come. It tells him of life, and how to enjoy it : of death, and how to ftrip it of its terrors. It reveals to him a God, tremendous in power, glorious in holiness, accurate in juftice, infinite in love. The Almighty Maker and Ruler of the universe. It prescribes the way in which He would be worshipped, through "Jefus Chrift the Righteous." The facrifices He would accept, a broken and a contrite heart; " this is more acceptable to Him than "Arabia facrificed And all her spicy mountains in a flame.” The Bible reveals to him Futurity. It raises the curtain of the hidden world. Here he beholds the tormenting flame, the parched tongue, the useless prayer; there, the glory of Paradise, the blifs of heaven, the fong of praise. It becomes to him juft what he needs. He has found a way, a guide, a light, to happiness. Still he understands its mighty truths but imperfectly, yet he reads on; scales fall from his eyes; he beholds men as trees walking. But the confolations of hope are his; he has found God; he seeks for wisdom at its fount-for light at its fource. "Open my eyes," he prays, "that I may behold the wonders of thy Law." Light celeftial fhines upon the facred page; he reads and understands enough for knowledge, enough for duty, and enough for happiness. As foon as the honeft inquirer after truth has discovered the right path, begins to walk in it, and lets his light fhine, numerous falfe guides appear and proffer their fervices. While he was ftumbling along in darkness and in ignorance, the devil gave himself no concern about him. Now He The he is very much interested in his welfare. fends his fervants to put the poor man right. One of these endeavours to diffuade him from ufing the Bible, for, fays he, “it is full of myftery; it is impoffible to understand it. I, for one, will never believe what I cannot understand. Follow reafon, that is the fureft guide." "Indeed, friend," replies the enlightened man, "it was by following reason that I was led into the poffeffion of the Bible, and my Bible has led me to God. I acknowledge it is myfterious, wonderfully fo; yet it has led me right hitherto, and I am determined to follow it. The nature of its secret influence over my foul, I cannot tell. nature of the power by which it guides aright, under all circumstances of life, I know not. Ñeither does the mariner understand the power by which the compass operates fo beneficially under all circumstances; of ftorm and calm, light and darkness, heat and cold. It is ever a sure guide. He believes in it, he follows it. Were the failor no more to weigh anchor and spread the flowing fail, until he understands the myfteries of the compass, verily he would have to learn another trade, for fhips would rot in harbour, commerce would ceafe, and intercourse between nations. come to an end. And what is worthy of remark, the common failor-boy understands just as much of the practical use of the compass, as the captain; cease then to perfuade me further. The Bible is my compafs, my fure guide, I will follow it." Other falfe directors, of different names, but all of them having the fame end in view, viz., to make him distrust his guide, and turn him out of the way, offer to them their fervices; fome prefs the matter one way, and fome another. His reply to all is, "Wherewithal fhall a young man cleanse his way, but by taking heed thereto according to thy word." Thus he believes in it practically, follows its directions implicitly, and it guides him fafely by every flough of defpond, over every mountain of difficulty, through every ftrait of distress, and every ftorm of tribulation, and conducts him at laft in triumph to the home of the bleffed. "Take from the world the Bible, and you have taken the moral chart by which alone its population can be guided. Ignorant of the nature of God, and only gueffing at their own immortality, the tens of thoufands would be as mariners, toffed on a wide ocean, without a pole star and without a compafs. The blue lights of the stormfiend would burn ever in the fhrouds; and when the tornado of death rushed across the waters, there would be heard nothing but the fhriek of the terrified, and the groan of the defpairing. It were to mantle the earth with a more than Egyptian darkness; it were to dry up the fountain of human happiness; it were to take the tides from our waters, and leave them stagnant, and the stars from our heavens, and leave them in fackcloth; and the verdure from our valleys, and leave them in barrenness; it were to make the present all recklessness, and the future all hopeleffnefs; the maniac's revelry, and then the fiend's imprisonment; if you could annihilate the precious volume which tells us of God and of Chrift, and unveils immortality, and instructs in duty, and wooes to glory. Such is the Bible. Prize ye it, and study it more and more. Prize it, as ye are immortal beings, for it guides to the New Jerufalem. Prize it, as ye are intellectual beings, for it "giveth light to the fimple." "Above all these things put on charity."-COL. iii. 14, is the fulfilling of the law."-Roм. xiii. 10. love."-I JOHN iv. 8. CHARITY, OR LOVE. "Love "God is The feraph Charity from heaven defcends, |