creature like itself, holy and heavenly, which in fcripture is called a new man, and a new creation.*-Hence we may remark the truth and propriety of our Lord's application of this doctrine to the cafe of both Nicodemus and ouriclves: Ye must be born again. The kingdom of heaven requires it, and the very nature of things fuggefts it. Our first birth is earthly, fenfual, and perfectly unfuited to the enjoy ment of a spiritual and heavenly kingdom. We must be born of the Spirit to be children of the kingdom, and children of God; to receive his likeness, and to delight in his fervice. In our first birth we are the children of only the firft Adam, in his fallen depraved ftate; and in our fecond, we are the offspring of the fecond man, "the Lord from heaven." And as this birth is the production of heavenly truth, introduced into the mind, we must again become little children in fimplicity, humility, and teachablenefs, that we may be capable of receiving a new mould or caft, in the fpirit of our minds. This is the only temper of mind in which fuch a knowledge of the kingdom will take root, and it is the only foil in which it can be cultivated with fuccefs. It is thus divine Truth gets the difpofal of the whole mind, and organizes it after its own fpiritual and heavenly nature. And in the measure in which we are thus feif-emptied and made little children, it has a power of transfufing its own native excellency, and imprinting the moral features of its glorious Author. We muft become fools in our own eftimation to be wife; we must become weak to be strong, and lowly to be exalted. Without fuch a frame of heart, we cannot enjoy the things of the kingdom of God; we cannot Jove, we cannot delight in them, neither can we exemplify them, because we cannot know, we cannot receive them. Let the reader feriously enquire whether his profeffed acquaintance with divine truth produces thefe effects; for without them, nothing is more certain than, that his faith and hope are only fatal prefumption and delufion. May the Lord give us that knowledge of his will which produces the love of it; and which difpofes us to follow it as our guide, and to delight in it as our treasure ! H. K.

THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF. MAT. XIX. 19.

HIS is the fecond commandment, and includes in it the whole of our duty towards one another: for, as St. Paul faith, "Love is the fulfilling of the law; for this,

thou

thou shalt not commit adultery-thou fhalt not kill-thou fhalt not steal-thou shalt not bear falfe witness--thou fhalt not covet-and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this faying, namely, Thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf." But alas! where fhall we find the man whofe conduct proves that he has thoroughly ftudied, and impartially weighed this command? Shall we find him amongst the men of the world, or amongst the profeffors of Chriftianity? If any where, doubtless amongst the latter. But in what clafs may he be found? Does the rich man who fares fumptuously every day, while he fees his neighbour, or his fervant, by whofe labour he is enriched, with a fcanty allowance of bread, and a draught of water, and fhuts up his bowels of compaffion from him, docs he love his neighbour as himfelf? Or does he, who condefcends to pity his poor friend or neighbour, faying, "Be ye warmed, and be ye filled,"+ but at the fame time gives him nothing but his cold wishes, does he love his neighbour as himfelf?-Or can it be thought that the fervant, who waftes both the time and property of his mafter, has ever attentively confidered this commandment? Quite as deficient is he in obferving it, who instead of felling what he has, to give alms, withholds alms, in order that he may purchase more. But let

us be careful that we impute none of thefe things to Chrif tianity; its profeffors may be guilty in thefe matters, but they were never taught this conduct by Christianity, nor its glorious Founder; they have never learnt it either from his precepts or his example; a proper attention to either of which would infpire a very different conduct. Yes, the example of Christ teaches us to become poor, that others may be rich; and to "look every man, not on his own things (only) but alfo on the things of others;" and his precept fays, "Thou fhalt love thy neighbour as thyfelf." Admirable rule! What miferies are there in the world. which thou art not calculated to remove? What maladies, which thy virtues are not able to heal? Were this precept attended to, we should no more hear the voice of the oppreffor, nor the cries of the oppreffed; no longer would the rich wantonly grind the faces of the poor; "violence fhould no more be heard in our land, wafting nor deftruction within our borders; but our officers, would be peace, and our exactors righteousness." An attention to this precept would

çalm

Rom. xii. 9.

† James ii. 16.

calm the boisterous paffions of the mind, and fubdue thofe lufts from whence come wars and fightings; would turn "our fwords into ploughfhares, and our fpears into pruninghooks; and caufe wars to ceafe, even to the ends of the earth." Our ears fhould no more be afflicted with the cries of the bereaved, nor our eyes weep over the defolations of war; but peace, with all its numerous train of bleffings, would make this world a paradite.

Did men love their neighbours as themfelves, tyranny, cruelty, and flavery would ceafe; the wretched African would no longer wear the galling yoke of bondage, nor helpless innocence groan beneath the cruel lafh of tyranny; the state of flavery, and the infernal name of flave-driver, would both fink into oblivion; and that moft horrid and abominable of all trafficks, the flave-trade, by which the nations have fo long difagraced themselves, would have an end.

