3. Noah's faith worked upon his affections; he was moyed with fear, by what he had heard of the deluge; and he was inspired with hope, by what he had heard respecting God's intention to save him and his family.

4. Thus moved by fear and hope, he set to work, and according to God's direction, he provided an ark for the saving of his house.

5. The result of all was, that Noah became heir or inheritor of the righteousness which is by faith; that is, he was accepted of God, and was preserved and blessed as God had promised.

The plan of salvation is the same still.

1. God speaks to us by his son Jesus Christ. He speaks to us of things not seen as yet; he speaks of life and immortality; of God, of providence, of the resurrection, of judgment, of heaven and hell. He unfolds the whole truth of God, as far as is necessary to our salvation. This truth continues to be preached to us by the sacred Scriptures; by ministers of the Gospel; by pious books and pious friends; by the spirit of God in our hearts; by the good examples of the godly; and by the daily events of Divine Providence. God in this way forewarns us of his intention to punish the wicked, and reward the righteous; the Scriptures are full of testimonies to this effect. He tells us what course we ought to pursue, if we would be saved from ruin, and raised to eternal glory. He tells us to build an ark, or, which amounts to the same thing, to separate ourselves from the world, form ourselves into Christian churches, live to do good, to save our souls, and fill the earth with the light and blessings of salvation.

2. When these things are made known, accompanied with their proper evidence, it is our duty to hear and consider. If we hearken to those matters, and consider them rightly, faith follows. So fully does God's truth commend itself to the minds of men, that whenever men give it proper attention, faith is produced, and the man. believes.

3. A belief of the truth excites the feelings and affections. No man can sincerely believe the Gospel with

out being moved with fear, with strong desire, with sorrow for past sins, with hope of mercy. The truths of the Gospel are adapted to produce all those feelings. 201 4. Thus moved and excited, we are called to obey God's will. We are to deny ourselves of ungodliness and worldly lusts; and to live soberly, righteously, and godly. We are to forsake the society and the ways of the wicked; we are to enter the church, the spiritual ark, and live in fellowship with the saints; we are to seek 7100 welfare of our fellow Christians, and to do good, as we have opportunity, unto all men.

5. The result of this will be, that we shall be accepted of God, preserved from all evil, favoured with all needful blessings, and raised at last, body and soul, to eternal life and felicity.

This is the whole scheme of salvation. This is the way in which men have been saved in all ages; and this is the way in which men will be saved to the end of time. God speaks; men believe; belief moves the soul; the emotions of the soul prompt to obedience to God's will; God is pleased with our obedience, and makes us happy. In every case, salvation is of grace, in the first instance, for it is God's goodness or grace that induces him to reveal to us the truth, and to offer us salvation : salvas tion is of faith, in the second place, for it is a belief of the truth alone that can change our hearts and lives. Salvation is by fear and hope, in the third place; for faith can only operate by alarming our fears, and excites ing our hopes. It is the fear of God that makes us depart from evil, and it is the hope of God's mercy and salvation that emboldens us to pray to God, and to give ourselves to his service: it is by works, in the last place; for faith, and feeling, and fear, and hope, are all vain, and can profit us nothing without obedience.

It becomes all men

1. To inquire what God has said "of things not seen," and of man's duty.

2. To consider these things seriously and thoroughly 3. Faith, and fear, and hope, and desire, will follow such consideration; men's duty, in the next place, is to encourage all these feelings and emotions.

4. The last thing is to yield sincere and persevering obedience to all God's will.

to 5. This will secure to us pardon, peace, and everlasting salvation.

A FRIEND from Halifax asks me, "Whether Christ is a friend to sinners?" This is a question about a word merely. Christ is the friend of sinners, all agree; the only question that remains, therefore, is, whether of and to are of the same meaning. If a friend to sinners means a friend to the bad ways of sinners, Christ is not a friend to sinners; if a friend to sinners means, a wellwisher to sinners, Christ is a friend to sinners. But it is not a good thing to strive about words. Let us all use the best words ourselves, and let us try to understand the words of others in their best sense. If I wished to express Christ's good will towards sinners, I should call Christ" the friend of sinners;" but if I heard another call him a friend to sinners," I should understand him to mean the same thing as myself.

