith chiselling bs, but erects ut number, to cir dust still Old, Matthew s, hypocrites, ish the scpul- u days of our 1 iu the blood tiiess that yc ed them, ami siou ; and tho we are utterly prove a good One involves craving of the tho people in iu anger ; but 'erthrow is to vespito. The h into singing, ng. Since thou it there 13 yet niplation of it, )se of the dead vho fell under irr to hail his insane assump- irt that of tlio ghtered. Tho istly beheaded, id, as he was, by an imagination :ing no more — the frenzy of )ivinc direction of such a nieet- et thee at thy ef ones of tho 3 of the nations. become weak i brought down is spread under u from heaven, whose lips are formed oZ to w T ^'"ndreds of prophets, Ahabmust see and een.imsclf ^T '"? aclnlation. JJu a power, against whicdfhe i^ ,'o L.oTl T^' t''<^ elements of feather agtinst tJie ImrH aJe tha r^nds t/' '""*'^"^. ^''^*» t'"' Micaiai, whomheli'.fA.l ,. I Z^"'*'' ^''^ mountains. And affliction, shrintrot:' iJm to^ n '''^ '' ^"*'^^ '''"^ -"^- ^• his own likeness isS/ ons^.n hT'^^^^^^^ "'' ™'^'^ ""^ ''^^''^' of spirits fallen from t^ei rhigh St tc ^ThJ^c'r '"* '' '''' '^''' lor Ahab to repose when brfrn colouring ,s too ^■ivid, Ws imagination. I c s os U.a sUTtf 'tl'Tr'''!^ ""''^^ ''•«'-" character of a dread realitv iK . ,t''^^«I'"cation puts on tho painting; but he wil golvm'ef fft^hVr'iW''''.^^^ P^'^^l^''^^^'^ sec as ho went out ? whnt „ * ■ , 1"^ '^^^^''^- What did li(> all the while hotvaite Iho'S^ofte'd ''^f ^'-'^^V^"^*^' ^ M.caiah saw, and delineat d too faithful v ifl f'""^^''' • ^^"^ impression. He m-iv «l,nf j • ''^'""""y "ot to leave an ndelible thim upon the comSta S^ VutS' ^"* ''? '''' ''"*• ^^° °P '"' tion. Ho stiJ] sees wha M L^ilsS wr.' ' "If ^'^^ ^'' ™^'"^- to rouse and regulate the maSnSl k '""* 7^' ^^^^ ' Something or Virgil, Scott^or l^yron "S' v r' ^l.)'-."^! ^"Jthing that Home? "I saw the Lord sitting on £ .}!„'; ^^ 's a m^agn.ficent picture, standing by him on &..?! k ""^"•^'/"d all the host of heaven said, 4lJ ,ha™i pers "a fiS'th';;' T '''' ''''■ ^"^ '^' ^-^ Ramoth-Gilead ? And one fa d on r ° """•' ^'^ "1' '"^"'^ ^^^^ at on that manner. AnJ there cl'fV^ '"'""'''' '""'* ''^"°^''<^'' '^''''■'l the Lord, and said, I wi 1 /p'sS £^ ''F?'', ""/ ^^^^^ l>«fore They have thch oaLs a, f a„dS •'' "^"^'''°'^' aresurroundeY be brought up by di««tes of patches of rich vcgelat ion AVh- V"^''' '"''i"'"* '•ecurroncc of nnprononncable nSe. ^e Zrl T f "'' ""^ formi ^ ^hat thou my coast ; and that thine ^^^i^^l^'^^^ZtgZl me. And God wJuldcst keep me from evil, chat ma> not g ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ habits of a people ^T^'lf ?iVm ^^'^Xt us that there is loss expansion of the hiiman ."'^'^d. ^^ .^ .^^ ^^ jtsclf ^here is an elasticity ^^ foall it nti exercise. The best to subjects that are ^^I^^Ld bv Sn n^^^^^^^^ application to trifles natural talents woidd be dwaitcdb>coii.n if ^^ .^^j^ence ? Who ever heard of ^^,^^f ««,^^.,f ^ .fow™^^^ of the farmer or the Whatever may be ^^c natu al enMc^ ^^^ mechanic, if the operative p^^^^^^^ ^,,,,J,, te is or the example of othcis, exclusive y r ^^^^ ^^^^^ little elevated above ^^f.^^^^^V^^S '>^''''\'^ vhich ho works; and his capabilities aie^ F llugh Miller that their existence is ^'^f'^^fy.^'^^S^Sb'y devotion to%ubjects may be a hard-workmg ^to«J-«"^^^^;^i^7 ^^^i supply incentives to which aflford active o^<^?^^««,,*° J^^"- ™^^^^^ ^orld-w de renown, and veach forward, fo'^^vard stil , acquues a J^ ;rSnE^^H:;^^ri;gbeSl ^MonaUc and^sc. 1 I 1 c c a ai Ji ti ti tl Is th sn 1)11 Ft n of tllC lud cUap- slavery. iglibours. lit people ion. He icompati- sumc the ii'ds tread ;slian had ^han gave apter sup- Icvotcd to Also from ccupations jfcrence to en ; to the 2S in their 'Jabcz was ,n the God md enlarge that thou And God ,orth while \ breathing lanncrs and ight expect ; there is loss word. Ii the Scrip- pvoraotc the i adapts itself 2. The best tion to trifles. ,0 eminence? armcr or the cd by custom cntion, he is or the metal ely obscured, Hugh Miller »n to subjects incentives to renown, and ed in the early iblc and fasci- 11 uuimporUuit circumsLinrP X u r If'lV"" ^'"^ ^'Y "« "leans of criation in hei SSietv and ^^"■?