Were this principle predominant, not only would the nations be delivered from flavery, but they would be bleffed with the Gofpel; all who know that joyful found, would, according to their ability, follow the example of those benevolent fouls who have fo liberally communicated to promote the noble defign of fending the Gofpel of Salvation to the Heathens. Minifters alfo would not only pray for the fpread of the Gofpel, and the enlargement of Chrift's kingdom, but Miffionaries would arife in every congregation, and fay, "Lord, here am I, fend me !" What a glorious profpect would then be before the church of God! might we not hope that fhe would foon "break forth on the right hand, and on the left, and become a praise in all the earth?" Were only ten fouls converted in an island, or nation, by the inftrumentality of the firft Miffionaries, thofe ten might, through a divine bleffing, be inftrumental of the converfion of a hundred, and that hundred of a thousand, and that thousand of ten thousand; and fo on, till that time came, when "all fhall know the Lord !"-And as a mean to ftimulate us to fo glorious a work, nothing is wanting but to feel the force of this plain precept, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

THE

THOUGHTS ON PSALM xviii. I

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

TAU.

HE man is as his mind; for as he thinketh in his heart fo is he. This rule of interpreting principles and deciding characters, is as much in favour of the true believer,

as

as it is against the hypocrite and unbeliever. For into whatever weakneffes the humble, upright, fincere Chriftian may be occafionally betrayed, his real ftate and character will be determined by the prevailing caft and frame of his anind. He is, before God, what he purposes to be, what he feeks, and what he earneftly and conftantly prays to be, A prominent feature in his character is his love to Chrift, or his defire to love him. Thefe are the fruits of an enlightened mind, and fan&tified judgment. Chrift has taught him, by his Spirit, what he has done for him; and he fees it reafonable, and feels it pleafant to acknowledge him, with that measure of holy affection and love his Spirit has infpired. His attachment, however, may be concealed from his own obfervation, and he may be reduced to the neceffity, at times, of eftimating his regard for his Saviour, only from the difpofition to ferve and pleafe him. But he cannot be fatisfied with merely refolving to love Chrift; and perhaps he may not know, that to love his falvation, his people, his caufe, and his will, is fufficient evidence that he loves the Lord. His purpofes, however, are good, and thefe fhew the state of his cafe to be the fame : but he wants the trength of Chrift to be made perfect in his weakness, that the holy defires and intents of his heart may appear in his whole temper and deportment, and his Saviour thereby be honoured. Well, let him be thankful. David, it feems, was once, if not more than once, in a frame which would only allow him to fay to his God, "I WILL love thee, I mean, I hope, I defire nothing fo much as to be able to love the Lord." This was furely, a token he did love him, and the fame language of the heart must be construed in the fame mzaner, in relation to the meaneft Chriftian now; for he would not part with his Saviour for ten thoufand worlds.

The Lord was David's strength; and there were seasons when he found him fo, in fuch a fenfible and powerful manner, as to enable him to fay, without hefitation or referve, "I love the Lord." (Pf. cxvi. 1.) This will be the experience of every true Chriftian occafionally, from the fame caufe: The Lord, by a gracious vitit, in answer to prayer, will lift up upon him the light of his countenance; then bis faith will be ftronger than his fear; and the preference he has given to Chrift to any thing elfe befide him, will be kindled into a lively and vigorous paffion of his heart. And although he can hardly expect to enjoy fuch pleature without interruption here, he may, by ftronger faith VOL. VII.

E

much

much prayer, fear of fin, and concern to please the Lord in every thing, enjoy, it may be, much more than he yet doth. And thefe occafional vifits, with their pleafant and happy effects, may be deemed certain pledges and foretaftes of that bleffed ftate to come, when he thall love his Lord with inextinguishable and unabating ardor and delight. When his purposes, inclinations, and defires fhall be no more impeded from obeying the dictates of an underftanding, replete with heavenly light and difcernment, in all its vivifying and transforming influence. Then we shall be like him; for we thall fee him as he is. Wherefore, feeing we look for fuch things, let us give diligence, that we may be found of him in peace, and without spot.

REFLECTIONS ON MATT. vi. 23.

W. H.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things fhall be added unto you.

UR dear Redeemer, conftantly aiming at the grand

of his followers to that kingdom which is not of this world, and to thofe joys which are lafting as himself. In the chapter from which thefe words are felected, he had been informing the ignorant minds of the multitude around him. So conftantly was he employed in this gracious work, that he fcarcely allowed himfelf time for neceffary refreshment. Here, then, is a divine exhortation by the bleffed Saviour, to feek thofe things which make for our everlafting peace: how important is it for us to attend to his kind invitations, mingled with his tears and prayers of love for us! Jefus came down from glory, arrayed himfelf in mortal fleth, bore the infirmities and fins of men, that whoever believeth in him thould not perish, but have eternal life. He hath faid, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." It fhould therefore be our first concern to make our title clear to heaven. It should engrofs our chief and first care to feck his righteoufnefs and grace-to live a life of faith and holinets, as introductory to the joys of heaven.

Our Lord proceeds-" All other things fhall be added unto you." Here then is an eafy choice. If we chufe everlaiting happiness in the world to come, God hath promifed all other things fhall be added unto us here; all things neceffary either for life or death. Happy then is the Chritian; his Divine Mafter hath promifed, even in this ftate

of