vernment, who bestowed on him the honourable distinction of Lecturer on Philosophy, with a suitable annual remuneration. In this situation, in the midst of his young hearers, he enjoyed as much happiness as his bodily sufferings would admit of, conscious, as he was, of possessing their sincere regard and attachment, and of his own unwearied exertions to diffuse the blessings of religion, and to widen the boundaries of human knowledge. All that art could accomplish was insufficient to alleviate, far less to remove, his sufferings. In 1753 and 1754, he went to Lauchstadt and Carlsbad, but the use of the waters and change of air only afforded him a slight temporary relief. His feelings, however, were highly gratified by the demonstrations of kindness and respect which he experienced at these places from the most distinguished characters in Europe, who, invalids like himself, were anxious for a while to be relieved from the cares and occupations of active life, and he dwells on that period, in his letters to his friends, with unmingled pleasure and delight. He mentions with the strongest emotions the gratitude of those whose children had benefited by his instructions, and gives some instances of this, too interesting to be passed over. A nobleman in Silesia wrote to him, offering him a considerable annual allowance, which Gellert, with the most laudable disinterestedness, having declined, the same was paid to his aged mother regularly till the day of her death. This circumstance was never mentioned by Gellert without a flood of grateful tears. On another occasion, a young Prussian officer who had frequently read Gellert's works, and felt their blessed effects on his mind, in forming religious impressions, but had never seen the author, had long wished for an opportunity of testifying his gratitude to him. Some business having called the officer to Leipzig, he got himself introduced to Gellert on two different occasions. The third interview took place when they were alone, and is thus described in a letter to his friend, Count B. "The stranger took advantage of this opportunity. Ah!' said he, with a kind of diffident candour, you are not aware of it, I am much, very much your debtor, and I beg of you to accept a proof of my gratitude, and inake me no return.' At the same time," says Gellert, 'he placed a small packet in my hand. You, Sir, said I, my debtor, whom I never saw, and to whom I never rendered the least service!' Say nothing,' returned the stranger, you must accept it. You have improved my heart by your writings, and this happiness I would not give in exchange for the whole world. Here, your friend is coming; don't let me ask you in vain; he shall not see me do my duty towards you.' 6 I," says Gellert, "accepted the donation, and hardly knew from surprise how to reply. On returning home, I found the paper contained twenty Louis d' or. This surprised me more still, but it was the emotions of the heart, not the money (as money does not penetrate the soul); no-money cannot produce that sensation. No, dear Count, a thought that I had not been altogether useless, illuminated and cheered my heart. It seemed to call me to renewed exertions, and to inspire me with new hopes, and urged me not to give way under my sufferings. Such was my feeling at the moment, and I was deeply affected. I would freely give away the money to some worthy man, said I, if it could produce the same sensations. Nothing, thought I, trembling, nothing is so trifling as to escape the eye of providence. This circumstance has been intended for my happiness. How happy! A heart improved. I approached the window and looked towards Heaven. However, certain feelings ought not to be imparted to our best friends. If we express them, let us beware that ambition is not the secret spring. In short, dear Count, it was a happy evening for me, and I cannot be sufficiently grateful to God for it." Amidst his bodily sufferings and the progress of disease, which was now making strong inroads on his delicate frame, his heavenly mind lost none of its serenity, and he found in gentle exercise, and the consolations of religion, that peace which passeth understanding. He often walked among the tombstones, meditating on the vicissitudes and changes of our mortal nature, and on that eternal life which awaits us beyond the grave. Every passing object and every passing thought tended to strengthen his confidence and belief in the transcendent goodness and mercies of God; and while he was in a manner tottering on the confines of this world, his spirit submitted, with sublime resignation, to the trials of life, while the rays of divine hope and joy were shedding their lustre on his declining years. Endeavouring to recover strength by a change of air, among some friends residing in the country, he was seized with a fever and violent spasms, which endangered his valuable life. He recovered, however, at this time, and returned to Leipzig, to resume his professional studies. His fame and usefulness as a public speaker increased from day to day, and nearly five hundred often