barrenness, desolation, and corruption. It is good therefore that a man should hoth hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord; and blessed, yea thrice blessed are all they that wait for him."

The last letter is on the wisdom and the glory of the cross; where we are amused with some diagrams to illustrate his arguments which are most abstruse and pedantic: a short extract will confirm our remarks

"Observe the singular propriety and wisdom of constitating union with God, the medium of souls' union with each other. What is redemption, but the translation of the spirit out of the creature into the creator? Therefore, if souls in progress to their common centre, were to effect an union by any other means than by their meeting there, the consequence would be, that each, in seeking the other, would make that other its centre instead of God: and a new departure into the creature would take place."

Throughout the whole of these letters the writer has entirely omitted the person and work of God the Holy Ghost; we would affectionately recommend him to examine himself whether he be in the faith; a warmth of affection and much that is amiable in nature may be mistaken for grace, but how can any one who has been quickened to a divine life, omit to speak of that glorious person by whom he was made alive? Let the writer of these letters ponder the subject, and by earnest prayer seek satisfaction on this all-important matter, that he may not be a theorist only, but that he may declare that and only that which he has himself tasted, and felt, and handled.

nature, we condemn-which unhappily we almost always are conscientiously compelled to condemn-that important estimate of human ability which pervades them, and which represents the Creator as actually dependent upon his creatures to assist in carrying out his otherwise defeated plan of salvation, we are unjustly charged with disregarding means, and discarding all endeavour to be useful. The charge is untrue; we admire, and to the extent of our ability, rejoice to assist in all efforts to ameliorate hu man calamity, and to spread abroad the knowledge of Christ crucified; but we dare not join in the efforts of those who proclaim another gospel, and offer to their fellow sinners a salvation which they, by so doing, manifest they have not themseives realized.

This little tract is more free from these faults than many which pass under our notice: in a secular point of view it has much to commend in it, but it must be read with caution, and its statements attentively considered before they are adopted.

A Dissertation on the Eternal Sonship of Christ, by Thomas Gunner, 18mo. FP, 31. London: Palmers.

Mr. Gunner has performed an acceptable service to those members of the Church of Christ who have not leasure or means to obtain more elaborate works on the subject on which it treats.

He sways his wild soeptre the green earth around,

And none, by the eye of Omniscience, are found,

None, free from the loathsome corruption of sin,

The length, and the breadth, of the broad world within.

The kind admonitions so earnestly breathed— The gems of experience their parents be

queathed,

Are now disregarded, remembered in vain, And the children of Seth join alliance with Cain.

The Lord is forgotten, his altar despised, And schemes of wild riot are daily devised. Go make thee an ark! God his mandate declares,

And Noah obedient the structure prepares; Safe sheltered he hears the long torrent begin, And earth, bathed in tears, weeps the havoc

of sin:

The deluge of anger, hurls life to its grave, And the church, in the ark, floats alone on the wave.

REZENEB.

MY SHKEP HEAR MY VOICE. REFLECTIONS ON A LORD'S DAY MORNING. Hark 't is the Shepherd's lovely voice, How sweetly doth it sound; Like music on the silver wave,

It cheers the church around: Soft are the accents of his words,

They drop like morning dew; And always, like refreshing showers, Our thirsty souls renew.

I long to day to hear thy voice,

Thou Shepherd of thy sheep;
Lead me to those green pastures Lord,
Where thou thy flock dost keep :
Thy precious cordials there supply,

There fill me, Lord, with bread;
Oh let my longing soul to day,

With heavenly food be fed.
My soul! thy Saviour's grace is free,
He kindly bids thee come;
If poor ye see yourself to be,

For thee there still is room:
Why should I stay, he gently calls,
He softly whispers peace;
His promise is with blessings filled,
He died for my release.

And did the sword of justice strike?
Did this good Shepherd die ?
Thus suffering for his chosen's sake,
His flock to justify.
Oh may I hear his voice to day,
Speak pardoning love so free;

Say, Lord, to me, Poor sinner, look, I shed my blood for thee.

MOSES G.

A NEW YEAR'S GIFT FOR ZION'S PILGRIMS.

"For so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” -2 Peter i. 11.

Rejoice, ye redeemed, your prospects how bright,

The kingdom of glory faith opens to sight; And though for a season you're destined to

roam,

Ere long you'll be welcomed to Zion your home

Home, home, sweet, sweet home,

There's no place like Zion, there's no place like home.

A crown in reversion awaiteth you there, A banquet in which all the blood-bought will share;

And Jesus will shortly invite you to come,
To feast on the pleasures of Zion your home.
There sorrow and sighing eternally cease,
Nor sin nor temptation can enter the place;
For blest are the spirits who thither have come
Through great tribulation to Zion their home.

There all of the ransom'd will finally meet,
Exulting in glorification complete;
The Saviour hath willed it that there they
should come,

And sing of redemption in Zion their home.

There you shall see God shine in Jesus' face, And tell of Jehovah's distinguishing grace; There loud hallelujahs will swell the sweet theme,

From glorified spirits in Zion their home.

Oh that will be joyful employment indeed, To dwell with your risen and glorified Head; And gaze on the Lanıb in the midst of the throne,

For ever and ever in Zion your home.

