the charge of the system the faults of its defenders, are hardened in their opposition. It is not for unhallowed hands to touch the ark of divine truth. When a defence of the Bible, or any of its doctrines, however able, is conducted in that spirit of fierce defiance and supercilious disdain, which mark the works of Warburton, Horsley, and, too frequently, Magee, it is likely to irritate rather than to convince adversaries; and if not studied with caution, it will likely contribute more to the fostering of the bad passions, than to the confirmation of the faith, or the increase of the holiness of the professed Christian. And even when the defender of orthodoxy has been animated by purer principles, there has been too often, such an abundant infusion of party and personal interests and feelings, as to give a very unchristian character to the whole combat, and to render it more a strife for mastery than a contest for truth. Most unhappy facilities have thus been afforded for men practising those self-deceits on themselves, to which there is such a proneness in our corrupted natures. Multitudes are led to suppose themselves religious, because they enter with zeal into controversies about religion, and take credit to themselves for those ardent emotions, as evidences of the sincerity of their Christianity, which, if traced to their origin, would be found strong presumptions, at least that they are not Christians. It may be fairly doubted, however, if in any way religious controversy has been more mischievous, than in the creation of ob. stacles which it has thrown in the way of the right use of the Holy Scriptures. It has led men to regard that sacred volume chiefly as a store-house of weapons for the defence of a system already formed; and to read it, not so much to find what we are to believe, and what we are to do, as to find the means of supporting sentiments imbibed from other sources, and refuting the opposing opinions of adversaries. When the controversist was in the wrong, an anxiety to support his system almost necessarily led him to pervert the Scriptures; but even where he was materially in the right, his controversial tendencies in duced him to make the most of any text which seemed to support his system, and to use very undue violence with those which seemed to oppose it. The mere circumstance of an opinion being held by an adversary, was often enough to make it assume a doubt. ful aspect, and interpretations of Scripture were opposed, not so much because they were erroneous, as because they were brought forward by heretics. Christian men have thus, in too many instances, learned to view the field of the word, not as an agriculturist does a tract of country, to discover how it could be turned to best account, in the production of food for man and for beast, but as a general does the same tract to discover its capabilities as a field of battle. And a person who is moderately versant in the controversies which have been agitated among Christians, when he comes to the examination of a passage of Scripture, which has been considered as bearing on the subject of these contests, feels as if contemplating a piece of ground, the natural aspect of which has been changed very much to the worse, by the frequent conflicts of hostile armies-wishes he could forget much that he has learned, and envies him who had an opportunity of looking on it, while the features of nature, yet undefaced by the hand of man, retained all their original freshness and loveliness. THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIM. "Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest."-Micah ii. 10. PILGRIM, arise, depart! These bowers are not thy rest. Will wither on thy breast. Why dost thou linger here Amused with fading toys, Why turn away thine heart-thine ear He calls thee to arise, To wend thee to thy home, |