thy gates, in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy poor brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth. Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him naught; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee; thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him because that for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in alt that thou puttest thine hand unto. Therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land." Deut. 15., 1. 11. Under such laws as these the rich could have little pleasure in seeing themselvessurrounded with poor neighbours. "What advantage is it to have land and money, if those who are without have as much right to it as ourselves?" Under such laws, they would see that it was the interest of all so to look after each others conduct and interests, as to prevent the existence of poverty. The tendency and design of those laws were to bring all as near as possible to one another, and to engage each heart to look after the comfort of his brother.

Slavery was almost universally prevalent in former times, and the cruelties practised upon the slaves were very great. The laws which God gave to Moses, struck at the root of this inhuman system, and made it difficult for slavery to exist, and impossible for cruelty to be practised. Man stealing was punished with death. "He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, shall surely be put to death.” Exod. 21., 16. No one could be made a slave against his will, and so many provisions were made for the poor, that few could be under any necessity to sell themselves into bondage. Then the power of the master was so restricted, that few would be disposed to buy a slave;

and those who did buy slaves, had such a feeble hold of them, that they could keep them only by the exercise of kindness. Six years was the longest period for which a man could sell himself. If thy brother, an Hebrew man, or an Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years: then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. And when thou sendest him out free from thee, thou shalt not let him go away empty thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy floor, and out of thy winepress of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him. It shall not seem hard unto thee, when thou sendest him out free from thee; for he hath been worth a double hired servant unto thee, in serving thee six years; and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest." Deut. 15., 12. 18. "When thy brother is sold unto thee, thou shalt not compel him to serve as a bond servant; but as an hired servant he shall be with thee. Thou shalt

not rule over him with rigour: but shall fear God." Lev. 25., 39. 46. "And if a man sell his daughter to be a maid-servant, and she please not her master, he shall have no power to sell her unto a strange nation. And if he have betrothed her unto his son, he shall deal with her after the manner of daughters." Exod. 21., 2. 11. "And if a sojourner or stranger wax rich by thee, and thy brother that dwelleth by him wax poor, and sell himself unto the stranger or sojourner by thee after that he is sold he may be redeemed again; his brother may redeem him, or any that is nigh of kin unto him, or if he be able, he may redeem himself. And if he be not redeemed, then he shall go out in the year of Jubile, both he, and his children with him. And as a yearly hired servant shall he be with him and the other shall not rate with rigour over him in thy sight. For unto me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt." Lev. 25., 47. 55. The prohibition of labour on the seventh day was a great advantage to all the poor, especially to servants

and it was intended for their good. "Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest; that the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed." Exod. 23., 12. On all their festivals it was commanded that servile work should cease, both that the servants might be relieved of a portion of their toil, and be at liberty to attend the feasts and holy convocations.

If a servant found his master cruel, and fled from his place, he was not liable to be taken and dragged back. "Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped from his master unto thee: he shall dwell with thee, in that place which he shall choose in one of thy gates, where it liketh him best: thou shalt not oppress him." It was impossible that slavery should thrive under regulations like these, and accordingly the whole system appears to have died away. These laws amounted to a prohibition of slavery; they were intended to abolish it altogether, and they accomplished that object better than prohibitions could have done. It is manifest throughout these laws that God abhors the law of force, and wishes all his creatures to be governed only by the law of love; and that the object of his laws was to establish full and universal freedom in the earth. Such were the first laws given to mankind by God; such is the kind and tender character of the religion of Heaven, even in its ruder and imperfect forms. Well might Moses exclaim, What nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law? Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations." It has been well observed that though those laws were not the best that God could give, they were the best that men in the ruder ages of the world could receive. If they were not the best, they were best for the times when they were given. Nor were they intended to remain for ever. They were meant to prepare the way for a system more perfect still, which should conduct mankind to the highest possible pitch of love and piety. This end they answer

ed, and then the Redeemer came and established his own most holy, most benevolent and heavenly system. The attention paid to the poor by the prophets and the Messiah will be noticed hereafter, but who can look over the regulations before us, without being filled with wonder at the care of God for the happiness of his poor and needy creatures? I confess, I can never read those laws without tears of gratitude. The union of such majesty and pity overwhelms me, and I am lost in wonder and delight. O that men would learn of God, and seek for greatness by humility and love, and raise themselves to honour, and gather glory round them, by serving their afflicted brethren.

Let me exhort you, my poor brethren, to love and honour that God, who takes such interest in your welfare. You have a friend in him that always thinks of you, and you should always think of him. Love him, and he will never leave you; serve him, and he will hear your prayers, and take delight in blessing you. He will be "a present help in trouble" while you live on earth; and when you leave this present world, he will receive you to himself in heaven.

Always revere and love your Bible, and in every way you can, assist in spreading a knowledge of its laws and doctrines through the world. It always takes the poor man's part, and it is a mighty advocate. Often has it made the tyrant tremble, and filled the oppressor and extortioner with dread. And often has it snapped the yoke of iron, and let the slaves go free. It is the emancipator of the universe, and as it passes on from land to land, it will destroy all forms of cruelty and wrong, and never cease its operations till all the dwellers of the earth are free and happy. To it you must look for the redress of your wrongs, and for the cure of your sorrows. Statesmen and conquerors will deceive you; but the triumphs of the Bible will be your salvation, and the salvation of your children for ever.

But what shall we say of those who profess to plead the cause of the poor, and yet oppose the Bible?

To what extremes of blindness and perverseness men may go, when once they have abandoned themselves to the guidance of their lusts! If there were no other evidence than what is offered by the wonderful excellence and kindness of its laws, I could never believe the Bible to be any other than the Book of God. To talk of the Bible being the work of Despots, is the wildest raving of madness. Despots make such Jaws as those, and teach such doctrines as the Bible teaches! Every sentence of the Bible is lightning and thunder to despots; despots dare not look at the Bible, they tremble if it touch their shores. No, the Bible is the book of God, and bears the mark of the Divinity on every part. Its laws could come from no one but the fountain of wisdom and love. They could be conceived no where but in the bosom of God; they are too full of tenderness to have any other Author, than the Father of all mankind.

TESTIMONIES OF NOTABLE CHARACTERS IN FAVOUR OF A GOOD LIFE.

Dr. Donne, a great Poet, taking his farewell of his Friends, on his dying hed, left this saying behind him, for them to measure their faucies and actions by: I repent of all my life, but that part of it I spent in communion with God, and doing good.

Selden, one of the greatest Scholars and Anti quaries of his time; one who had taken a diligent survey of what knowledge was considerable among the Jews, Heathens and Christians; at last professeth this toward the end of his days, in his conference with Bishop Usher; That notwithstanding he had been so laborious in his inquiries, and curious in his collections, and had possessed himself of a treasure of books and manuscripts upon all ancient subjects; yet he could 1 est his soul on none, save the Scriptures. Above all that passage lay most remarkably upon his spirit. "For the Grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men; teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and wordly lusts, we should live Soberly,