as a Christian, died rejoicing in Christ. His then youthful instructor afterwards died three thousand miles from home, and the scene of this conversation, alone and in a foreign land. But he died, as he averred, without one feeling of dissatisfaction with his lot, or one shadow of doubt or fear. Even in hours of loneliness and pain, he could say, that all was bright and cheerful with him, both as respected his present condition and his future prospects. The secret of his soul's comfort was not in himself, though a good, a godly man. It was wholly in Christ. This brings us to speak of the divine method of salvation. It is Christ, exclusive of all other saviors. For there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we can be saved. As respects the ground of our salvation, he saves us without regard to our outward works, or inward corruptions, or hardness of heart, by simple faith in him. He is the beginning, middle, and end of our salvation. Let no one be alarmed, as though we were teaching that a man might live in sin after conversion, and yet be saved by faith. Faith gives to sin a death-blow. "And how can ye," says the Apostle, "being dead to sin, live any longer therein." Believe in Christ, and this belief will be an inward principle of holiness, a living, a working, a fruit-bearing principle. But salvation is not of works, it is all, all of grace,- a gratuity, a free gift. This is what distinguishes the gospel from all other systems of religion. They are all systems of works. Heathenism is a system of works. Judaism, as practised by the mass of the Hebrew nation, is a system of works. Mahometanism is a system of works. Deism is a system of works. The systems of carnal philosophy are systems of works. Corrupt Christianity has also run into the work-system. But the gospel is a system of salvation by faith. The sinner burdened with his sins, and in despair of heal ing himself, looks unto Christ. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up." The dying Israelite looked unto the brazen image, and was restored; for this was the divinely appointed way to save him from natural death: - the sinner looks unto Christ, and lives again; for this is the divinely appointed method of salvation from spiritual death. The sinner goes to Christ just as he is, with all his past sins uncancelled, with a hard, corrupt, and wicked, but now repenting heart, and takes Christ, long freely offered, to be his Saviour. Christ accepts him, gives him a new spirit, and gradually works in him that which is well-pleasing in his sight. The way of salvation is very simple. Christ stands before an assembly of sinners. He promises to save all who will come to him for salvation. All who really desire to be holy, and who believe that he is the Saviour, come and say: "Lord receive me, and do with me what thou wilt!" This simple act of faith is the soul's birth. From that moment we, being justified by faith, have peace with God, and rejoice in his grace. We then have a solid ground of hope, for our hope is not in our own doings, or in what we are, but in Christ. Holiness and peace can be obtained only by trusting in Christ. Our own righteousnesses, said the prophet, are as filthy rags; -so imperfect, so unsatisfactory, we can place no dependence upon them. The natural heart does not produce holy affections, or really good works. To expect holiness without faith, is to expect that good fruit can be made to grow upon the bitter and crabbed tree of human nature, by mere cultivation, without a vital union to Christ. We cannot attain to peace by looking only upon ourselves. When we have done ever so much, we never can feel that we have done enough to secure God's favor. He is a great God, an awfully just and holy God; and we say with Job, "He is not a man as I am, nor can I come into judgment with him. For if I wash myself with snow-water and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and mine own clothes shall abhor me." But the divine way of salvation is altogether different. According to it, our salvation is conditioned entirely on our union to Christ. Whoever trusts Christ, will be saved for Christ's sake. Here we can be confident; here we can stand, and rejoice with the apostle in the hope of glory. So it was with the Reformer. "I have vowed to the holy God," said his aged instructor, "more than a thousand times, that I would live a holy life, and never have I kept my vow! I make no more vows, for I know well I shall not keep them. If God will not be merciful to me for Christ's sake, I must perish." "Look," continued he, "to the wounds of Jesus. It is there you will see the mercy of God. Instead of torturing yourself for your faults, cast yourself into the arms of Jesus, and love him who first loved you." Luther did thus look, he trusted in Christ, he dared to depend on his mercy, he began to love him; and, through him, to obtain peace and holiness. He was made a new man by simply coming to the conclusion to take Christ at his word, and trust him for salvation, without putting in any goodness of his own. From this time, he could say to sinners: "Despair of your own righteousness; and cry, 'Lord Jesus, thou art my righteousness, I am thy sin. Thou hast taken on thee what was mine, and and hast given me what is thine."" "I should like," says he to a friend, "to know how it is with your soul. Is it weary of its own righteousness? Does it trust in the righteousness of Christ?" So fearful was he of this miserable, soul-destroying self-righteousness, as even to warn others to beware of seeking after such purity as not to acknowledge themselves sinners. "For Christ," says he, "dwells only with sinners, real, actual, sinners." "He came from Heaven to dwell with sinners." "If our labors and afflictions could give peace of conscience," he continues, "why