^^^^<^ attention to the works mmmsm metals and stones wl.iloTu ,i)« '^'«''^. as well as of precioas ana dieting ,.5,„S ZVISoilL'Sir"" ''""' """»-• .sta>K]8 fast. He "vil and tl nVl . *^«"^-Hc ^onnnands, and it not the only a peS o^' tic D vino'' " ^^^^^P'^^'^^^^'- ^^"t this is us to conte^l ie adL e and 1^''?;? "'/'"'' 'l\' ^'^^' ''^^' captivatino-tothinktrtthi^^^v,;. -^^ J*, ?'.'<^ Possible, still more z^2T T?!; , ',''7 "■"» "'« »'= "'ti^'s of He Uivini coral B ble carries out our views still farther. Tlie beast the bin ?i>n I S.rN T '''\'-^i'<^^' over -Wch heS^ st a 'r t coT MM 12 Tf;at;liings we ixre brought of necessity to recognize the constiiut presence ofCiod, and to say " Wliilher sihall 1 go from tliy spirit or liee from thy presence ?" An ohjcct worthy of all observance is ever present to the instructed eye, and when little things are presented to tlie mind they arc viewed as the minute parts of a great whole, to which they must be referred. Tliey are seen as we would exa- mine a drop of water, with the ocean composed of drops before us, or a particle of dust, while we stand upon the earth of which it is a f.onstitnent part. Circumstances endlessly diversified, and events unnumbered, all, all, witliout any visible or demonstrable bond of connexion, we are taught to view as co-operating immediately or remotely to one ul- timate issue — important to individuals, to nations, to the most magnificent of the world's rulers. What an astonishing display does the Book of Esther furnish of the combination of many occur- rences, apparently fortuitous and completely dissociated. The world is full of lucky coincidences, happy chances, unfortunate accidents. The tritiers in the meantime, unobservant, unreflecting, sport them- selves in indolence and security. The Bible student meets with no bad lack or lucky chances. He may not be able to account for every occurrence that may come under his observation, or explain the connexion of such occurrences with one another or with one end, but because he knows the existence of such connexion, passing events furnish materials for mental exercise and for observation. The Jews, scattered over the one hundred and twenty seven provinces of Ahasuevus' empire, must not perish by tlie hands of malignant am- bition. Yet the decree has gone forth according to the laws of the Medea and Persians, which cannot be repealed. There is no other miracle interposed than that which is of constant recurrence, ac- cording to the ordinary processes of tlie Divine government. Let \is look at the circumstances that enter into combination to secure the object. Ahasuerus makes a feast for his nobles and gets drunk. In his frenzy he orders the Queen into his presence, to exhibit her beauty before his friends. She refuses, A polished courtier, ready to minister to the vilest passions of an excited master, proposes her dismissal and a selection for the throne of Vashti from the beauties of the empire. Esther, the Jewess, is brought before the king, and by a lucky chance obtains the preference of the capricious monarch, and becomes Queen of Persia. Haman, by whose instrumentality the decree against the Jews is procured, with true heathen supersti- tion, must have the decree executed on a day of good omen. He oasts lots from day to day, but, most lortunately, he did not find a tiay to his mind except one which allowed nearly twelve months to elapse between the promulgation and the execution of the decree to destroy. Thus ample time was left to devise measures, if mea- sures may be devised, to deliver his victims. Bigthana and Terest, two of the king's chamberlains, conspired against the life of Aha- suerus: Mordocai happens to find it out, and discovers the traitors; 1 PAMPHtfT BINDER ~ ^IZ: Syrocusn, N Y ni!ll.I''.i,oV-" ''a ["■"'■''"' '" V"^ <^f"'o.'i<-IeB of the king.1 nijrht tim kmg Aliasiieriis could not si /« ingiloni. One cai s hdol.ty ; and better yet, this was just the niepo3 n utin} , yet so co.nbnied in the deliverance of the Jews hat no human being eould tell how the end eould have been e •ured independently of any one of them, or devise any other "om- b nation that, without a deviation from the ordinary one.