Self-defence.-1. Of the consequences of forbearance, even in the case of personal attack, there are some examples. Archbishop Sharpe was assaulted by a footpad, on the highway, who presented a pistol and demanded his money. The archbishop spoke to the robber in the language of a fellow man and of a christian. The man was really in distress, and the prelate gave him such money as he had, and promised that if he would call at the palace, he would make up the amount to fifty pounds. This was the sum of which the robber had said he stood in the utmost need. The man called and received the money. About a year and a half afterwards, this man again came to the palace and brought back the same sum. He said that his circumstanees had become improved, and that, through the "astonishing goodness of the archbishop, he had become the most penitent, the most grateful, and happiest of his species." Let the reader consider how different the archbishop's feelings were, from what they would have been if, by his hand, this man had been cut off.*

Barclay, the Apologist, was attacked by a highwayman. He substituted for the ordinary modes of resistance, a calm expostu

*See London Chroncle, August 12, 1785. See also Life of Granville Sharpe, Esq. p. 13.

lation. The felon dropped his presented pistol, and offered no further violence. Leonard Fell was similarly attacked, and from him the robber took both his money and his horse, and then threatened to blow out his brains. Fell solemnly spoke to the man on the wickedness of his life. The robber was astonished; he had expected, perhaps, a curse, or perhaps, a dagger. declared he would not keep either the horse or the money, and returned both. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head."*

He

The tenor of the short narrative that follows is somewhat dif ferent. Ellwood, who is known to the literary word as the suggestor to Milton, of Paradise Regained, was attending his father in a coach. Two men waylaid them in the dark and stopped the carriage. Young Ellwood got out and on going up to the nearest,the ruffian raised a heavy club, "when," says Ellwood, "I whipt out my rapier, and made a pass upon him. I could not have failed running him through up to the hilt," but the sudden appearance of the bright blade terrified the man so, that he stepped aside, and both he and the other fled. "At that time," proceeds Ellwood," and for a good while after, I had no regret upon my mind for what I had done." This was whilst he was young, and when the forbearing principles of Christianity had little influence upon him. But afterwards, when this influence became powerful, a sort of horror," he says, "seized on me, when I considered how near I had been to the staining of my hand with human blood. And whensoever I went that way, and indeed as often since as the matter has come into my remembrance, my soul has blessed Him who preserved and withheld me from shedding man's blood.+

That those over whom, as over Ellwood, the influence of Christianity is imperfect and weak, should think themselves at liberty upon such occasions to take the lives of their fellow men, needs to be no subject of wonder. Christianity, if we would rightly estimate its obligations, must be felt in the heart. They in whose hearts it is not felt or felt but little, cannot be expected perfectly to know what its obligations are. I know not, therefore, that more appropriate advice can be given to him who contends for the lawfulness of taking another man's life in order to save his own, than that he would first inquire whether the influ ence of religion is dominant in his mind. If it is not, let him suspend his decision until he has attained to the fulness of the stature of a Christian man. Then, as he will be of that number who do the will of heaven, he may hope to "know, of this doc. trine, whether it be of God."

* Select Anecdotes, &c. by John Barker. † Ellwood's Life.

Published by I. DAVIS, 22, Grosvenor-street, Stalybridge; Bancks and Co., Exchange-street; Heywood, Oldham-street, Manchester; R. Groombridge, 6, Panyer Alley, Paternoster Row, London; and may be had of all Booksellers. [CAVE and SEVER, Printers, Manchester.]

EVANGELICAL REFORMER,

AND YOUNG MAN'S GUIDE.

BY

JOSEPH

BARKER.

Published every Saturday.-Price One Penny, or in Monthly Parts, price Four-pence half-penny.

No. 6.

SATURDAY, MAY 11, 1839. VOL. III.

The influence of Religious Instruction upon the character of Children.

(Continued from No. 5, Vol. 3.)

We said that religion is a science which the pious parent may easily teach. We know that the parent who has been led astray into the wilds of error, and lost amidst the thick and endless mists of man's theology, will think the task impossible. And it is impossible for common parents to teach the religious systems of man's devising, and we have reason to be thankful that it is so. But we speak of teaching "the truth as it is in Jesus." We speak of imparting that world of instruction enclosed in the Sacred Volume, and there is no impossibility in this. We can read the blessed Book to our families, and this, when done aright, will go far to make our children understand the ways of God. We can point out to their especial notice, as we proceed, such portions as are peculiarly adapted to their capacities and wants. We can give them the perpetual and living comment of a good example; and we can speak with them as opportunities and seasons may invite us, and as their circumstances and behaviour may require. We can repeat to them the histories of Abel, Enoch, and Noah, of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and forward to the beloved disciple John and we can give them the accounts of the great events from the creation of the world to the conflagration; and point out to them the obvious lessons which each event and story teaches; and we shall find no difficulty here. We can