attended his lectures. Unwearied in his endeavours to promote their moral and religious improvement, he visited them privately, and this kind of easy intercourse tended more and more to raise him in their estimation. The general respect in which he was held, involved bim also in an endless correspondence with persons of rank and influence in society, who were always anxious to consult him on matters where the happiness of their families was at stake. The particular esteem in which he was held by the Great Frederick (who was by no means partial to German philosophers), is well known, and the English Ambassador at the Court of Berlin, Mitchell, did him the most important services, perfectly unsolicit ed. The Prince and Princesses of the House of Saxony were also unwearied in their attentions, so that, what with the kindness of his friends and the munificence of the Court, his wants were liberally supplied, although he always declined accepting any remuneration beyond what was absolutely necessary for his appearing in society in a manner conformable to the character and rank he held in it. He was advised by his friends again to try the waters of Carlsbad, and went there a second time, in 1763. He afterwards revisited that place on two or three occasions, having derived some little benefit by the waters, and he experienced the same attentions from the distinguished individuals he met there which he had done before. His altered appearance, however, on his return to Leipzig to resume his public lectures, was a matter of general sympathy and regret; his delivery and aspect had the serenity of a calm summer evening, previously to the setting of the sun. It is well known with what interest he was listened to in the latter years of life, from 1765 to 1769, by the Electoral family and the Court, who never ceased to manifest their esteem and regard for him. The Elector sent him a quiet horse to ride upon, and took every means to preserve so valuable a life; but the period of Gellert's dissolution was now fast approaching, and no human art could be of any more service. In 1769 he gave the finishing hand to his lectures on public morals, which were afterwards published by his friends, Schlegel and Herder. In December 1769, nature could no longer be supported, and his physical powers were unable to perform their usual functions. Four days before his death, he gave the necessary directions about his affairs, with his usual serenity of mind, surrounded by his brother and some friends, and then collecting all his remaining strength, he raised himself in his bed, uncovered his hoary head, and prayed with so much earnestness, with so much humility, with so deep a sense of the mercies of God, that those around him were quite overpowered in thus witnessing the ap proaching dissolution of this dying patriarch, this second | Jacob, directing his thoughts and views to Heaven. He dwelt on the great mercies he had enjoyed through life; on the kind attachment of his friends, for whose welfare he invoked the God of all mercies; on various passages of the New Testament having a reference to the unspeakable goodness of the blessed Redeemer. After two or three days prolongation of a painful existence, he expired, on the 13th December 1769. Several monuments were erected to his memory in Germany. The most conspicuous is that in the Church of St John in Leipzig. It represents, in alabaster, a medallion, with the head of Gellert, crowned with laurel, offered by Religion to Virtue, which appear in the shape of two female figures, in appropriate attitudes. Under the monument is the following inscription :— "CHRISTIAN FURCHTEGOTT GELLERT. "Erected to the memory of this teacher and example of virtue and religion, by a society of his friends and contemporaries, eye-witnesses of his merits.-Born, 4th July 1715. Died, 13th December 1769." I have thus endeavoured to give a brief, but, I trust, not an uninteresting account of the life of this good man. Such eminent characters, like those brilliant meteors which occasionally shoot across our little orb, ap pear but seldom to cheer and console us in our earthly pilgrimage. Of all the German writers, Gellert has unquestionably conferred the greatest blessings on his country, by his excellent example, and by the diffusion of his pious sentiments among the great mass of the people. It is impossible, without being versant in the German language, and having lived in many parts of Germany, to form a conception of the influence his writings have had in promoting the peace of families, in rendering the dispositions of individuals more mild and amiable, and generally, in spreading every kind and friendly feeling over the whole domestic circle. A WORSHIPPING ASSEMBLY AT HIDO, IN THE [Extracted from the Rev. Mr Stewart's "Visit to the South Seas." "THE scenes of the Sabbath have been such, that a review of them, in my own mind, will not be an abuse of sacred time, nor will their perusal give rise to thoughts and affections unsuited to a day of God. this very place, only four years ago, the known wishes and example of chiefs of