-^ ons of Providence, would have led to the same results! ^ «P«'=»fons of senLdTn\\v1wT'l'f'.T'''i^^ '''^ ^'''"'' "'Jn^'nistration, pre- sented in the Jiook that furnishes materials for extending the oi.era- lons of the human judgment. Schemes which are devisf d o def nt coun?;fsrZigtt;r^^'^^^^^^''^ --'---y ^^y-^^^ In this we recognize the absolute mastcrsliip, the uncrrina wisdom annorbeS';:? i'rovi.ence of the Divine 'administration, whi'^eh cannot he traced as they are delineated in tlic sacred record without i'scZ "'r •^"" ^^•'••■'"•'^tingand an invigorating itirneexe * cised over the inner man. The enemies of God pursue their S .nthout interruption: they proudly step forut^l and Xg v ineir puis lit. He that sits in heaven smiles derisively another hand touches them. They turn to learn the cause of T, t rfrence 1 heir schemes are defeated, and their hopes arc bla.sted • their con stenjation is complete ; they discover thitthey hatrbe'en 1 bo f g fo their own discomfiture. Joseph's dreams cleariy indicate h^ d pL^;;teT'"H." '" |'^^^f '-''J^-'-' ^^ oxpect^ionrnmstbe aisappomted Ho is sold into Egypt, and they shall see wliat will become of his dreams. They shall see. Througl^ tl e s a e y o jvhich he is doomed, he mounts to the second pice n t e Sn^ of c Pharaolis. He must fall under his master's displeasure, and be placed in irons, that he may be delivered from his master\ hand • Prison noVr?tt"- S^ ''" ""f"'^ 'i'' ^^ "^"J- ^'^ delivered i J, r.T^r y ^ '"fliience of a subordinate, not by the special S that JLT""';^';' r"'^ T'' '^'' ^'-''^ ""''^'^^''^'^ -^' soverefgn V down to I ^"^T''', '" ^t"""""' •'^"^' •^°«ep'>'« bvothren must come do^^n to receive bread at Joseph's hands. All his dreams are al ready accompished before th^y awake from the eJ^^%i^ which slnl keen tW '''^i"'"'* ^' ^''^'''y"^ ^"^ murdered. Now the Jews 11 derbvir ^^^««"d"-»tion: the people shall no longer be clHuded In his se-luctive eloquence, and astounding miracle, : the u old teiioliois shall rcvoxQi and ictaiii tlioir ascciidancv. Care imisi 1)0 taken that no lictitious nmionr of u rcsurrectioii shall mar the cttoct ot this victory over innocence : the sepulclire shall be .soahal and guarded till the eventful time shall Iiave passed. The cn..niies ot Christ sleep m peace. Tlieir guard shall early arouse them from t leir slumbers— the unwelcome, the impartial, tlie first witnesses of the triumph of the Lord over Priests, over Pliarisecs, over Romans- over death Itself. Soon these skilful plotters, these wild fools, shall Ic^rn tliat thoy had done-done what? .What the hand and counsel ot bod liad determined before to be done— What Christ came to do • operating a 1 the while to expedite that glorious supremacy which comprehends their own subjection and that of all besides. iJut 3. IkeBMe supplies the ?rtra?is«/ elevating as well as of expan- ding the mtellecf. '' ^ Often has it been reiterated that wc arc tlie creatures of circum- stances. To a certain extent it is true. We are subjected to a thousand influences that warp the judgment, modify the atfections, torm the liabits, and mould the whole character— the man ; and there is not found, in the wide range of terrestrial observation, the. means ot emancipation from these influences. The individuality of the man is hardly recognizable : lie is a particle of the mass of hu- T*^M*^'' ^m, a P;"-ticipant of its form and aflectious- earthly, sensual, devihsli. The Bible alone presents objects which, once api>reliended. set the mind free, and exhibit it in its constitutional exercise putting forth Its mighty energies, and discriminating between the tilings that are excellent and honourable, and those that have