commandments of God." (1 Cor. vii. 19.) Again (Gal. v. 6.) “In Christ Jesus circumcision availeth nothing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love, (see also Gal. vi. 15). Whatever excellency there may be in rites and ordinances, as mere channels through which God is pleased to convey blessings, yet we must not mistake or substitute them for faith, which worketh by love. Nothing is essential in regard to our salvation but being new creatures, born of the Holy Ghost, passed from death unto life. In vain are young persons baptized in their infancy; in vain do they submit to the rite of confirmation; in vain do they afterwards partake of the elements of the Saviour's body and blood; unless they are renewed by the Holy Ghost, and thus made new creatures in Christ Jesus, they are nothing. "No outward form can make us clean, The leprosy lies deep within." The application of water to the body cannot remove the pollution of the soul. Trust not, therefore, my young friends, to your baptism. Trust not in anything short of real vital union to Christ; for without this, although you may read the Scriptures, hear his word, profess his name, and partake of his ordinances, you are nothing; and at the judgment day, when weighed in the balance, will be counted nothing, and lighter than vanity. 5. "Nothing," is applied to unfaithful ministers of the gospel, (1 Tim. i. 34.) If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words-the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is proud knowing nothing. The apostle knew the necessity of preaching the whole gospel of God, and, therefore, determined not to know anything amongst men, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. What a model for all preachers! Christ was his principal theme: pardon by the application of his blood, justification through his obedience, adoption by faith in him, sanctification by his Spirit's influence. To him Christ was all and in all. He knew that there could be no peace with God but through him, no acceptance of our services but through his merits. Prayer and praise ascend to God, and are received only from the hands of Christ, the angel of the covenant. Every sinner that comes to God must come in him, by him, and through him. "Through him alone, Jews and Gentiles have access by one Spirit, unto the Father." Listen to the breathings of the penitent, convinced of sin, and led to Jesus for salvation. Hark! how plaintively, and yet how fiducially he speaks : "Nothing in my hand I bring, Wash me, Saviour, or I die." He who preaches the forgiveness of sin by any other means; he who represents goodness of heart, fidelity in service, benevolence of disposition, amiableness of temper, uprightness of conduct, or, indeed, anything but the blood and righteousness, the merits and intercession of Christ, does not preach the counsel of God. He is not a true guide to the wanderer, nor does he give the trumpet a certain sound. In the sight of God he is not a faithful evangelist. He is nothing. 6. “ Nothing” applies to the attempts of the enemies of God's church, (Isa. xl. 17.) "All nations before him are as nothing; and they are accounted to him less than nothing, and vanity," (Dan. iv. 35.) All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. The army of Sennacherib appeared to Hezekiah a powerful, irresistible, invincible force. He trembled at the words of Rabshakeh. But what was this vast army of 185,000 men, when compared with the forces of the Lord of Hosts? Israel trembled at the sight of the immense force of the Egyptians, yet they were regarded as nothing; like vanity they were treated, Jehovah blew with his winds, the sea covered them, they sank like lead in the mighty waters. The whole power of the Romans was brought to bear against the Christian church; for successive persecutions harrassed and oppressed the followers of Jesus. The kings of the earth stood up, the rulers counselled together against the Lord, and against his Christ, but he that sat in the heaven laughed them to scorn, scattered their devices, and annihilated their strength. The church rose, like a phoenix from its ashes, and went forth, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible to her foes, as an army with banners. 7. Nothing" applies to the labor of those who expend their time and talents in things vain and unprofitable; wearying themselves with very vanity. The apostle asks the giddy worldling, -"What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death." How many school boys neglect their lessons, and waste the time that ought to be employed in gaining a store of knowledge? Many return from school and from college, notwithstanding the pains taken with them, having gained nothing! How many visits are made, and how many conversations have passed; how many sermons have been heard, and how many years have been spent ; and if the profit be estimated, the amount is "nothing." 8. "Nothing" forms a ready excuse for the idle and the false. If Robert be asked-" what he has been doing?" he blushes, looks confused, and faintly says—“nothing.” From these specimens, it will be seen that there is much in a word-much improvement to be derived from investigating it. The words-Christian, Faith, Holiness, and especially the word Heaven, would furnish us" with thoughts that breathe, and words that burn." There are many sentences that flash upon the ear, and sink into the heart. A person of ill habits, but extensive knowledge, who knew better than he acted, once entered a place of worship. The minister was at the time delivering his text. He listened:-" Without holiness no man shall see the Lord!" The sentence was fixed in his mind. "Without holiness," said He prayed for mercy; he to himself, what will become of me? he obtained it; and he died, it is believed, a partaker of holiness; to find rest and peace with the Lord. Reader! this world, without religion, will produce to you less than nothing-even vanity. Labor, then, to possess those things which will