high authority, the daily persuasion of teachers, added to motives of curiosity and novelty, could scarce induce a hundred of the inhabitants to give an irregular, careless, and impatient attendance on the services of the sanctuary! but now, Like mountain-torrents pouring to the main, From every glen a living stream came forth; From every hill in crowds they hastened down, To worship Him, who deigns in humblest fane, On wildest shore, to meet th' upright in heart." "The scene, as looked on from our ship, in the stillness of a brightly-beaming Sabbath morning, was well calculated, with its associations, to prepare the mind for strong impressions on a nearer view, when the conclusion of our own public worship would allow us to go on shore. had found it expedient to hold the services of the Sabbath, usually attended at all the other stations at nine o'clock in the morning, and at four in the afternoon, both in the fore-part of the day, that all might have the benefit of two sermons, and still reach their abodes before nightfall; for Mr Goodrich had apprised us, that he Numbers dwelt remote, And first must traverse many a weary mile, service should be postponed till the officers should be at liberty to leave the ship. It was near twelve o'clock when we went on shore; the captain and first lieutenant, the purser, surgeon, several of the midshipmen, and myself. Though the services had commenced when we landed, large numbers were seen circling the doors without; but, as we afterwards found, only from the impracticability of obtaining places within. The house is an immense structure, every part of which was filled, except a small area in front of the pulpit, where seats in slow and tedious procession, from the difficulty of were reserved for us, and to which we made our way finding a spot to place even our footsteps, without treading on limbs of the people, seated on their feet, as closely almost as they could be stowed. "As we entered, Mr Goodrich paused in his sermon till we should be seated. I ascended the pulpit beside him, from which I had a full view of the congregation. The suspense of attention in the people was only momentary, notwithstanding the entire novelty to them of the laced coats and other appendages of naval uniform. I can scarce describe the emotions experienced, in glancing an eye over the immense number, seated so thickly on the matted floor as to seem literally one mass of heads, covering an area of more than nine thousand square feet. The sight was most striking, and soon became, not only to myself, but to some of my fellowofficers, deeply affecting. "At an early hour of the morning, even before we had taken our breakfast on board ship, a single islander here or there, or a group of three or four, wrapped in their large mantles of various hues, might be seen winding their way among the groves fringing the bay on the east, or descending from the hills and ravine on the "I have gazed on many worshipping assemblies, and north, towards the chapel; and by degrees their num- of every variety of character, from those formed of the bers increased, till, in a short time, every path along the high and the princely, with a splendour and pageantry beach, and over the uplands, presented an almost unin-of train befitting the magnificence of the cathedrals in terrupted procession of both sexes, and of every age, all pressing to the House of God. So few canoes were round the ship yesterday, and the landing-place had been so little thronged as our boats passed to and fro, that one might have thought the district but thinly inhabited; but now, such multitudes were seen gather-watched with sympathetic excitement the effect preing from various directions, that the exclamation, What crowds of people! what crowds of people!' was heard from the quarter-deck to the forecastle. which they bowed, to the humblest two or three' who ever came together at a place where prayer is wont to be made;'-I have listened with delighted attention to some of the highest eloquence the pulpits of America and England of the present day can boast, and have duced by it, till all who heard were wrapt into an enthusiasm of high-toned feeling, at the sublimity of the theme presented ;-I have seen tears of conviction and of penitence flow freely, as if to the breaking of the heart, under the sterner truths of the Word of God; and not unfrequently, too, have witnessed, as the annunciation of Peace; be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee,' has fallen en the soul, smiles of hope and joy rapidly take their place; but it was left for a worshipping assembly at Hido, the most obscure corner of these distant islands, to excite the liveliest emotions ever experienced, and leave the deepest impressions of the extent and unsearchable riches of the Gospel, which I have ever known-emotions and impressions derived simply from an ocular demonstration of the power of the Word of God on untutored man, which is without a parallel in existing events, if not in the records of history. "The simple appearance and every deportment of that obscure