did Christ die upon the cross? You will find peace in him alone; despairing of yourself, and of your works, and beholding with what love he spreads his arms to you; taking all your sins on himself, and bestowing on you all his righteousness." This was the great doctrine of the Reformation, -The nothingness of man, the fulness of Christ; the utter insufficiency of ourselves, the allsufficiency of the Saviour. God brings salvation to us as utterly lost, utterly destitute of any power of saving ourselves, and utterly unable to do any thing meritorious except in Christ, and as he strengthens us. These sentiments are beautifully expressed in our sacred hymn. "No works, no duties of your own, "The softest couch which nature knows Grace, grace, unearned, unbought, undeserved by man, and freely bestowed by God, salvation by grace without works, justification by faith, this is the doctrine which shook all Europe, and was to thousands as the trump which wakes the dead. This doctrine is to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness, but to them who are called, it is the power and the wisdom of God. We wish we could express the joy and courage with which this idea of salvation wholly by Christ inspires us. Embracing it as a revealed doctrine, the natural spirit of fear, bondage, and aversion to a holy God, is changed into a spirit of hope, freedom, and love. We breathe freely. We feel safe and happy in Christ. The thunder-cloud has passed over; and when we look up, all the stars appear. We work now, not with the executioner's halter about our neck,· for there is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, but in a confident liberty. We are willing to work as hard as the hardest, not, as slaves, through fear of the lash; not as servants, hired for reward; but as grateful friends, actuated by love. If we may be saved by Christ, we are are willing, nay, desirous to throw in all the work we can do, and think ourselves well repaid if the Master will receive it as a token of gratitude at our hands. We are encouraged also to strive after holiness, both because it seems in itself desirable, and because it is pleasing to Christ. He that hath this hope, purifieth himself even as He is pure. If the eyes of any burdened with a sense of sin should fall on these pages, we say to them, If you would have peace of mind, if you would have spiritual courage; if you would attain to holiness, no longer "go about to establish your own righteousness," but submit yourselves to "the righteousness of God." This righteousness is Christ. Believe in him. Receive him as your complete and only Saviour. Trust him heartily and without any misgiving. The moment you rely upon any thing of your own as necessary to help out the Saviour's work, you expose yourself to uncertainty and discouragement if not to despair. Accept salvation as wholly a gratuity from beginning to end. Turn from man's way of salvation, so natural to the unenlightened mind, and take the divine method, and your peace will be as a river, and your righteousness as the waves of the sea. You cannot be freed from bondage by any mere workings and strivings of your own. Like some captive bird fluttering and beating against the wires of its cage till its little breast is covered with gore, you, bound fast in the prison-house of sin, cannot escape; and your very strugglings seem but to wound and weaken you. But trust in Christ, and this simple faith will remove the iron bars, and your liberated spirit will mount the free air, and sing for joy. A SOUND MIND. OPPOSED to rashness or blind passion, to obstinacy and imbecility, a sound mind takes a wary and circumspect survey of its condition and surrounding influences before making its decisions, and then moves steadily forward to the accomplishment of its purposes. More particularly, it is, first of all, an intelligent mind. Ignorance of what ought to be known, it regards as a misfortune and a sin. Its high aim is to increase in the knowledge of whatsoever it is important to know. True, indeed, one may have much more learning than another, and yet have a mind far less sound. There are those who have received what is termed a liberal education, who are nevertheless exceedingly deficient in common sense, and exhibit less good judgment and practical sagacity than others whose educational advantages have been limited to the district school. Now this is no argument against learning. It only shews that some minds are so constituted or trained, that learning does not make them wise. Other things being equal, he is most to be relied on for counsel, who has learned the most. An intelligent view of what belongs to our circumstances and duties is indispensable alike to wise decision and prudent action. Again; a sound mind is one whose powers are well-balanced. It is neither all intellect, nor all heart, nor all will. The appetites are not allowed to usurp dominion over the reason, nor the passions to blind the eye or silence the remonstrances of conscience. The inferior powers are made to perform their offices as intended by the Creator. Exercised and gratified to the extent, and in the manner, which reason and conscience approve, they are not allowed to intrude into their higher spheres, and thus derange the whole intellectual economy. The powers of perception, memory, imagination, and judgment, all have their appropriate work, and perform it in harmony. They attempt neither to jostle each other from their places, nor to interfere with the regular operation of other powers. The conscience sits as umpire to decide on the moral quality of actions, and approve or disapprove as the case may require; and neither fear nor favor, neither partiality nor prejudice, is allowed to blind her eye or bias her decisions. The affections are called into exercise |