At the conclusion of the First Part of the Article on this subject, we quoted that verse of the Epistle to the Ephesians, in which Paul exhorts them not to sin in the indulgence of their anger. We then promised to point out, in this second portion of our division, the various qualities that must distinguish our resentment, before we can be said not to have sinned in its exercise.

1. The measure of our moral resentment should correspond, in all cases, with the degree of sin in the sentiments or conduct of the person at whom we are

angry.

It is difficult for us to estimate, with accuracy, the degree in which sin exists in the volitions or actions of an individual; nor is it possible for us, in every case, to establish a perfect correspondence between the height to which our resentment should rise, and the degree of moral turpitude in the behaviour of the person by whom we are provoked. But there are many sins that differ greatly from one another, in regard to the measure of guilt belonging to each. In such instances, it is more easy for us to determine, with tolerable exactness, whether an equal difference does, or does not, exist in the emotions of resentment which they may respectively call up in our minds. We perceive at once, that to be guilty of some crimes, is a more heinous offence than to be guilty of others, which are universally considered as lighter and more venial. Now, when we make a comparison between any two crimes, our moral resentment should be proportioned, in its measure, to the differing degrees of guilt in each of the two. For example, we ought to be animated with a higher degree of indignation, when we observe the crime of murder committed, than when we witness the commission of forgery or theft. And it is proper for us to follow the same rule of judging, when we ourselves happen to meet with any offences from our brethren. We should be more angry when they attempt to injure our eternal interests, than when they seek to deprive us of some temporal advantage; when they endeavour to weaken our faith in the gospel of the grace of God, and seduce us from our fidelity to Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, than when, perhaps, they use expressions injurious to our honour, or filch from us some part of our property, or compete with us for some of the offices to which we aspire. In this and similar cases, our moral resentment should rise or No. XXXIX.-NEW SERIES.

fall in proportion as the behaviour that excites it possesses a greater or smaller degree of guilt or unworthiness.

Yet, when we look into our own conduct, or examine that of our brethren around us, we find this rule of moral propriety not only not obeyed, but actnally reversed. We find men, who have struggled with the most persevering industry to blaspheme the holy name in which they have been baptized; who have made God a liar, by denying the testimony He has given of His Son; who have subverted the faith of many of their admirers, and ruined their best and most enduring interests: we find such men receiving the applauses of a corrupt world, and drawing after them a train of credulous dupes or foolish imitators, who, but for their advice or their example, might have gone on in a patient course of well-doing, and entered at last into the enjoyment of an eternal life of liberty and peace. Even some of our selves, who profess to believe in the truths of Divine Revelation, have not been very ready to join in the sentence of condemnation which our Lord passes upon sinners of this description. 'It must needs be that offences come; but woe unto that man by whom they come! It were better for him that a mill-stone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.' When we suppose that we have received an affront from any of our brethren, or that they have acted unfairly towards us in regard to some worldly possession, we give way to the most violent expressions of resentment, and, to the disgrace of human nature, are sometimes not satisfied till we have slain a neighbour or a friend, and sent him suddenly into the presence of his Judge, with a load of unrepented and unforgiven sin upon his head; while, strange to say, we are not seen to be angry at all, or even, perhaps, assume a complacent aspect, when He takes the name of God in vain in our presence, or counsels us to follow the same licentious mode of living, which he, with our knowledge, but without interruption to our friendship, has been in the habit of pursuing for a long series of years. Inconsistencies like these are most unbecoming in the professing Christian: they should be most abhorrent to his mind and feelings; and we may depend upon it for a certain truth, that God will call us to an account for these unjust and unscriptural judgments; for it is written, that he who justifieth the wicked, no less than he who condemneth the righVOL. IV.