congregation, whom I had once known, and at no remote period, only as a set of rude, licentious, and wild pagans, did more to rivet the conviction of the divine origin of the Bible, and of the holy influ ences by which it is accompanied to the hearts of men, than all the arguments, and apologies, and defences of Christianity, I ever read. "The depth of the impression arose from the irresistible conviction, that the Spirit of God was there; "Towards evening, Mr Stribling and myself went it could have been nothing else. With the exception again on shore, and remained till late, learning from of the inferior chiefs having charge of the district, and our Missionary friends the most gratifying intelligence, their dependants, of two or three native members of in corroboration of the opinion formed, in the mornthe church and of the mission family, scarce one of the ing, of the state of the people. An entire moral rewhole multitude was in other than the native dress, the formation has taken place in the vicinity of this station maro and the kihei, the simple garments of their primi- Though latest established, and long far behind others tive state. In this respect, and in the attitude of sit-in success and interest, it bids fair now to be not a ting, the assembly was purely pagan, totally unlike those whit behind the very chiefest, in its moral and religious of the Society Islands, already described, as unlike as achievements. Instruction of every kind is eagerly and to one at home. But the breathless silence, the eager universally sought; and only last week, not less than attention, the half-suppressed sigh, the tear, the various ten thousand people were assembled at an examination feelings, sad, peaceful, joyous, discoverable in the faces of schools. The mission-house is daily crowded with of many, all spoke the presence of an invisible but om- earnest inquirers in every right way; evil customs and nipotent power, the power that can alone melt and re- atrocious vices are abandoned; a strict outward connew the heart of man, even as it alone first brought it formity to good morals observed; and numbers, it is into existence. hoped, and confidently believed, have yielded, and are yielding, themselves to all the charities and affections of genuine piety. From many an humble dwelling, now, "From the thousands present, I might select many individuals whose appearance was such as to stamp these impressions indelibly on my heart. The aspect of one, at least, I can never forget; and will attempt to describe. It was a diminutive woman, shrivelled by age till little more of her figure, with an appearance of health, was left, than skin and bone. The style of her features, however, was of the regular and more pleasing character found among the islanders, with an amiable and benignant expression, which, in connection with an entirely whitened head, exacted from the observer a look of kindness in return. Folded in a large mantle of black tapa, she was leaning, when my eyes first fell upon her, against a pillar near the pulpit, beside which she was sitting, with her head inclined upwards, and her eyes fixed upon the preacher. There was not only a seriousness, but a deep pensiveness in her whole aspect, that rivetted my attention; and as Mr Goodrich proceeded in his discourse, more than one tear made its way down her deeply wrinkled cheeks. 66 I had not, in my long absence, so entirely forgotten the native language, as not to understand much that was said. After some time, this sentence was uttered: 'We are all sinners, but we have a God and Saviour, who will forgive us our sins, if we ask it of him. It is our duty to pray for this to God, and he hears the prayers of all who approach him in sincerity.' I happened, at the moment, to look again upon this object; her lips moved in the evident and almost audible repetition of the sentence. She again repeated it, as if to be certain that she heard and understood it correctly; and, as she did so, a peaceful smile spread over every feature, tears gushed rapidly from her eyes, and she hid her face in the folds of her garment. Could I be deceived in the interpretation of this case? could I be mistaken in the causes and the nature of those varied emotions, under the circumstances in which they were beheld; and in one, of whom I had never heard, and whom I had never before seen? No, I could not; and if so, what is the language they speak? they plainly say that this poor woman, grown grey in the ignorance and varied degradation of heathenism, by the lamp let down from heaven,' sees herself to be a sinner, and is oppressed to sadness under a sense of her guilt. But she hears of pardon and salvation, freely given, to all who will freely receive; hears of the glorious liberty of the Gospel, and of all the rich privileges it confers, even to nigh access and intimate communion with the Father of spirits; hears, and believes, and sinks before her God in tears of gratitude and of joy. SOME years ago there lived in the south of Scotland a young man of respectable connections, who, besides possessing superior talents, had