Of all that are ransomed with covenant blood, And brought to inherit the kingdom of God; There's none more unworthy who thither

will come,

Than I, to that glorious, that permanent home,

And now great Redeemer, since all is of grace, Abounding and reigning to thee be the praise; And when to thy kingdom and glory I come, In songs everlasting I'll praise thee at home. Devonport.

W. B. D.

MAGAZINE,

46

THE

WISDOM

DWELLING-PLACE OF AND PRUDENCE, AND THEIR VIRTUES TRACED OUT.

“I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions."—Prov. viii. 12.

AMONGST the numberless blessings conferred upon the church by the God of the church, that royal donation, namely, the oracles of divine revelation, is not the least. We find that whilst the sweet theme of covenant mercies gladdened the heart of the apostle Paul with rejoicing, he referred the ransomed of the Lord to some of the precious gems embodied within its enclosure: saith he "that which was written aforetime was written for our (the church's) learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." In this wonderful grant of heaven, we read of very many wonderful acts of a wonder-working God; and amidst the variety of the great achievements of his omnipotent power, that which has been evinced and displayed in the heart-felt experience of the ancient family of God, has, when grace has been in lively exercise, filled their souls with great admiration. Here we read of devils being dislodged by his special voice from the breast February, 1842.]

of one of the jewels of his loving heart; and of the dead in sin restored to spiritual life; of poor leprous souls being washed in the fountain of his blood; and of strayed sheep being brought home to the fold by the great Shepherd and Bishop of their souls. We read also of hearts the most obdurate broken in pieces by the word of his power; and of lion-like men who fought against him tamed by his invincible grace, and brought with a child-like disposition to cry for mercy; also of kings and noble princes (Gen. xxiii. 6; 1 Kings viii. 14) made willing to bow to his sceptre, and take up their lot with the despised disciples of Jesus, yea, they esteemed the reproach of Christ far greater riches than all nature could produce. And this was true with reference to him who penned the words cited at the head of this paper. Listen to the language of his heart, when grace, almighty grace, waved its banner over his ransomed soul: "I was great, (said he) and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: and whatsoever mine eyes desired, I kept not from them: then I looked (under the light and teaching of God the Holy Ghost) on all the works that my hands had wrought, and behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit:

E

then I saw that wisdom (that is, spiritual wisdom) excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness," Eccles. ii. 9-11. The book of Proverbs plainly shows to those whose understanding is illuminated from above, that the Lord blessed him with great enlargement of heart in spiritual mysteries; his very soul delighted to point out the contrast between natural and spiritual wisdom. This the chapter before us plainly shows. I have chosen one precious gem from the very many contained therein, and, in humble dependance on divine aid, will first inquire into the nature of those witty inventions, show who the persons are that devised them, and for what purpose, &c.

These inventions are of a spiritual nature; they originated in the mind of the great Jehovah from everlasting; contrived by the eternal Three for their own glory and the real good of poor fallen man: the ruined state of the church so attracted the attention of each Person in the Gadhead, that a witty or wise scheme was devised, the plan laid down, and the agreement entered into, that Jesus should be made in all things like unto his brethren (the members of his mystical body) sin excepted (Heb. ii. 17), in order that he by his sinless obedience to his Father's will, might pay into the lap of infinite Justice, an adequate satisfaction for the transgressions of the people of his choice. By thus making peace by the blood of his cross, his one family shall each of them know that they are honourabiy acquitted from the hands of Moses.

Another witty invention we might notice in this covenant, which has been and still is a source of consolation to the Lord's people. The Holy Ghost, one of the persons in the Godhead, engaged to make known these wise inventions to the heirs of promise but this I purpose to enlarge upon before I bring this subject to a close. O beloved friends,

Our Father's love, how high its swell! It was his wise decree,

That Jesus should with sinners dwell,Sinners as base as me!

This brings me, secondly, to notice the dwelling-place of wisdom and prudence. We read that Job propounded the following question to his friends: 'Where shall wisdom be found, and where is the place of understanding? The depth saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not in me. Destruction and death say, We have heard of the fame thereof with our ears," Job xxviii. 13, 14, &c. Now the apostle, under the sacred teaching of God the Holy Ghost, answers this profound question: "For (saith he) Jesus is made (or made known by the Spirit) unto us (the church) wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption," 1 Cor. i. 30; "for it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell, in whom are hid (for the objects of his love, that are taught by his Spirit to know him) all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," Col. i. 19; 2 Col. iii;-all that a poor lawwrecked, hunger-bitten, self-ruined, perishing sinner stands in need of to make him happy, Listen to what his heavenly Father says of him, by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah, "Behold my servant shall deal (with and among men) prudently; he shall be exalted and extolled by his redeemed very high," Isa. lii. 13.

I want to lift his name on high;
Blest Holy Ghost my needs supply,
And set my very soul on flame,
And tune my heart to praise his name.

But is this the only dwelling-place of wisdom and prudence? Do not these sweet companions take up their aboae any where else? Most surely they do. Listen to the language of the Holy Ghost in Prov. ii. 10, 11,— "When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; discretion shall preserve