enrich and delight you here, and be the matter of your joy for ever. As you brought nothing into this world, so you can carry nothing out. Nothing that can support you on the bed of death, nothing that can give you composure at the day of judgment. Riches, honors, titles, dignities, and pleasures must be relinquished, and left behind, and counted as nothing; but Christ and salvation will remain for ever. Penryn. R. C. THE WANDERER RECLAIMED. (As narrated in his Mother's Letter to a Christian friend.) MY DEAR FRIEND,-It has been solely for want of time, that I have, for so long a period, delayed giving you an account of another surprising instance of the free and sovereign grace and mercy of God, manifested in the experience of my dear departed son James; who, by a wonderful intervention of Providence, was restored to the parental roof just six weeks before he expired. You are aware that many painful circumstances have attended the history of this young man, but I shall only allude to such of them as were closely connected with the last few months of his existence.-I had neither seen nor heard anything of him for about eighteen months previous to the autumn of the year before his death; when he was visited by his brother; who, having been to Dublin, inquired for him at Liverpool on his return, and succeeded in obtaining his address in that place. He had obtained constant employment in a very respectable office, but was in such an infirm state of health, as to make it a difficult task for him to perform his daily duty; upon which his engagement depended. He persevered, however, as long as he possibly could, but was ultimately compelled to resign his situation. It was under these forlorn and distressing circumstances, that he addressed a very humble and penitent letter to his father, requesting that he might once more be received under his protection, (from which he had originally voluntarily excluded himself.) The difficulties attendant upon his re-admission, for some time appeared insurmountably great, but by degrees they wore away, and the returning prodigal was ultimately received with a welcome, and conducted to the same apartment in which two of his departed brothers had closed their mortal eyes. This chamber, which on recent occasions had been illuminated with the bright rays of the Sun of Righteousness, was again, through the tender mercies of God, destined to be visited by His smiles, and to prove the portal of everlasting bliss to its new occupant. After the letter to which I have adverted had been received, a regular correspondence took place between me and my afflicted son, until those difficulties were overcome which at first interfered with his immediate return home. During the interim, I exerted my utmost endeavours, through the influence of other parties, to awaken in the minds of some excellent persons residing in his immediate vicinity, a feeling of sympathy and compassion for him, in his pitiable situation. These efforts, I thank God, were crowned with far more abundant success than I had ventured to anticipate. The Rev. Mr. Bruce, the respected minister of the Liverpool cemetry, was one who kindly visited my son, and felt K deeply interested in his case, both temporally and spiritually. More than once, he took a physician with him, who minutely examined into his disease, and prescribed for its relief; while Mr. Bruce shrunk not from undertaking the more difficult task of prescribing a relief and a remedy for the deeper disease of the mind. The efforts of the former proved unsuccessful, while the efforts of the latter, through the divine blessing, were sanctified to the partial enlightenment of the understanding, and the rectifying of the judgment. My son's gratitude for the kind and disinterested attentions of these gentlemen, together with some other friends who compassionated and assisted him, was sincere and overflowing. Mr. Bruce presented my son with two books; the one was James's “Anxious Enquirer,' and the other was intitled 'Death upon the Pale Horse ;' of which Mr. Bruce was the author. These books, so suitable to his case, were carefully perused, and highly valued; the latter book he had in his hand a few hours before his death, and made a memorandum therein. Though he longed and panted for home in no ordinary degree, yet the journey was, in his emaciated state, a very formidable undertaking; he, however, was supported through it, though he described his sufferings as being intensely severe. I cannot express the feelings of my breast at once more beholding my long-lost son. I soon was convinced, from his hollow cough and wasted frame, that death was not far distant, although the poor patient entertained a strong hope that the comforts of home would effect a cure. It was gratifying to my feelings to find the wanderer had not returned in a state of utter poverty and destitution; his wardrobe being very respectable. He had also furnished himself with some excellent books; amongst which was a neat pocket Bible,-a book which he had refused to accept when he first left his home. I had the happiness, also, of observing that his natural disposition was very much subdued; he had become humble, meek, and teachable; which delightful change I attribute to the influence of the Holy Spirit, who had commenced his divine operations upon his heart, and was preparing that heart for his sacred habitation. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, was pleased, by gradual and gentle means, to dissipate the mists of ignorance and darkness from his mind, and to impart that measure of anxiety and concern respecting his soul's salvation, which, in the midst of languor and debility the most distressing, was truly astonishing. Light having broke in upon his mind, the irregularities, the errors, and the sins of his life, for a time greatly harrassed and distressed him, and occasioned him often to heave the bitter sigh; to loathe and abhor himself; to make humble and penitent confession of his wanderings and his |