2. Our moral resentment should be free from the influence of selfish or malignant passions.

As our moral resentment, when existing in its pure state, and exercised in a proper manner, always corresponds, in the degree of its force, with the degree of moral turpitude in the behaviour of the offending agent; so, when the affection is more violent than this correspondence can be said to warrant, we may conclude, that some other feeling or passion mingles with it, and raises it beyond its proper level. The moral worth of the affection may, in this way, be either considerably diminished, or totally destroyed. Instead of being a grace of the Spirit, or a virtue of the new man, it may really be a tare planted by the enemy, and a remnant of our natural corruption. Many various feelings or passions may thus debase and corrupt our moral resentment; such as selfishness, malice, envy, pride, hatred, revenge, a disposition too prone to sudden passionateness, a remembrance of former injuries received from the individual, a partiality for some person supposed by us to be injured in some of his interests by the behaviour in question, and, perhaps, an erroneous judgment with respect to the measure of bad intention involved in the action complained of. All these emotions and feelings, and others beside these, may enter into the composition of our moral resentment, and help to raise it above that proper degree of excitement, which the sin or offence, by which alone we pretend it was caused, may justly be thought to warrant. When, therefore, the affection is more violent than it ought to be, it may equally be an evidence of a bad heart, or of a defective morality, as if we possessed no moral resentment at all. For as, in the one case, the want of the affection presupposes a want of moral sensibility; so, in the other case, the excess of the affection is a proof of the same imperfection of character, because there is reason to suspect, that our resentment is not scriptural in its nature, and not founded on true moral sensibility. Hence, in both cases, there is the same indifference at bottom with respect to sin; only, in the latter instance, there is the semblance of moral feeling, which is apt to impose upon us at first sight, if we are not at due pains to examine narrowly the affection, and by this means to detect the resembling counterfeit.

Our blessed Lord, who knew so well what was in man, had frequent occasion, in the course of His ministry, to expose and condemn this species of immoral resentment, and to unravel the false appearances

habitants of a village in Samaria would not receive Him, 'because His face was as though He would go to Jerusalem,' His disciples James and John were transported with rage at the contracted and illiberal spirit which could encroach so far upon the laws of hospitality; and thinking, no doubt, that they were angry only at the rudeness of the Samaritan villagers, said, 'Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?' But our Lord immediately perceived, that it was not so much the sin of the Samaritans they were so eager to punish, as their own wounded pride and sectarian bigotry they were wishing to gratify, or burning to revenge; therefore, turning towards them with a look of displeasure, He rebuked them in these striking and impressive words, 'Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of; for the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. When a certain woman, embracing Christ with all the grateful joy of a repentant sinner, had taken a pound of ointment very costly and anointed the Saviour's feet, so that the room was filled with the odour of the ointment, the base betrayer of his Master burst out into a violent passion at an act of such useless waste, and exclaimed, with a pretended sympathy for the miseries of the indigent, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?' John explains the real feelings that had usurped the place of moral resentment, as well as of Christian compassion, in his mind: 'For this he' Judas Iscariot-'said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.' Nor are such instances rare even in the present more enlightened times. There is a great deal of the violent resentment we meet with so often in the world, that does not arise from the moral impropriety of the language or behaviour at which offence is taken, but is raised at first, and afterwards continued, by the stronger power of some selfish passion. This is more particularly observable in regard to those acts of injustice that are done to ourselves or our friends. If a word is spoken by an adversary, or even by an acquaintance, which we think is insulting to our feelings, or likely to lower us in the opinion of the world; or if we have sustained some injury in our credit, person, or property, which is only great because it has happened to ourselves, how often are we thrown into a state of violent irritation, and become eager to return the injury with all the exag gerated calculation of extravagant passion! Sometimes, too, this mutual retaliation of injury is carried so far on both sides as at

length to produce that very moral evil, which could alone have justified our resentment at an earlier stage of its progress. An injury which, in the beginning, involved only a slight degree of bad intention, and hardly furnished a fit subject for provocation, has often, by continued repetition, terminated in the death of one of the parties, and, perhaps, exposed to the cold charity of the world a wretched widow, with a helpless family of orphans. Now, in cases like these, some selfish or malicious passion generally lies at the bottom of our resentment, and the moral turpitude of the behaviour that originally produced it, can never have been regarded at all, inasmuch as the very conduct of the enraged person is more properly the object of moral indignation, than the behaviour of the individual who is conceived to have given the injury.

In all these instances of lesser injury, the rules of the Gospel are plain and simple: 'If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.' This mild and gentle reception of the injury will not only prevent the evil our adversary intended to do from becoming greater, but it will soften so much his angry feelings, as even to inspire him with the contrary desire of doing us good instead of evil; or, at all events, it will disappoint the gratification of his revenge, and throw into his own bosom the pain or uneasiness he wished to produce in ours. In the same spirit, our Lord observes, in His admirable Sermon on the Mount, 'Whosoever shall smite thee on the one cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also; and whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. If our moral resentment is awakened by the degree of sin we perceive in the language or conduct of the individual of whom we complain; or, if the fear of producing the accursed thing' has really a seat in our heart, we shall not feel much resentment at these smaller injuries; and lest, by retaliating them, we should produce a series of provocations that are sure to be greater and more sinful after they have advanced a certain length than they were at their commencement, we shall take the only successful mode of putting a stop to the evil in its infancy, by showing to our adversary that he has failed in his attempt to provoke us; and that from the dread of violating charity, or for the sake of preserving peace, we are ready to submit to double the sacrifice, which his malice or injustice would have compelled us at first

to make.

