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sign of these mysterious events. The cloud-thick, impenetrable, as it might seem for a time-is now passed away, and he beholds and wonders at the wisdom, goodness, and excellency of God, and owns

Truly, "GOD IS LOVE."

"Behind a frowning providence,
God hides a smiling face."

There was, however, a theme with far greater attractions to his sensitive loving mind, it was the remembrance of his Lord and Master—the bleeding victim of Calvary-the "atoning Lamb of God"-the sacrifice for the sins of Adam's fallen race- -that brought from his pen, a pen, one has quaintly remarked, "dipped in the ink of love," that at which angels would rejoice, devils tremble, and which would fill the universe with joy and gladness-"GOD IS LOVE." For it strips man of the filthy rags of sin, and clothes him the spotless and pure robes of Jesus' righteousness, whilst the heart of every pardoned sinner responds,-" GOD IS LOVE."

Not only has this been a subject for the inspired writers to dwell upon, but the Christian author of every age, have found in it a theme for his loftiest thoughts and noblest powers of mind, whilst the riveted attention of the admiring reader and the gleam of holy delight that crosses his countenance, have told of its interesting, all-hallowing, all-absorbing nature.

Again, is the minister of the gospel descanting upon the unmerited love of God to the silent and almost breathless audience? It is then he produces feelings of the deepest emotion, which cannot be described for it is from the contemplation of this subject he draws, directly or indirectly, his most effective and pathetic strains of eloquence, and from which he derives his most powerful appeals to the hearts of his hearers. Is it not whilst the man of God is relating the story of the cross, accompanied by the agency of the Holy Spirit, that the hard heart his softened, the stubborn will subdued-when the groans of the penitent contrite sinner, the sighs of the broken-hearted publican, the keen relentings of an unfaithful Peter, are produced. It is not when the sinner is brought to Calvary, to the foot of the cross, and his attention attracted by the agony and suffering of the Son of God-the world's Redeemer-that he sees the enormity of his transgression, and feels the weight of a guilty conscience intolerable to be borne, in connection with the resistance of the strivings of the Holy Spirit-the promise of the Father to all men, the purchase of the Son?

The love of God, in the bestowment of his great gift to man, is a subject which the artist has not let pass unnoticed, but which has furnished his pencil with ideas which no other subject could supply: and has called from his imagination the most sublime scenes that could be presented to the view of the wondering spectator-his brush has been employed in imagery which the pen of the most fluent and eloquent has failed to find language, sufficiently pathetical or powerful, to express.

In short, it has filled the mind of man-whether the author, the minister, or the painter,-with thoughts and imaginations, rich and unsurpassed by any other subject, and which could not be derived from other sources, than that of the love of God. But of all who have attempted

to describe the stupendous manifested love of God to a rebellious race, none, perhaps, has been more successful than the poet-he has given to mankind poems, which for fine ideas, richness of thought, loftiness of imagination, strong and pathetic language, and elegance of sentiment, are unequalled. The following beautiful lines illustrates the truth of the above remarks, and gives some faint idea of the unbounded love of God:

"Could we with ink the ocean fill,

Were the whole earth of parchment made,
Were every stick that grew a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,

To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry;

Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretch'd from sea to sky."

True, volumes upon volumes have been written upon this subject-some of the greatest and most intellectual of minds that ever existed have endeavoured to fathom its bottom, and found it not: it is like an unexhaustible mine, ever throwing up its rich and valuable stores. Thousands of the glorified in heaven-that innumerable company, which no man can number, of patriarchs, prophets, kings, and apostles, with the noble band of martyrs, confessors, and "just men made perfect," who day and night stand before the throne of God,-once they were sojourners in this vale of tears, but they derived their peace and consolation, their joy and triumph, from the fact, that God so loved the world as to give his Son to suffer, bleed, and die, for its salvation; they washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, and redemption found by faith in Christ, the world's Messiah, and it became their highest ambition to study the love of God, and to "comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know of the love of Christ, which passes all knowledge;" and now in heaven, they have renewed the glorious theme, still, with their expanding minds, diving into its mysteries, but as yet the only conclusion they have arrived at is, "it passeth all understanding." Meet the Christian where you will, of whatever name or sect, country or colour, young or old, rich or poor, bond or free,-speak to him of the love of God in the gift of his Son, and you will touch the mainspring of all his happiness; and often when absorbed in thought, and overpowered with this glorious and heavenly theme, with weeping eyes and throbbing breast, he sobs out in broken accents

"I'll carve his passion on the bark,

And every wounded tree,

Shall droop, and bear some mystic mark,

That Jesus died for me.

The swains shall wonder when they read,

Inscribed through all the grove,

That heaven itself came down to bleed,
To win a mortal's love."

If, then, this be true, if such is the vast extent of the love of God to man, surely his request is only reasonable, "If ye love me, keep my commandments;" and it is man's highest wisdom to respond, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek."

REVIEWS AND CRITICISMS.

THE CHRONOLOGICAL NEW TESTAMENT: in which the Text of the Authorised Version is newly divided into Paragraphs and Sections, with the Dates and Places of Transactions marked, the Marginal Renderings of the Translators, many Parallel Illustrative Passages printed at length, Brief Introductions to each book, and a Running Analysis of the Epistles. London: Robert B. Blackader.