received a sound Christian education. In his early days he had been strictly conscientious in the discharge of filial duty, and the obser vance of the common decencies and proprieties of life. Such, in fact, was the excellence of his character, and such the extent of his attainments, that he held a very high place among the young men of the burgh where he lived. His parents were proud of their son, and looked forward to his proving their comfort and their stay in their declining years. In short, all thought well of him, and there appeared to be little danger of any serious deviation from the paths of rectitude, as he had passed unsullied through the days of heedless youth. The family to which this young person belonged were, I believe, decidedly pious, and their acquaintances generally of the same character. All this led the subject of our remarks into frequent and intimate conversation concerning the great and fundamental doctrines of our holy Religion, and in consequence of his talents and education, he soon acquired a clear comprehension, not merely of the doctrines themselves, but of the mode of defending them against the various objections which are current among infidels. Nay, such was his love of argument, that he was accustomed to display his skill in urging the infidel cavils, and so great was his tact and talent on these occasions, that it was often difficult for uneducated persons to make a satisfactory reply, or to blunt or repel his subtle weapons. For a while this dexterity attracted the more notice among his associates, as it was clearly understood that he did not hold the objections as his own, but merely suggested them for the purpose of eliciting truth in new forms, and drawing out of pious minds what, till thus beset, they had scarcely known they possessed. Yet, alas! this habit became in his case a fatal snare, and proved his utter ruin. Proud of his abilities, and anxious, on every occasion, to display his attainments, he sought opportunities of exhibiting his wonderful tact in making the worse appear the better cause. His companions and friends seeing the pernicious bent of his mind, withdrew from his company, after in vain remonstrating with him upon the unfortunate habit which he was fast acquiring. If not cured by reproof, one would have thought he might have been reclaimed, by finding none with whom to engage in idle controversy. But evils indulged blunt the best perceptions of the soul, and pride and ambition, when cherished, become ruling passions; and just as one class of persons, who were necessary to feed these passions, eluded him, another was sought, from whom the desired gratification might be obtained. And so far did this cherished and growing evil carry him, that the interval between morning and afternoon service on the Sabbath was employed in this favourite exercise. Then, and especially on Sacramental occasions, he used to join himself to the little groups of pious country persons who, on a fine summer's day, were seen assembled in the open fields to spend that portion of sacred time in recounting what they had heard. It soon became a particular amusement to Mr B. to start some difficulty, and carry it on till he had put to silence the chief men in these little companies. Principle became more and more vitiated, and every amiable and proper feeling became still more feeble, as he saw pious parents put to blush before their children, by whom they had hitherto been revered as their leaders and teachers in matters of Religion. But as right principle and pious conduct are a present reward, so bad principle and ungodly conduct are a present curse, and may ever be taken as forerunners of coming evil. Sooner or later the sin of such men will find them out. God's Word cannot fail, just because God's power cannot fail. Every profane Esau has the true and all-powerful God against him. Every one who jests with divine things, and makes a practice of desecrating the character of God, and of trampling on the best feelings of his fellow-men, must expect, if mercy prevent not, to be in his turn made the jest of a God of burning jealousy and eternal justice. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish." "I will mock when your fear cometh." "I will laugh when desolation cometh upon you." 66 These new sources of low gratification, this wicked and worthless employment of talents, that might have been turned to a very different use, soon came to an end, and we find him seeking in the ale-house what he could no longer obtain on the sacred hours of the Sabbath, and among the happy little companies of God's dear people. But where all scoff at divine things, the chair of the scornful is no high place, no great dignity; and such a clear and indelible impression of this is engraved on our common nature, that the very qualification for which clubs of such profane persons elect their chairman, is that he excels all his fellows in the iniquities to which they are addicted, and that he has ability, boldness, and tact to utter the unhallowed jest, in cases where every other among them would