To be concluded in next Number.

N.

PERFECTION OF THE RIGHTEOUS IN HEAVEN.

THE redeemed, in their glorified condition, are called 'just men made perfect.' It is not implied here, that they will enter upon a state of existence, which will allow of no increase of their mental powers, attainments, or enjoyments. Perfection, in this state, is confined to Deity. But this sense of perfection implies, that the mind will be the subject neither of fault nor error, neither of decay nor weariness: a state in which there will be nothing to lessen its usefulness, or impair its enjoyment-in which it will be entirely approved by itself, and entirely loved by its Maker. In heaven, it will fill a station and act a part altogether necessary, desirable, and honourable, and will perform every thing perfectly, and better than it would be performed by any other being whatever. This is the perfection of angels, and of those who are declared by Christ to be equal, or like to angels. The improvement of both will be progressive through eternity.

Thou hast redeemed us to God!' is the acknowledgment of glorified spirits; and it declares that they were once apostates, and rebels, and outcasts, and children of wrath, and were condemned by the law of God: it declares that they have been turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God. Every one has been washed in the Redeemer's blood, and renewed by the influence of the Divine Spirit. Thus they are a new order of beings in the Divine kingdom; being restored from endless sin to endless holiness, and raised from absolute perdition to immortal life. How amazing the change! how immense the deliverance !-so amazing, so literally immense, that eternity will scarcely be sufficient to unfold the height and depth, the length and breadth, of this unexampled dispensation. In this character, the Redeemer will behold them through interminable ages, as the travail of His soul, the hopes of His cross, and the gems in His crown of glory. Throughout eternity, He will look on every one as an immortal mind, to save which from endless turpitude and ruin He shed His own most precious blood; as a mind recovered by Himself to the Divine kingdom, reinstamped by His Spirit with the image of God, and thus furnished with an indefeasible title to eternal glory. Hence, being redeemed and adopted children, He will acknowledge them as heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, to an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, eternal in the heavens; a kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world.'

Again, in their state of future bliss, the

saints will be 'kings and priests unto God.' The name, priest, in this statement, indicates the distinguished purity of their character; and teaches us that their thoughts, affections, and purposes, will be an unceasing and eternal offering of sweet incense in the sanctuary of heaven. The name, king, denotes their distinguished honour; and informs us, that they will hereafter be elevated to princely employments, and peculiar dignities in the empire of Jehovah. To him that overcometh,' saith Christ, I will grant to sit with me on my throne; even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father on His throne.' They shall reign,' said the interpreting angel to John, when describing the future happiness of the righteous. 'They shall reign for ever and ever.'

'But, O what beams of heavenly grace
Transport them all the while:
Ten thousand smiles from Jesus' face,
And ease in every smile!'

'Jesus! and when shall that dear day,

That joyful hour appear, When I shall leave this house of clay, To dwell amongst them there?'

METRICAL SKETCHES.

No. IV.

HEAVEN.

1.

O HEAVEN is a glorious place!

It is the land of rest.

There we shall meet with, face to face, The friends whom we love best:

2.

With Jesus, our exalted Lord,

Who bought us with His blood; And His good Spirit, whose pure word Supplies our soul's sweet food:

3.

With all the saints, who here below
Did strive in faith and love,
The saving power of truth to know,
That they might reign above.

4.

CHRISTIANITY PROVED BY

JUDAS ISCARIOT.

I APPREHEND it will readily be granted, that, upon the supposition that Jesus was carrying on a fraud, this could not have been without accomplices. It was an imposture of that nature, as could not have been managed by one man alone. Jesus aspired to nothing lower than being thought the Messiah; in consequence whereof He not only pretended to work miracles himself, but to give the power of

With Moses, David, Solomon,

And all the ancient good.

5.

There we shall see our great first sire,
And his dear partner Eve;

They fear not now fell Satan's ire,
He cannot there deceive:

6.

