Multitudes have not only shown themselves to be masters of many living languages, but have spoken Latin with all the purity of the ancient Romans; and have been able to read, understand, translate, write, and speak Greek and Hebrew with the greatest facility and correctness. Scarcely any thing in the monuments of antiquity have escaped their wise and curious observation. They have been furnished with abundant stores of learning, both civil and ecclesiastic; and they have disseminated, by means of their universal literature, a knowledge of the truth among all nations. It is a great thing to be able to speak on any subject with propriety and wisdom, even in one language; and much more in many. As, therefore, this gift has been conferred so abundantly in the present age, it ought by no means to be neglected, nor to be employed on pernicious subjects, nor yet for purposes of mere ostentation; but for illustration of the truth of God, and the edification of his church.

Thus I have been also led briefly to notice the second use of "divers kinds of tongues." When this gift is properly employed, it is of singular utility in the interpretation of the word of God. Here a wide field opens itself for the demonstration of what has been asserted. The Gentile church has the pre-eminence over the synagogue itself in the felicitous interpretation of those divine oracles which have been received from the Hebrews. But I furl my sails, as I would not abuse your patience, my most obliging hearers. As the time has allowed me, I hope I have succeeded in furnishing you with an incentive to a still more mature consideration of this important subject. I have spoken of the original uniformity of language; of the manner in which Satan sought to abuse that advantage; of the consequent confusion of tongues; of the opposition which has been made by him to the establishment of the kingdom of God among all nations by the gift of tongues; and of the use and preservation of that gift in the church, both by means of interpretation, and the employment of various languages to that end.

Ye students of heavenly truth! Nazarites devoted to the service of God! Form a proper estimate of this great gift of Heaven; and "see that ye receive not the grace of God in vain." Hear the apostolic command: "Desire spiritual gifts; but rather that ye may prophesy." The design of your studies is, not that ye may be admired, but that ye may be qualified to testify of all the will of God, as that is expressed in his word, and thereby edify the church. Should you at any time be tempted to deem that a little thing, recollect that nothing can be of greater importance and use. In order that you may exercise that office efficiently, despise not spiritual gifts; but seek them for yourselves with all diligence. Let the Spirit of God be your chief teacher. Learn to compare spiritual things with spiritual. Exercise your senses in the discernment of good and evil. Study to be mighty in the Scriptures; and to make the word of God to dwell richly in the church. Make a proper use of the various translations you consult. Try to discover

their meaning fully, and do not be misled by their manifest errors. Examine all, and select out of many what appears to you to be, at once, the richest and the most correct sense of every text. If none of them satisfy you, and you suspect that the meaning has not been given by any of them, with a noble ardour of spirit, make your way to the oriental expositions; and if, after having consumed much of your time and labour on them, as well as other versions, you begin to feel grief at the thought of being thus obliged to see with others' eyes, labour, ye generous souls, to become independent of all versions, and that you may be able to judge, to amend, to perfect them.

I have shown you the steps by which you may ascend to eminence in this important study. It will be no disgrace to him who aims at the highest degree of excellence, to stop at the second or third, if he have spared no pains to proceed as far as possible. That must ever be the duty of one who would become a teacher of the church of God, and a prophet. Think of what is implied in being a prophet, a man of God, a steward of the mysteries of God. And do not now expect to be made such by any sudden illapse of the Spirit, without any proper labour of your own. Enough has been done in the way of miracle. All that is now required is edification. Pray fervently for the grace of God. The same Holy Spirit is still with the church. Its Head has still the seven Spirits of God at his disposal, for its advantage. When he gives you genius, memory, opportunity, teachers who are ever ready to help you in your studies; when reason impels you; when conscience impels you; when your teachers impel you; when you are excited by the greatest advantages; when you are allured by the most glorious hopes, consider all these as the gifts of God; deem them a manifestation of the seven Spirits of God. Again, I beseech you, "receive not the grace of God in vain." You shall have me as your monitor, if I cannot be your teacher. As God has called me to this illustrious station, though unworthy of it, and a mere child, I earnestly entreat him that the peace which he has granted to these flourishing Provinces may be solid and lasting; and that he may soon restore to the other Reformed Churches the ornaments of which they have been so basely stripped, and remove the afflictions which they have so long endured. May he make with us all a covenant of peace, and verify in us the prediction, "My Spirit which is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor of thy seed's seed, from this time forth, for ever." With this good omen I finish.

PUBLIC WORSHIP.

