that neither of these natural agents can produce fruit without the cooperation of all the rest. Neither will the power of God without the consent and co-operation of man produce religion. Nor is it consistent with man's free agency, that God should irresistibly dispose of his mind to co-operate with God's power. God has his own good reasons for doing things according to his own wisdom, at such times and seasons as he sees best; but it cannot be his will that any man should continue in sin a moment longer. See then that you do not impute to your natural feelings the calls of God leading you to your duty; many have done so to their own destruction, sheltering themselves under the wings of their supposed inability, and charging God foolishly as the cause of their sin and neglect. We are dealt with as reasonable creatures who have abilities to do or not to do whatever is commanded, while we have the light and power of God with us, but no longer. Commit then yourself, soul, body, and spirit, into the hands of God; he will bless you for Jesus' sake, and he will in his own good time send you the comforter that he may abide with you forever. You may depend the door is open for you, and for all such as will come to him in the name of Jesus.

Monday, July 29, I was glad to find a man of good understanding, whose connexions are believers and followers of the doctrine of finished salvation, or in other words Universalists, come to me declaring his full conviction of the truth of what he heard at our chapel the Sabbath before last, viz:

"All such as have embraced the fanciful notion of finished salvation as brought about by the death and resurrection of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, do manifest not only the want of piety, but also the want of just consideration. For all men must know that the mission of our blessed Lord as a mediator between God and man is but in part completed. Much was wanted at the time of his ascension, and is still to be done. The world is to be brought into his fold, the righteous to be preserved, raised from the dead, and placed in glory. The world to be judged, and time brought to an end. Then Christ's mission will be finished when he shall deliver up the kingdom to the Father, and God be all in all. Where is then the sense of talking about finished salvation when so much is yet to be done. (1.) The gospel must be preached. (2.) Sinners must be converted, born again, justified, sanctified, and preserved. (3.) Raised from the dead, judged, and brought into glory, and all the works of Christ completed before we can talk with propriety of finished salvation." Much more being said to show the folly of that doctrine, this gentleman was fully convinced that

the doctrine of finished salvation is but a delusive dream, seeing that our blessed Lord has yet so much to do before his mission is accomplished. His living in this world, his dying for men, his resurrection and ascension, together with all that is yet done, is but a part of his work as a Saviour, and one part of his mission is as necessary as another.

Sunday, August 12, the people come out well. I cried aloud and did not spare the workers of iniquity, sabbath breakers and grog shop keepers, together with their drunken customers. Men having grown of late bold in sin, I also felt bold in a better cause. I believe the Lord supported me, and gave me much strength; what the fruits may be time will prove. This afternoon the woods in this neighbourhood caught on fire; every thing being uncommonly burnt up with drought, it is hard to say what the consequences will be. Houses and fields are in great danger. Monday, the distresses occasioned by fire increase; the whole country seems to be alarmed; many houses being surrounded with the flaming element calls for close attention to keep it off, and to extinguish it when caught. Cattle are heard roaring and burning, and upon the whole times are truly alarming. Crops are destroyed in the fields, and miles of fence consumed, and exposing what remains to the cattle. The damages are great. Some houses are consumed. The woods are destroyed, and the soil on the top of the ground ruined for miles, and still the flames are increasing.

Sunday, August 19, our number was not so large as usual, on account of the fires which still prevail. Many have already suffered, and others are in danger. Tuesday, August 21, I found the (desirable) rain very heavy while I was going and coming from St. David, where we buried the remains of our old friend, Mr. Shaw, who left the world strong in the faith, giving glory to God.

Of late I feel an unusual view of Christ's humiliation and exaltation: According to the Scriptures-All power is in his hands. (1.) God has given him all the creation under his controul. (2.) Pardon of sin, life and salvation is his gift, and for his sake at his own disposal he giveth where and when he pleases.. (3.) The resurrection of the dead is his gift. (4.) He is the judge and giver of eternal glory; angels, principalities and powers are subject to him; he is the head of all creation; every thing in heaven and in earth fall down before him; he is the heir of all God's unchangeable dominion. The heirs with him will reign with him and partake of his glory. There is an inexpressible union between Christ and his followers. God did at the beginning create man in his own image, and placed him at the head of this lower world. But now we see clearly the design of God, placing

Christ as man at the head of all creation, and all his faithful followers with him exalted above all. See Phil. ii. 9. Heb. ii. 9. 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. Rom. viii. 17. Rev. v. 11, 12, 13. 1 John iii. 2, 3, together with the whole complexion of the word of God. Believers have in general but a faint idea of the glory which shall be revealed in us; this causes many to be but weak in the faith and hope which is set before them. Unhappy sinners sell their birthright for a mean consideration, because they have no just view or respect for the recom. pense of their reward. O the blessed gospel; my soul triumphs now in the name of the Lord, for all are yours, for ye are Christ's and Christ's is God, and all a free gift to him that believeth and obeyeth. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. (Phil. iii. 8.)

(To be Continued.)

DIVINITY.

THE CHURCH THE SALT OF THE EARTH.