ac- quired merely an adventitious importance. Life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel. Wliat eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, God has revealed to us by liis Si-lrit. And there is yet a glory to be revealed; but the language of man does not supply terms to declare it ; and there is an allusion to every thing that is esteemed among men, to foreshadow its character and attractiveness. We don t know what we shall be. The man who has been brought under the commanding aiipre- Lensions of eternal glories, and has learned that temporal t^^istcnce is but a moment of liis being, and realizes that the things of earth are as fleeting as the shadows of a summer cloud, is raised above the influences winch distort and debase the life that now is. I>overtv puts on robes of splendour, and takes its stand side by side with wealth. The mighty ditierences that otherwise exercise such con- troul over man s feelings and pursuits, fade into nothingness. Moan men arc vanity, and great men are a lie. W^iich is to have the preference ? Vanity or a lie ? Tliere are two aspects of poverty that cannot be contemi)latcd without melancholy. One poor man— no not a man— a beino- iu human sliape knowing nothing better than food and raiment, licking, like the ox or the dog, the hand that supplies meat an.l s head. He became poo.- The^vthatw ,s sot h f r. hnn supplies the explanation of tl^e ease witl". fv dX o,f 1 le gurmcn s ot poverty, and endured other ills. He was not deg Ided lor ashamed. Moses lost his relish for the pleasures of sin and for H?! ^easures of Egypt, and chose the affliction'and re'roac "of the peon S of God, so soon as he had learned to fix hiseye upon the recon.pcnsS o reward. Paul was prepared to proclaim the affliction of tS s ,.t tune as no worthy to be compared with the glory hereafter to be re vealed, and therefore submitted cheerfullv to the lo. of all that ho had once accounted valuable. And the/ are not to be mbered vvhohave been subjected to weariness and painfulness tol un^S Inrst, to cold and nakedness, in anticipation of a bette "lur ec t.on. Such men arc in no danger of seeking the h^Z^Tihl gams by any indiscretion, or of sacrificing their iniepe„5ence for what they mght thus grasp. Abraham would not hav?e "t said that the kmg ot Sodom made him rich, lie did tro forth for tL?i, i; anceofLot,and brought ba.k the people & Sm but if It no for the sake of such rewards as the king of Sodom' coi d li ^ Ins suggests that the man who derives his views of human hfe and human prospects from the Bible, is not purchasab c by n.a^' t ^^as the doctrme of Pitt, that every man lias liis nricn Tr« « >gnorantofthe Bible-an infidel. &e diules of iKce t le bf bever m Scnpture will discharge; but money cannot procnc i» abandonment of the course of uprightness. The worldlinTrrnn.f nnderstand him. The Papal legatepronounced LuS antmre^n able beas because he Pope could not bribe him to change 1™ course Ihe prophet of Judah whom the false representations of^a preSed prophet afterwardsseduced, could not be prevailed on byXboaS rewards to turn aside from God's counsel ^ Jereooam a r..^ul\ '°'- ' '^? .^"fl"^nf e-all the terrors of despotism arc inca- pable of turinng him aside who sees the invisible One A more noble spec acle was never seen than Shadrach, Meshach and Abed no-o braving the terrors of Nebuchadnezzar's fiery Wee "0,t God IS able to deliver, and he will deliver us But if not bo ?f V„. unto thee, O king, that we will not serv^ hy gods no wonW^Z golden image which thou liast set up." What else thin thTvSilt! of f\iturity sustained those who hacf trial of mocking^, scouir bonds, imprisonments, who wandered about in sheen fLsSS skins, destitute, afflicted, tormented. Let oSerbe leavened S Bucli ; and thefoundation is laid of that confidenL, w Sh gh es the fc^^ll^rf ^""'^'■r' dependence, and intercours £ £ does notfoarto be sacrificed by popular whim or popular selfishness and the people's jealousy of their rulers is neutralized. There fs no an^er