And Mary, among women blest,
The Mother of our Lord,
No longer with that grief opprest
Which pierc'd her like a sword;

Now, if accomplices were necessary, none, I dare say, will be thought so proper for this purpose as the twelve apostles; nay, our adversaries will not scruple to grant, that these were the very persons. They were pitched upon from the whole multitude of His disciples to be stated and constant attendants upon Him; they were present at His public teachings; they were the companions of His most private hours; so that, if He held any esoteric or secret opinion, if He carried on any pri vate design, which He artfully disguised

from the world, it must certainly have been known to them.

Judas was one of this number; and by the whole of the history, appears to have been admitted into as great confidence and familiarity as the other apostles. And, however it may be pretended that the eleven, deeply tinctured with enthusiasm, might easily be imposed upon; yet this cannot be alleged of Judas, who afterwards made it evident that he had never so fully entered into their designs. Free, then, from this bias, with all his senses alert; nay, as will appear, with the design of quitting their party full in his eye, and, therefore, watching every occasion against them, was he not able to discover, in their most free and private conversation, the bottom of the plot? Must he not have known whether Jesus lived as He taught? or if, while He recommended the strictest morality to others, He indulged Himself in any private crimes? which would certainly have been the case, had he been an impostor. To which I must add one very strong consideration on this head, of Judas' opportunities of knowing if any fraud was carrying on by Jesus Christ and his disciples; and that is, that Christ not only pretended to work miracles Himself, but also pretended to give the same power to His disciples: Then he called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases and they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.' And lest we should suspect that Judas was not so highly endued, the evangelist Matthew takes care, immediately after this commission, to subjoin a complete catalogue of the apostles who received these powers, in which Judas is particularly mentioned. Judas heard his Master pretend to give him such powers; and, in consequence thereof, he goes and makes the experiment on the first diseased person he meets. Must he not, then, immediately have known whether the effect followed, and whether the lame and the blind received their sight and strength? If he saw this undeniably the case, what a strong conviction must it have wrought in his mind that his Master was the Messiah? And how naturally does it account for that anguish he afterwards endured, upon his basely betraying Him? Whereas, on the other hand, had Judas discovered all to be trick, had he discovered that the pretended cures were only the effect of a collusion betwixt the persons who feigned the disease and Christ; would he have failed to lay open the cheat? Especially if we add, that in case there was any fraud carrying on by Jesus and His disciples, Judas had every supposable inducement to make the

:

discovery; which, joined to what has already been said of his knowledge and opportunities, will, in my apprehension, go a great way to make the argument conclusive.

This will hold true, whatever the personal character of Judas is supposed to be. Had he been a man of conscience and honesty, who waited for the consolations of Israel, and had commenced a disciple of Jesus, in hopes of finding in Him the longwished-for Messiah; we may easily be convinced what part he would have acted upon finding his hope disappointed, and that, instead of a prophet, he was following an impostor. Regard to truth, and the glory of God, would not have allowed him to hesitate one moment. He must not only have abandoned the party himself, but have fairly laid open their frauds and secret practices to others. Regardless of whatever reflection the dishonest or unthinking part of mankind might throw upon him, as having once been of the party, he would labour to undeceive the multitude, and wish to confront the impostor himself.

Regard to the religion of his country would greatly have strengthened such a resolution. It is well known how zealous the bulk of the Jews were on this head; which alarmed them the more at the pretensions of Jesus to be the Messiah, while his doctrine tended so evidently to set aside their numerous rites and ceremonies: so that, as a good son of the Church, Judas would have been led to use the utmost care to prevent the dangerous infection.

All the principles of benevolence and love to mankind would have awaked in his breast, in order to induce him to a speedy discovery, that so others might be prevented from falling into the snare in which he was well-nigh caught. And this, too, would he have judged the best return of gratitude to that God who had saved him from being entirely led aside by the error of the wicked.

In fine, to such a speedy discovery he would have been strongly excited by the powerful motive of love to his country. It was one reason why the more politic Jews gave so little regard to the various circumstances that concurred to prove Jesus the Messiah, lest, by seeming to acknowledge any other king than Cæsar, they should give a handle to the Romans, under whose yoke they lay, to take away their city and nation. The force of which argument was the greater, as they could not yet have forgot the many inconveniences which two pretenders to that character had brought upon them a few years before: instances which, as they happened in Judas' own time, must have been more than enough to overbalance any argument that