SINCE there hath been any religion professed or pretended in the world, there hath been some place assigned for the exercise of that religion; and God himself had no sooner appointed and designed a

particular devotion to be paid him by mankind, than he likewise appointed places for that devotion to be celebrated in, where he would be most assuredly found, and most effectually supplicated. Altars were erected and maintained by his prescription, for the records and monuments of his signal blessings and deliverances; and when he vouchsafed to prescribe a more solemn method of his own service, at the same time he directed his own tabernacle, his own ark, to be erected, for the more immediate application of the people, and his own more immediate resi dence. He thought it no diminution of his greatness, no limitation to, or restraint upon, his universality, to dwell in one place. God, no doubt, is every where, and we ought to serve him in all places, offend him in none; nor can we so restrain our devotions, and confine them to any one place, how peculiarly soever set aside, even by himself, for that purpose. We may justly fear that they who never pray to God but in the church, do not think of him there, nor indeed are fit to come thither. There goes so much of the heart to making a prayer, though it be made to a man's hand, that the repeating of so many words digested into the form of a prayer, is no more praying to God Almighty, than dreaming over the same words in our sleep would be an act of devotion. A pious man prepares and fits himself by his private supplications in his closet, to make his addresses and pour out his devotions in the church with the more confidence and assurance; and we reasonably believe that they who do not make these preparations,-prepare the divine Providence to hear them when they come there, religiously consider the sanctity of the place whilst they are going thither,-go rather to a place of meeting, and to comply with civil obligations, than to the temple of the Most High, and to gain his favour. The church is God's palace, where he keeps his court, and resides in full majesty; where he receives petitions, and grants them, and executes his grants at once. A man asks, and finds himself in possession of what he asks for, by the time he hath done asking. There is no question, God gratifies the most private address that is made to him; our closet devotions, nay, every pious ejaculation from a repentant heart, whenever or wheresoever it is breathed out to him, with some blessing or deliverance; but it is not so complete, so notorious, so public, as upon supplications made to him in his court, in his temple. Whilst we are so solicitous and curious to provide habitations for our. selves for ornament as well as for use, and particular rooms in those habitations for our better accommodation, and the more decent reception of those who come to visit us; let us not think that God will be contented to be received and entertained any where, and in any manner, and pay our devotions to him in a room worse accommodated than any other we go into. Let us think of him always, and magnify him in our hearts in all places, but let us repair to his own house, consecrated to his service, with more joy, and veneration, and confidence of being heard by him. In all places where his name is recorded, he has promised to come to his people, and bless them.-Lord Clarendon.

(No. LXII.)

THE WESLEYAN METHODIST. ADDRESS TO THE METHODIST SOCIETIES. To the Editor of the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine. THE following just exposure of know that ye are my disciples, if ye the antichristian proceedings of have love one to another.” (John some modern agitators, who have xiii. 34, 35.) The great Head of the disturbed the peace of the Methodist church not only represents the spirit societies in Manchester and Liver- and the unity of love as a great relipool, appears to me to be worthy of gious duty; but, as having suspended insertion in your pages. It is copied upon it the greatest practical consefrom a seasonable and spirited pe- quences, his acknowledgment by the riodical, published every fortnight world, and its consequent salvation. in the latter of these towns, under "That they all may be one; as thou, the title of "The Illuminator; " and Father, art in me, and I in thee, is entitled, "An Earnest Appeal that they also may be one in us: to the Members of the Wesleyan- that the world may believe that thou Methodist Societies in the town of hast sent me. I in them, and thou in Liverpool, on the anarchy introduced me, that they may be made perfect by the members of the so called in one; and that the world may Grand Central Association." A know that thou hast sent me, and careful comparison of the precepts hast loved them, as thou hast loved of Christ, as laid down in the New me." (John xvii. 21, 23.) Indeed, Testament, especially in the Aposto- the witness of the church for lical Epistles, with the proceedings Christ is not only oral by their conhere described, will serve to show the fession of faith, but it is practical as fearful amount of guilt which those well. No voice is so loud, so tenmisguided men are bringing upon der, and so touching, as love, in their own souls. A WESLEYAN. support of religion; and the concentrating of this spirit, its holy beauty, its silent testimony, and its energetic labours, would soon give to our divine religion that ascendancy which it ought to have in the world, but which the wretched divisions of the church have hitherto so awfully retarded.

MEMBERS OF THE METHODIST SoCIETIES! We appeal to you not merely as persons deeply interested in the state of religion in your own church, but as candid witnesses of the distrust, confusion, and evil, introduced into these peaceful societies, and of the truth of the following exposé of the spirit and proceedings of the anarchists.

We remind you that these transactions ought to be judged of by the spirit and precepts of the word of God innumerable passages of Scripture inculcate a spirit of love, unity, and harmonious effort to promote the holy and grand designs of Christian fellowship, in mutual edification, and the extension of religion in the world. One of the last injunctions of our Lord to his disciples was that of brotherly love; and, to give effect to it, he instances it as a new com. mandment : A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men

The writings of St. Paul breathe the most tender solicitude respecting the unity of the churches; and, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, command the members of the primitive church to avoid all occasions of strife and division. To the Corinthian church he writes: " Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and