difficulties to overcome. A right feeling may dictate, sometimes, privacy; at other times, publicity in religion: but you well know the fault of the present day. Many are far more careful to appear religious than are truly so, whereas true grace does not always make an open show.

there is much riches in the bowels of the earth, which no eye ever saw, so there may be much grace in the heart of which the world takes no notice. And as to humility, it is a choice grace. May the Lord keep you humble-minded

Know

this, that the heaviest ears of corn bend nearest the ground, and boughs that are richest laden. hang the lowest, and the more direct the sun is over us the shorter is our shadow.

SECTION VIII.

DIVINE GUIDANCE.

OUTLINE ON MATTHEW ii. 2.

THE sacred Scriptures are not sent for the benefit of one age or nation; they are intended to instruct and convey the blessings of salvation to all succeeding ages and generations of men. The bare narration of facts, therefore, that occurred at any given period, must not exclusively demand our attention: the mind of the spirit must be taken into the account. Thus, that which is an old transaction in point of time, becomes new in respect of its use; and that which was done in reality, is done over again in the spirit.

Such, if I remember right, was nearly word for word the opening remark that fell from the lips of our minister. He then went on to show the analogy between an earthly and a heavenly journey in these thrce respects.

Observe," said he, “1st, There is a beginning: (Matt. ii. 2.) these wise men actually set out; they do not spend time in idle talk about their travel; they begin their journey in good earnest; they are well styled wise men, and much has been said and written about their wisdom : some have told us they came all the way from Chaldea; others, farther still, even from the farthest corner of Arabia; while some have shortened the length of their journey, and asserted

what neither the spirit of the narrative, nor even probability can justify, that they came only from the east of Jerusalem. But the Spirit of God makes no account, where we derive no benefit in knowing. He passes over with brevity what he intends to wrap up in obscurity, and, in so doing, teaches vain man humility, when in the pride of his heart he would aspire to be wise above that which is written.

"Suffice it to say, that though the lip of unerring truth designates them wise men,' yet of this be sure, that they were neither so wise in themselves, nor so skilled in the estimation of others, as to set out in their own wisdom and strength to seek Christ. Oh, no! it was not their natural wit, or earthly wisdom, nor the light of nature, or of conscience, nor their skill in astrology, or in the science of star-gazing, neither their midnight observations, or Chaldean traditions, but light supernatural and preternatural, that shone in upon their benighted minds from heaven; and hence, under the cover of an historical narrative, you have the gradual and spiritual illumination of the mind, and in their actual walking towards the earthly Jerusalem, can ye not discover the secret footsteps of the soul's first spiritual breathings after its Saviour and God?"

The application here was pointed and forcible; it must, methinks, have made its way to many a conscience, as it did to my own; for he took occasion to assert, in broad and intelligent language, 1st. Man's universal blindness, and utter incapacity to seek Christ. (John vi. 44.)

2d. His natural ignorance of and enmity to God ;

(Rom. viii. 7.) and he fully substantiated these points, both from Scripture and the clearest evidence drawn from the human heart; and then, after making a solemn appeal to every man's conscience, which must have made the ears of many to tingle, he exhibited the wisdom of God in making salvation of free grace, and that the first dawnings of the Spirit, as well as the last workings of grace, must always begin on God's side; and, for my part, I could truly set my seal to his testimony; for I sought not the light of the Spirit, till that Spirit enlightened and convinced me. All I had done previously was but to abuse the light I had; to reject his mercy and to try his patience exceedingly.

The next point he went on to discuss was, as far as I remember, to the following effect:

"There was," said he, "progress, (Matt. ii. 3.) having once begun; they went onwards: Christ is their aim, and the Spirit is their guide: others may argue about the nature of the star if they please; they may tell you it was a planet, or a comet, or they may even go so far as to impose a name, and chalk out the rotation of this shining orb; but what boots it? is it not folly to debate what we cannot decide? Sure and certain it is to the eye of reflection, that it was created and raised up for the purpose: could it be any other than a supernumerary which felt the force of no heavenly attraction whatever? Did it not, like the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, advance as they advanced? did it not move onwards, fast, or slowly, as they were enabled to make head against innumerable difficulties?

"Is not a star a luminous body? And what, I ask you, is the light of God's Spirit? Is not its influence heavenly? And whence are we to expect the promised assistance and direction, but from the Spirit which is above? And what is all creation without the light of the sun? A dark chaos of confusion! And what is the condition of every unenlightened soul?"

In this part of his subject, how blessedly was our pastor enabled to open up the Scriptures, and to show daily, hourly, momentarily, the soul's need of divine teaching, and at the same time how he set forth the sovereignty of God in the method of his teaching, and saving souls. "Ordinarily," said he, "the Lord blesses the usual means of grace; but sometimes he steps out of beaten paths, and where there is no distinct revelation, and no searching ministrations, he can create means, and make them effectual too; but where there are the appointed means of grace, how vast is our responsibility! And what, I would ask you, are your baptisms, and confirmations, and sacraments?-what your litanies, and liturgies, and psalmody-are they not all so many stars of greater or less magnitude, shining in the heavenly firmament of grace to lead you to Christ? Yea, what is the whole visible creation, and its several component parts, but one vast stepping-stone to lead to the kingdom of gracea faint and feeble representation of future glory!

"And as there was a beginning and a progress, so," exclaimed he, "there was an end. (Matthew ii. 11.) Think you these wise men had no difficulties to encounter in their heavenly