pursuits of a kind which Christianity condemned, the friend of intellectual and moral freedom was assiduous to insinuate, that according to the principles of reason and nature at least, it would be difficult to prove the wisdom or the necessity of some of those dictates of religion, which must however, he admitted, be revered because Divine. Let the mind have once acquired a feeling, as if the sacred system might in some points be invalidated, the involuntary inference would be rapidly extended to other parts, and to the whole. Nor was it long, probably, before this new instructor plainly avowed his own entire emancipation from a popular prejudice, to which he was kindly sorry to find a sensible young man still in captivity. But he had no doubt that the deductions of enlightened reason would successfully appeal to every liberal mind. And accordingly, after perhaps a few months of frequent intercourse, with the addition of two or three books, and the obvious aid of all the recollected vices of pretended Christians and pretended Christian churches, the whole venerable magnificence of Revelation was annihilated. Its illuminations respecting the Divinity, its miracles, its Messiah, its authority of moral legislation, its regions of immortality and retribution, the sublime virtues and devotion of its prophets, apostles, and martyrs, together with the reasonings of so many accomplished advocates, and the credibility of history itself, were vanished all away; while the convert, exulting in his disenchantment, felt a strange pleasure to behold nothing but a dreary train of impostures and credulity, stretching over those past ages which lately were gilded with so divine a vision, and the thickest Egyptian shades fallen on that total vast futurity which the spirit of inspiration had illuminated. FOURTH CHAPTER OF ST. JOHN. When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptised more disciples than John, though Jesus himself baptised not but his disciples, he left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water, Jesus saith unto her give me to drink, for his disciples were gone away into the city, to buy meat.Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water. Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof, himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever drinketh of this water, shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him, a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, thou hast well said, I have no husband: for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast, is not thy husband; in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, wor ship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: We know what we worship; for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a spirit: and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: Yet no man said, what seekest thou? or why talkest thou with her. The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, come see a man that told me all things that ever I did: Is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, master, eat; but he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, hath any man brought him aught to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal; that both he that soweth and. he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: Other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, he told me all that ever I did. when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed on him because of his own words; and said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: So for we have heard him ourselves, and know, that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. THE MILLENNIUM. COWPER'S TASK. Sweet is the harp of prophecy; too sweet O scenes surpassing fable, and yet true, And clothe all climes with beauty: the reproach Laughs with abundance; and the land, once lean, Exults to see its thistly curse repealed. The garden fears no blight; and needs no fence, Of the same grove, and drink one common stream. The lambent homage of his arrowy tongue. The breath of Heaven has chased it. In the heart Disease Is not: the pure and uncontaminate blood Saw never, such as Heaven stoops down to see. BATTLE OF THE ANGELS MILTON-P. L. B VI. ALL night the dreadless Angel, unpursued, Through Heaven's wide champaign held his way; till Morn, |