ot the ofhcer being abandoned or massacred by his soM e l nor s there cause of apprehension that the ofiicer may be pSu of the soldier . blood to secure liis own fame or gain. Thc^paS f L 10 which tlic iiierrliHiulize uf tlie worhl i« ciiriied in hiiiootlieJ. The cords of affection me strengtliened. Wo iciiow the ;«<■«, tluir posi- tion, uiid their purpose. To use a current phrusc — \vc know where to find tlieni. The Bible supplies tlic means of terminating the unseemly parti- san strife that deranges the social machinery, and casts a gloom over all lands into which it has found an entrance. Earthly glory pales before the glory that is seen by faith. Elevated social position 18 not affected. There is something truly noble in the simplicitv of the widow's reply to Elisha, who would speak for her to the king, or to the captain of the host, in recompense of the kindness she had shewn him — " 1 dwell among mine own people." The man whose conversation is in heaven, is not ignorant of the importance of an elevated position, nor of its burdens ; neither is he ignorant of its responsibilities. He knows that the ruler is God's minister. Tho burden he will boar, the responsibility meet, that he may act in subserviency to the interests of the members of society. But as for any honour that is separable from a constant and faithful discharge of the duties of his place — an honour borrowed from position — the glory that is to be revealed eclipses it. The olive tree is too happy in its fatness, by which God and man is served — the fig tree is too fond of its sweetness and good fruit — the vine will not leave its wine, that cheers the heart of God and man, to seek to be promoted over the trees. It remains for the bramble, in its condescension, to ask the trees to put their trust in its shadow ; and even the bramble will wait to be asked to rule. Boar with one thought more. Envy, alike destructive to itself and its object, falls before the commanding power of the Bible, t^an we envy tho wealth that cannot be carried hence ? the power that so soon passes away ? Shall we find the envious among those who have treasures in heaven — a crown of glory that never fades? Give us the teacliingswhich enable the scholar tolook vp without agrudgc, and doion without contempt. Tho wheels of life, then, move smoothly on a road prepared. The greatest barriers to tho reciprocation of undisguised and unquestionable affection are removed, and cordial fraternization places together the rich and tho poor, the prince and the peasant, in happy recognition ; while each derives, from the other, the assistance which his position enables him to give. The poor is exalted, and the rich is brought low, and both rejoice. The truth is illustrated, that godhness has the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. When the Word of God dwells richly in me in all wisdom and all knowledge, and only then, I am entitled to say. Young man, study the Bible. And when the Word of God is your study, the object of your confidence, and hidden in your heart, then, and only then, you arc entitled to say "/ am a man.'" —a PAMPHUT IINOCR itt KlllUUtilCiJ. TllU tlio men, tlioir posi- «o — wo know wucro the unseemly pnrti- aiid casts a gloom ice. Earthly glory vated social poHition I in the ainiplicitv of for her to the king, he kindness sholiad " The man whose 5 importance of an I he Ignorant of its )d's minister. Tho hat he may act in society. But as for id faithful discharge from position — tho VR tree is too happy -the fig tree is too will not leave its leek to be promoted ts condescension, to d even the bramble estructivo to itself -of the Bible. Can ;e ? the power that s among those who never fades? Give p without agrudgc, len, move smoothly he reciprocation of novcd, and cordial oor, the prince and 1 derives, from the him to give. The . both rejoice. Tho iso of the life that in all wisdom and say. Young man, is your study, the ■art, then, and only ..^ .,^..... ,.^:^.....„.^',.2. -^J.,^.^,r,-». .i^JS^..^^^m^^r^,^^