feel abashed and dispirited. Horrid ambition! How like the character of Satan, as drawn by the immortal Milton, "Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven." In this new field he soon attained such notoriety and boldness, as to engage in deeds so impious, that we cannot even think of them without feeling an inward horror. One Sabbath morning, when they had risen from their profane revels, they in one band betook themselves to the neighbouring hills to spend the holy day in amusements, with the view of recovering from the inebriation of the past night. Knowing that it was the Lord's day, they attempted in every way to ward off the solemn impressions which were ever and anon returning upon them, they began to ridicule the services of the sanctuary, and to strengthen their sinking fortitude by the repeated laughs which these unhallowed jests called forth. How true is it, that evil men and seducers wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived! They glory in their own shame, and drink in iniquity as the ox drinketh water. His conduct was, as might be expected, fatal to his reputation in the place of his nativity, and he had as much shame left as to make him leave it without delay. He had had a prosperous business, but now it was gone; he had had a good name, but now he was so infamous, that he could not bear to live among his former companions. Sabbathbreakers are perpetually deteriorating in character. There is an overwhelming load of guilt accumulating on their heads, and a perpetual evidence gathering on their own character, shewing that it is not moral principle or piety that keeps them what they are, but a mere combination of circumstances, the removal, or change, of any one of which, might as completely and effectually break them down, as in the case of this poor man. On leaving the place of his nativity, he repaired to the metropolis of Scotland, where, for several years, he dragged out a miserable existence. He wrought at his business for some time, and might have done well, but under the influence of habits of intemperance, all his feelings and affections were perpetually assimilating to a lower and a still lower grade of companionship. All labour was at length given up, and those haunts of wickedness and scenes of dissipation and wretchedness, which, alas, are fearfully numerous in our large cities, became the places of his most frequent and favourite resort. And who that repairs to these scenes of desolation and death ever returns?" She hath cast down many wounded; yea, many strong men have been slain by her: Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." But now his last, his worst, companions must be encountered,-disease, poverty, mental wretchedness, and an untimely death. "If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?" How can the transgressor escape when God maketh inquisition for blood? "If he that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses, of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of Grace.” "the When laid on the bed from which he never again rose, he was visited by one of those pious country persons whom he had much grieved and offended by his conduct. From this Christian friend I had the account of his sufferings and the state of his mind in the last stage of his earthly career. This friend had been indefatigable in seeking him out, and when he found him, no less kind and attentive in visiting him. The bodily state of Mr B. was loathsome beyond description, but his mind was still more wretched even than the body was loathsome. His pious friend presented the Lord Jesus to him, in all his freeness and fulness, as Saviour of sinners, and able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him." He assured him, "that the blood of Jesus cleanseth from all sin." But the poor unhappy man could take no comfort from any thing he said, and found no consolation either in the character or work of the Blessed Redeemer. He was, to all appearance, left to eat the fruit of his own doings, and was filled with his own devices. Remorse and despair had taken possession of his mind, and the very thought of God caused terror, and the very name of Jesus created the greatest uneasiness. His emphatic answer to all that was addressed to him was, "I know all that as well as you do, but I can find no relief from it." During the last visit which his truly Christian friend ever paid him, the sufferer begged him not to speak to him any more of these things, as he felt as if the flames of hell were kindling in his soul already. This was his final attempt to exclude the last lingering rays of the Sun of Righteousness. What an awful illustration of that passage of the Word of God:-" If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins; but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries." DISCOURSE. BY THE REV. GEORGE BURNS, D. D., opinion of the public, which is generally capricious and fluctuating, possesses a powerful influence on the great majority of mankind; and though now and then, a few daring spirits may be found bidding defiance to