A SERMON

BY THE REV. HUGH M'NEILE, M. A.

"For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good; but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it?"-Mark ix. 49, 50.

THERE is felt to be some difficulty on this passage, and I shall in vain endeavour to divest it of difficulty without some preliminary and general remarks upon the figurative language of Scripture. In reading and expounding the Word of God, we are in the habitual use of figurative language, without however duly considering the nature of it, or the source whence it is derived. The nature of it is simply this: an outward object is taken to express an inward and spiritual truth, The source whence it is derived, is the harmony that exists between the outward object and the spiritual truth, and the consequent suitability of the one to represent the other. For example, I desire to say, that the great Invisible, the Creator and Ruler of all, is acquainted with all my infirmities, watches over all my wanderings, and supplies all my wants. To say this comprehensively and very expressively, I say, "The Lord is my Shepherd;" here is a figure; an outward object is taken to express an inward and spiritual truth; and the offices

of the Shepherd towards His flock, His acquaintance with their infirmities, His watchfulness over their wanderings, His constant supply of their wants, in causing them to enter into pastures convenient for them-these supply the suitability of the figure. But we must look further than to any accidental suitability of the figure for the source of the figurative language of Scripture: part of it is derived from external nature, and part of it is derived from the ceremonial institutions of the Mosaic ritual. When St. John says, " God is light," he takes a figure from nature. When St. Paul says, "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us," he takes a figure from the ceremonial law of the Jews. Now with respect to the ceremonies of the Jewish ritual, we know that the suitability is not accidental; it was designed of God to this end. The types were instituted amongst other purposes, that they might supply a vocabulary of figurative language, and that they might express the everlasting Gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus; they were a "shadow of good things to come, but the body is of Christ," and they all prepared in accordance with the pattern which was given to Moses on the mount. “See,” said God, "that thou make all things according to the pattern;" a pattern-the very expression implies an original; the original was the purpose, the eternal purpose which God purposed in Christ Jesus, who verily was ordained a "Lamb without blemish and without spot, before the foundation of the world," who was promised in such words, and exhibited in such figures, as to advance the twilight of the patriarchal and Mosaic dispensation almost into sunrise. Here, then, the suitability is not accidental; it is obviously designed. And the same may be said, although it cannot be so verbally and undeniably proved with respect to external nature; it was created with this design, that it should testify of Jesus Christ. "All things were made by Him and for Him; He is before all things, and by Him all things consist" or stand together. All external nature bears witness to Him, and in some one or other of His offices. Every thing around us preaches Christ to a spiritual mind. Nature with all its varieties, matter with its properties and combination of properties, will be found in this respect to resemble the Mosaic types, and to supply a vocabulary of spiritual and figurative language, whereby the Holy Ghost in the Holy Scriptures testifies of Jesus.

Consider for a moment, in the experience of a Christian's mind, how this is. Do we lay ourselves down on our bed to sleep? Christ Do we awake in the morning to renewed consciousChrist is "the resurrection and the life." Do we wash

is" our rest."

ness of life?

ourselves with water? Christ cleanseth us from every defilement. Do we clothe ourselves with raiment ? "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," says the apostle. Do we meet our kind and sympathising friends and brethren? Christ is the "brother born for adversity"— the friend "touched with the feeling of our infirmities, who sticketh closer than a brother." Do we partake of our food? Christ is "the bread of life," which came down from heaven that man might eat and never die. Then do we go forth and behold the light of day? Christ is the "Sun of righteousness, arising with healing in His wings." Do we again raise our eyes to the moon in the night season? Here is an emblem of the Church of Christ shining with a borrowed light: a faithful witness in heaven that the sun was here and will be here again. Do we look at the stars? They represent the ministers of Christ's church held in His right hand, who appoints their orbits, arranges their forms and magnitudes, and degrees of brilliancy. All things preach Christ and Christ's church.

This will suffice, I trust, as an introduction to the needful explanation of the language of our text.

The first expression demanding our attention is "salt." Salt is an object of external nature, endued with certain properties.

It possesses the property of penetration into the masses of animal matter, to which it shall be applied in sufficient abundance and with sufficient perseverance; and it possesses the property of extending a preserving savour as it pervades the mass.

Here is the basis of its suitability to represent Christ's church on earth. A characteristic of the population of this fallen world is, morał corruption. The men of this world, even those who are most advanced in morals and in respectability amongst their fellows, are nevertheless described in the Word of God as being corrupt according to their deceitful lusts and defilements. Selfishness, ostentation, envy, jealousy, taint their boasted morals; and as surely as a mass of animal matter left to its natural tendency, make progress from one degree of corruption to another, until it reached the putrefaction of dissolution, so surely would the population of this world, left to its own natural tendency, make progress from one degree of moral corruption to another, until they all reached the putrefaction of damnation. Christ's church is the salt of the earth; it is the Lord's preserve and the Lord's preservative. Those who compose it are by nature corrupt as others; the distinction made between them and others is not made by them. selves; it is God's doing. Every individual composing Christ's church requires himself to be purified, after he has been made a partaker of