THE nature of this work may be understood from the descriptive title already quoted, in which its chief peculiarities are enumerated: the work is carefully and beautifully got up, and will be read with pleasure, interest, and advantage: every help is given to the eye, by the arrangement of the type, the marginal readings, in which many apt passages are quoted fully.

The Gospels are divided into sections, enumerated by figures, not in the order of the writers, but so that each section on any subject has the same number as a similar section in the other Gospels; whilst at the end of the volume these sections, two hundred and eleven in number, are given in order, in a complete and useful Index.

For instance, section 71, embraces Matt. x.-Jesus sends out the twelve apostles,— whilst the Index by this number directs the reader to Mark vi. 7—12, and Luke ix. 1-6, in which places we find a section with the corresponding number.

This plan affords all the advantage of a harmony of the Gospels, and greatly facilitates the understanding of the gospel histories. The running condensation of the Epistles, is of great service, giving in few and clear words the course of the argument. We are highly pleased with the idea and execution, and doubt not it will greatly aid the study of the Scriptures.

I. True Christianity-Pure Socialism. II. The Straits of Pure Socialism.

III. The Anti-Socialist warned of God.

By SAMUEL MARTIN, of Westminster Chapel. London: Ward and Co.

THE above are the titles of three Lectures, written in a forcible style, and in earnest sympathy with what is right and good.

The object of the writer is to show that Socialism meaning by the words " a certain state of human companionship," is identical with Christianity-that "the purest Christianity is the truest Socialism." This employment of a term "which is now associated with so much that is repugnant to virtue, true liberty, and real religion, is justified on the ground that it is the right term and no more to be rejected on the account of its abuse than the words 'charity,' 'faith,' and 'Christianity.'

The writer exposes the selfishness that pervades all ranks of society-employers and employed-individuals and associations "all seek their own." The remedy is set forth in the apostolic precept, "Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth." Thus he shows, that Christianity "leads us to regard the welfare of others," and "that obedience to the precept, 'let no man seek his own,' would embrace pure Socialism."

We here give one extract:

"Be careful, my brother, to embody in yourself pure Socialism. This will check the evils of which we complain. O do not forget, that the remedy is to be applied by every man apart and by every household apart! Trust not in any system, social, political, or ecclesiastical. Rely upon right principle, upon the embodiment of such principle in individual life, upon the sympathy and co-operation of God. Let each man think correctly, and act rightly. Let the enlightened teach the ignorant, and the earn. est arouse the careless. Especially let the morally illumined and quickened regenerate their own character and reform their own conduct, and hereby a fire shall be gathered under the crust of our national selfishness, by which it shall be ultimately penetrated, and split, and burnt to powder.

The Second Lecture takes up the straits of pure Socialism, and proves that the hindrances which operate now to the establishment of the pure Socialism of Christianity are not new, that "they are as old as Joseph, Jacob, Abram, Noah, and Adam," and in illustrating them takes up the examples afforded in their histories.

The Third Lecture is intended as a remonstrance with men who are tempted to neglect social duty, and deceitfully and falsely justify such neglect, and urges the recognition of the omniscience of God and the anticipation of the future judgment, as an antidote to the self-delusions by which men sustain their neglect of each other.

We have but barely indicated the contents of these Tracts. The design of them is good, and they are well-done, and, therefore, deserve a large circulation.

The Scene of Gethsemane. Second Edition. Birmingham: J. W. Showell and T. Ragg.

This little book contains a touching exhibition of the sufferings of the Redeemer in his great work for the salvation of man: it would be a suitable present from a Sabbath School teacher to his scholars,

I!

CHRIST'S RELIGION.

"PROVE ALL THINGS; HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD." 1 Thess. v. 12.

THE RELATION OF CHRISTIANITY TO OTHER SYSTEMS, IN THE AGE IN WHICH IT ORIGINATED.

NEANDER in his "General History of the Christian Religion and the Church" affords many suggestions as to the state of the world when Christianity arose, and the relation of the gospel to the different systems of philosophy and religion existing at that time. This subject is of too much importance to omit altogether, and too extensive to be adequately discussed on such an occasion, but in order to open the way into some of the numerous sources of Christian evidence, especially the superiority of the gospel to everything man has invented; we shall avail ourselves of a few of the hints scattered over the first volume of "Neander's History of the Christian Religion and Church:"* connecting these by such observations as they may suggest.

Christianity, he describes, as of supernatural origin, yet adapted to the nature of man, and tending to make him realize the likeness of that Being who is its original type and "the model after which humanity has to strive;" and whilst in the gradual growth of communities up to the principles of the gospel, it will enter into that which is human, and gradually mould it to its own likeness; yet, in this process, it will be sometimes mistaken for those elements which have assembled round it, but from which it ever struggles to free itself: as some will regard "all those impure elements which only attach themselves to its outward manifestation as having sprung from that essence, whose operation as the process of development goes on, is to separate and reject them." This has been exemplified in Popery, from which the gospel, when unlocked from the priest's chest, struggles into Protestantism: and again as it endeavours to emerge from under the load which an imperfect Protestantism still retains, in Church and civil authority. This principle, Neander regards as peculiarly applicable to the period when the Saviour commenced "that new creation, whose progressive work became thenceforth the problem and the goal of history. It is, therefore, only from its historical connection with that portion of mankind among whom Christianity at first appeared, that its effects can be rightly understood; and such a connected view of the subject is necessary, in order to clear the way of false explanations." This connexion * Clark's Foreign Theological Library.

VOL. II.

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