which secures them to us. Nor can we complain that faith should be required as a condition of salvationsince, without it, the christian character cannot be formed. For it is in its effects that faith is thus valuable. The dispositions implied in unbelief are bad dispositions ; they are sins to be answered for. When I affirm this I do not include in the application of the remark, that portion of mankind who have never had the gospel preached to them, or had no opportunity to become properly acquainted with its claims. Nor those who by circumstances, out of their own control, have been hindered from justly appreciating those claims. There are some doubtless to whom the gospel has been presented in a form so disfigured, that its truth and excellence were no longer discernible, and who therefore rejected it as unworthy their credence. And there are others probably, whose minds have early acquired such habits of thought, as seem to have rendered them incapable of rightly judg ing of the christian evidences. So far as the habits of thought were the result of their own negligence, or the indulgence of any propensity of the intellect or the heart, known to be injurious-the unbelief which grew out of them must be regarded as criminal. But if a perverse education, or any such external bias as could not be averted or controlled by the individual himself, have produced a mental peculiarity, he is so far blameless, and may claim our pity, but deserves not our abhorrence. Our religion carries in its own merciful bosom a provision for such unhappy cases. And neither God nor our Saviour demand that we should denounce as a castaway one, who from such causes, has failed of obtaining like" precious faith with ourselves. But these cases are few, 9 and to the rest of mankind the words of Jesus apply in all their force," he that believeth on me hath everlasting life. He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him; the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day." A SMALL RELIC OF MELANCTHON. [Translated from the Theologische Studien, &c.] EVERY theological fragment, however small, is interesting, of a man like Melancthon. A great mind is visible even in trifles, and in any case affection knows how to appreciate what comes from such a being. The few and, as far as my knowledge goes, unpublished lines of Melancthon which I shall communicate, are a token of affection; he wrote them in the beginning of the Bible of a friend (at least of one whom he had befriended) in order to record in his memory, by a short thesis, the sum of the christian belief. They are in an edition of the Bible of the year 1534, in folio, illuminated with very beautiful wood-cuts, which is now in the public library at Hamburg. From the date, 1552, affixed to this short confession and word of consolation, it follows that it was penned by Melancthon at an important period. About that time, the Augsburg and Leipzig Interim had only just begun to exhibit their injurious results. Melancthon was violently attacked by Flacius, and suspected by the stern Lutherans; the council of Trent was again opened, and was to be set in order by the Protestants. With this view, Melancthon had composed the Confessio Saxonica, (Repetitio Conf. Aug.) and set out with two Saxon theologians towards Trent. On the 22d of January, 1552, they arrived at Nuremburg, where they remained openly, in obedience to the command of Maurice. All negotiations were now broken off by the daring enterprise of the youthful hero of Protestantism, against the Emperor in the spring of 1552. In the succeeding August, the treaty of Passau followed. At the period of these great occurrences, the following was written by Melancthon: the exact point of time is not decidedly given. The little piece has a particular interest, inasmuch as it is written in German, though not in the powerful language of a Luther. this account I give it exactly in its antique form. "Jesus Christ, the Son of God, says, in the 14th chapter of John, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.' "This saying should be well known unto all men, and often examined, since therein are contained pure doctrine and the highest consolation. "First, as to doctrine-we are taught which is the true church of God, and where it is; for it testifieth that the true church of God is that visible assembling which preaches the true doctrines of the gospel-learns, receives, and, receiving, acknowledges them.* In this visible assembling thou shalt be incorporated, and know that thyself art also a member of the true church, if thou hear the pure doctrine of the gospel, learn, receive with belief, and * Treaty of Augsburg. Conf., Art. 7, have commenced obedience, and shalt know that the command of God is, that thou shouldest seek this right church, and hold to the preaching of it, with right belief, invocation, knowledge, and love, as the 26th Psalm says, 'One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.' "Thou mayest remark here, too, the loftiest promises and the most gracious consolation, and believingly confess, the Father loveth thee on account of the Son, forgiveth thee thy sins, receiveth thee into his grace in this life, albeit we are yet weak and unclean; and if thou believe this, and trust in Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man, so art thou the habitation of God, and the everlasting Father and the Son work in thee through the gospel, and holy spirit of new light and of new obedience; and may God hear and protect thee in this life, and soften to thee its great misery; and then, when God becomes all in all, thou wilt clearly know him; so will he give thee, in the heavenly church of eternal life, his light, wisdom, and justice, and joy. Observe how great a good it is to be the habitation of God, and that he will obtain such things, through this belief, who trusts in Jesus Christ, the Mediator between God and man. 1552. "PHILLIPPUS MELANCTHON." THE PILGRIMS. [By the Author of "Moral Pieces in Prose and Verse."] How slow yon tiny vessel ploughs the main !— -Moons wax and wane, But still that lonely traveller treads the deep.- And savage men, who through the thickets peer -But yon lone bark Hath spread her parting sail.- They crowd the strand, Those few, lone pilgrims. Can ye scan the wo That wrings their bosoms, as the last, frail link Binding to man, and habitable earth, Is sever'd? Can ye tell what pangs were there, |