would give him pleasure to remain. A chapter of the Bible was read, and the family all knelt down in prayer, the stranger with the rest. In a few days the stranger left, and embarked for a foreign land. In the course of three or four years, however, the providence of God again led that stranger to the same dwelling. But ah, how changed! He came the happy Christian, the humble man of piety and prayer. In the course of the evening's conversation he remarked, that when he, on the first evening of his previous visit, knelt with them in family prayer, it was the first time, for many years, that he had bowed the knee to his Maker. This act brought to his mind such a croud of recollections, it so vividly reminded him of a parent's prayers, which he had heard at home, that he was entirely bewildered. His emotion was so great, that he did not hear one syllable of the prayer which was uttered, from its commencement to its close. But God made this the instrument of leading him from the dreary wilds of infidelity to the peace and joy of piety. His parents, I believe, had long before gone to their rest; but the prayers they had offered with their son, had left an influence which could not die.”*

The instruction and salvation of our children may also 3 be greatly promoted by public worship. Here the word of God is read, and thankgivings and prayers are offered up to heaven as in our families, and pious sentiments and emotions are expressed and communicated from one to another; and this repetition of the same lessons, and exhibition of the same feelings, in a numerous company, strengthens the child's religious convictions. The multitudes that are frequently gathered together of all ranks and of all ages; the rich and poor, the aged and the young, the wise and the good, to engage in converse with the Deity, increase the effect of all that is said and done. The youth is borne away on the tide of devotion, and he returns home to love his parents better, and to benefit the more by their instructions. If means are employed to engage his attention to the sermon, and to enable him

57

* Mother at Home, page 114.

to understand and remember what is said; if the parent afterward converses on the subject of the discourse, and writes down and encourages his child to write down the more important portions of it; and if the preacher be a truly pious man, and an able minister of the Gospel, the youth will probably increase in wisdom and in holiness under his ministry every week. The word of God, the seed of piety, will be richly deposited in his soul, and will bring forth thirty, sixty, or a hundred-fold.

N

THE DANGER OF EXAMINING BOTH SIDES OF THE

QUESTION.

LORD Littleton and his friend Gilbert West, Esq. had both imbibed the principles of infidelity, and had agreed together to write something against the religion of Christ. That they might attack the Gospel more effectually, they thought the best plan would be, first to examine the Scriptures, that they might be the better acquainted with all its defects. This was a rational mode of proceeding, but they little thought what would be the issue. They set to work, and searched the Bible carefully enough, but the consequence was, they were both converted. And instead of writing against religion, they both of them wrote against infidelity. Lord Littleton wrote his " Observations on the conversion of St. Paul,” and Gilbert West his "Observations on the resurrection of Christ." these men died in peace.

Both

The case of Sir John Pringle is another instance of the power of truth over the inquiring mind. He had been favoured with a religious education, but when he left home to travel abroad, he became infected with the principles of infidelity. But as so much was said amongst infidels against blind belief, he thought it could not be right to be the subject of blind infidelity, and he therefore resolved to examine the principles and evidences of the Gospel with seriousness and care. The result of his

investigation was, a full conviction of the divine origin and authority of the Gospel.

Soame Jenyngs, Esq. member of parliament for Cambridge, is another instance. He was led to embrace infidel principles through vicious courses and vicious company, and he kept to infidel principles for several years. But he was far from being happy, and he was induced to examine the ground of his unbelief. He found he was wrong, he abandoned his error, and wrote an interesting work on the internal evidence of Christianity. He often said afterwards, that no one would be an infidel, unless he had some inducement in his own character, for wishing Christianity to be false.

It would be a happy thing if all infidels would examine the religion of Christ before they write against it. We should have very few infidel writers then. The Gospel carries its own evidence along with it. Such is its purity, its tenderness, its sublimity and simplicity, that no rightly regulated mind can examine it attentively and thoroughly, without being convinced that its origin is from heaven, and that its tendency is to regenerate and bless mankind.