its decisions, yet these very men are actuated by the secret wish, that the singularity of their conduct may ultimately procure that suffrage in their favour, which they now affect to despise. But what is the approbation of the wisest and the best of men? What is the love of an earthly parent, though endeared by every tie of nature, and bound by every claim of duty? What is the highest estimation of the whole world of mortals, compared with the smiles of that God, whose "loving-kindness is better than life?" Men are determined in their judgment wholly by external appearances, they frequently overlook secret virtue and unobtrusive goodness, and too often that praise which is due to the deserving is lavished on the specious but artful pretender to excellence. The judgment of God, however, is unerring and impartial. He "overlooks not the meanest or most obscure of his servants; he marks the good purpose of their hearts ere it ripens into action; and he rewards, with approbation and love, the most secret and inconsiderable office of tenderness towards the humblest suffering member of the Redeemer. He is deceived by no fallacious ap "God is witness."-1 THESS. ii. 5. SUCH was the appeal made by St. Paul in vindication of his conduct as a minister of the Gospel. He, and his fellow-labourers in the same cause, had been injuriously treated by the Jews, in different parts of Macedonia. They were charged with insincerity and unworthy motives, in their attempts to convert men to the faith of the Gospel, and every effort was employed to oppose or to check the influence of their labours. Impelled, therefore, by the boldness of sincerity and the energy of Christian zeal, the apostle maintains his superiority to every thing disingenuous and unworthy; and declares before the searcher of hearts, that, however open his principles and conduct, as an apostle of Christ, might be to the misrepresen-pearances nor outward attractions; he is detertations of weak or designing men, in the eye of Omniscience they could not fail to appear in their genuine and undissembled colours. "For our exhortation," says he, "was not of deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile. But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloak of covetousness; God is witness." It is not intended to view the words of the text merely in reference to the circumstances of St. Paul, and of his brethren in the ministry. It is proposed to view them in a more extended sense, as of universal application, and of universal influence. 1. Consider the effect which a conviction of the solemn truth that "God is witness," is calculated to have on the principles and conduct of good men. The presence of one whom we esteem and love, and whose good opinion we are consequently anxious to obtain, operates as a powerful incentive to the performance of deeds which challenge his approbation. To a dutiful child, the eye of a beloved parent watching his steps, and prepared to sparkle with indignation, or to beam with complacency, according as his conduct is despicable or praise-worthy, acts with a powerful and unceasing influence on the whole of his feelings and deportment in the world. Hence, it has been given as a rule, by me ancient moralists, that, in order to excel in virtue, we should constantly act as if we we were under the immediate inspection of some great and distinguished personage. Even the mined in his judgment by the motive, and not by the action, and the grounds of his decision being thus sure and infallible, he can never fail to judge righteous judgment.' The good man, then, while he acts under the impression of the solemn truth that "God is witness," has a constant incentive for acquitting himself with dignity, in the thought that a Being, who marks, with the nicest discrimination every lineament of excellence and every feature of deformity, inspects his conduct; he feels himself impelled in his progress to the perfection of excellence, by the conviction that the most secret wish of his heart, and the feeblest effort of his life, after resemblance to God, and the enjoyment of his favour, is not unnoticed or overlooked; and he is sweetly but powerfully animated in all his Christian labours, by the assurance and hope that that great Being, who now looks with the tenderest sensibility on all his weaknesses and wants, shall, on the great day of final retribution, pronounce the decisive sentence, with all the majesty of the judge, mingled with all the compassion of the father. But let us contemplate the effects which are produced, by a sense of the divine omniscience, on the conduct of the Christian, in the opposite conditions of prosperity and adversity. Not only does it lead to the exercise of temperance and self-government, and to the moderate use of temporal advantages; it likewise enables him to taste the full enjoyment of prosperous circumstances. To men who overlook or disregard the presence of God, the events of life, however pleasing for the moment, appear fluctuating and transient; and being destitute of that confidence which reposes on a wise and be |