Many infidels have an idea of this, and they therefore avoid, as much as possible, whatever would be likely to bring the Christian system fairly and fully before their minds. They dread the truth, and when it begins to force itself upon them, they actually tremble, and a creeping horror goes through their whole frame. They pretend to be impartial, and to be searching after truth; but in their souls they know that their pretensions are false. There is not one of them that ever read the Bible, or any good Christian books, but has found the truth many a time. He has met with it often enough; oftener than has pleased him his vexation has been, that he could not help finding the truth, or rather, that he could not prevent the truth from finding him. When the infidel says he is searching after truth, he means that he is searching after arguments, with which to fortify his mind against the truth. He means, that he is not at ease, and that he hopes to find some weakness, some flaw, in you or in

your conversation, to support his guilty soul, and to fortify him in his infidelity.

Infidels never run farther from truth, than when they pretend to be seeking after it. I have had conversation with several infidels, but I must confess, I never saw in one of them any signs of a desire to know the truth. One did go so far as to consent to read the New Testament through with me, and he came about two Sabbath mornings, but he soon got wearied. I believe he gave up before we had got through Christ's Sermon on the Mount, He made several objections as he went along reading, but they were all answered; still he never seemed to come nearer to a belief of the Gospel. It appeared to me that he was displeased when his objections were answered, instead of being thankful. The more his understanding was convinced, the more dissatisfied he seemed. And even the objections were such as no sincere inquirer after, truth could have made. They consisted chiefly of foolish cavils at words, or attempts at puzzling one with questions founded on misunderstandings, or perversions of facts. He thought that Christ might have expressed himself better on some points, or that some portions of his history were not as they should be. He seemed very uneasy at having the truth brought so close to him, and he soon found an excuse for discontinuing his visits,

I have had several conversations with other infidels, but the same spirit seemed to possess them all. I never knew, one who seemed pleased and thankful, when his objections were satisfactorily answered, and his difficulties removed. I never met with one that would frankly acknowledge an error. I have uniformly found them to be displeased with truth, and when their objections have been take from them, they have generally looked as a lame man would look, who had been robbed of his crutches.

dind

I have never met with an infidel yet, who had read and, studied the Scriptures for himself. I never met one who was even tolerably acquainted with the language of the New Testament. What knowledge they have of the Scriptures, is generally no more than a few such passages, as they have heard quoted from time to time in conversa

tion. They seldom quote passages correctly, however and familiar they may be; and they scarce ever can

Pyou the occasion on which Scripture words were

spoken, or the connexion in which they stand in the sacred books. And if you offer to point out the occasion of the words, and the connexion in which they stand, and to give the words their plain and proper meaning, then they cry out, "No explanations; take them as they are.' Does this look like a love of truth? To me the meaning of such language seems to be "Don't make the truth too plain; let me explain the passage my way, or else I shall be beaten." Even the leaders of the infidel parties, are ignorant of the Scriptures; they neither. understand the Scripture system, nor are they acquainted with Scripture facts or Scripture language. Robert Owen says he read the Bible when he was a school-boy, but what is that? Is a school-boy's reading of the Scriptures sufficient to enable a man to form a correct judgment of the Scripture system? Infidels cannot read the Scriptures much. While they continue infidels they hate and dread the Scriptures, and who can read and study attentively a book which he hates and dreads? If the infidel re solves to read it through, and to read it so as to enable him to understand it, his hatred and dread of the book will grow less, but then the man gets converted, and becomes a Christian. A man cannot read and study the Scriptures with a sincere desire to understand them, and with a disposition to know the truth, without being convinced that the Bible is the Book of God.

But infidels profess to be for proving all things, and hey say we ought to read and hear both sides." I know hat, but they do not mean as they say. They do not read and hear both sides themselves. They do not like both sides. If they recommend the examination of both sides, why do they not keep Bibles, and Commentaries, and Scripture Dictionaries, and the principal defences and expositions of the Christian system, in their libraries? They advise people to read both sides, but their meaning is, that you should read their side. When do they offer to lend people Bibles and Christian Commentaries?