nevolent providence, they want provision for a day of adversity, and live in the constant apprehension of a reverse. They dread the vengeance of heaven, which they have done nothing to avert, -they tremble at every event of providence, lest it should prove the instrument of their destruction, -every prosperous circumstance in their lot is mingled with reflections, and with fears, which equally conspire to annihilate enjoyment. But from such sources of disquietude and alarm, the man who realises the inspection of God, is happily delivered. To him the face of nature is enlivened and beautified, for he beholds God in every thing; the pleasing emotion of gratitude to the giver, mingles with the enjoyment of the gift; enlightened trust in the continued protection and favour of God, increases his relish for present manifestations of love, and the assurance that sources of comfort and happiness will be discovered amid the darkest and most discouraging dispensations of providence, disarms futurity of its terrors.

pe

But let us suppose the scene reversed,-let us suppose the Christian beset with calamities, oppressed with penury and disease, or called to mourn the loss of friends who soothed his sorrows and ministered to his wants. He knows, and rejoices in the conviction, that "God is witness," that though he may be neglected by men, he is not overlooked by God, that "a friend who sticketh closer than a brother," compassionates all the culiarities of his personal and relative afflictions, and that, though his "friends may be put far from him, and his acquaintances into darkness," God still lives to whisper in his ear, while he realises, in his blessed experience, the gracious promise, "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee!" O Christian! are you the victim of those hidden sorrows with which the world cannot sympathise, and is your spirit ready to sink within you? Be not discouraged, for yours is "the joy with which a stranger cannot intermeddle." "God is witness!" He listens to the sigh which escapes from your bosom; he marks the tear as it drops from your eye; "in all your afflictions he is afflicted." Are you loaded with the reproaches of the profane? behold God is witness!" He observes your sufferings in a good cause, and "the reproaches of them which reproach you fall upon him." Do you bewail the power of corruption within you? "God is witness!" He marks every struggle of the spirit for the victory over the flesh, he stands by you in the hour of conflict, and will, ere long, make you "more than a conqueror through Him that loved you." Do you mourn in secret for the abominations which are done in the land? behold! "God is witness!" "He turneth the hearts of men as the rivers of water, their secret sins are in the light of his countenance," and ere long his justice will be triumphantly displayed in the punishment of those who violate his laws. Do you deplore the hidings of your heavenly father's countenance? "Hope thou in God, for thou shalt yet praise him. He is witness still! "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies

will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer." But perhaps you tremble for the ark of God, clouds and darkness may seem to be gathering around your beloved Zion; the commotions abroad in the earth, with all their desolating influence, may threaten, for a time, to arrest the splendid march of the Prince of Peace, and to perpetuate the reign of ignorance and error, of misery and vice, in the universe of God. But behold! a gleam of hope shoots forth athwart the gloom which shrouds the face of creation! "God is witness!" "He rides in the whirlwind and directs the storm." He superintends the diversified agency of human passions, "making the wrath of man to praise him." He overrules the opposing claims of human policy, and the collision of jarring interests, for purifying the moral atmosphere, for leading the nations to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God, for removing corrupt institutions, which the perverse ingenuity of man has opposed to the progress of truth, and for securing the ultimate and everlasting triumphs of the cross. "Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me." "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? may forget, yet will I not forget thee. graven thee upon the palms of my walls are continually before me." 2. Consider the statement of the text, in its bearing on the principles and conduct of bad men.

have

Yea, she Behold I hands, thy

So much does a sense of shame, and a dread of human punishment, influence the conduct of men, that secresy is generally resorted to as a shelter for crimes. Concerning the thief and the impure, it is affirmed in Scripture, that "the morning is to them as the shadow of death; if one know them, they are in the terrors of the shadow of death;" and the ungodly, of every description, according to the same infallible testimony, "love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil." Conscience sometimes checks them in their course, but its admonitions are disregarded, and at length it ceases to reprove. The guilt of sin, as a

violation of infinite obligations to God, is overlooked, and the awe with which the threatened vengeance of heaven should impress the minds of men is repelled or overcome. If reputation be preserved entire, if the vengeance of human laws be escaped; or if, in any way, the object in view can be attained without exposing to the dangers which intervene, every thing is imagined to be gained. Would this conduct any longer be presented to our view, if men acted under the conviction that "God is witness?" The consciousness of his inspection and the consequent dread of his frowns, would act as a constant and powerful dissuasive from sin in every form. It would act as a watch on all the thoughts, and words, and actions; it would lead to right conduct, in opposition to all the allurements of sense, and all the hopes of concealment; it would banish vice, in all

its debasing and malignant characters, from the intelligent and moral creation. The reason is obvious. It removes the causes of evil which lie deep in the human heart; it commands the prin ciples of conduct, and directs them in their operation; it purifies the fountain of action, and opens a channel for the streams of virtue and of happi

ness.

But it is not merely the simple conviction that his conduct is observed, which has such a tendency to overawe the sinner, and to paralyse the energies of his corrupted heart. The character of the witness gives to the acting principle additional and overpowering force. The representations given of the Divine Being in the inspired record, are every way calculated to impress and to alarm the sinner. He is declared to be a God of holiness, a Being who seeth impurity even in the brightest angels, and who cannot look upon sin without detestation and abhorrence. Aud does such a pure and holy Being contemplate the impurity of the sinner's heart, the sins which he commits in secret, and the various enormities which disgrace his conduct in active life? What a solemn thought! Enough to make the stoutest heart to tremble, and to unnerve the energies of the most deep-rooted corruption. Evil thoughts may be indulged, and their guilt may be unknown or overlooked, the language of impurity and pro- | faneness may be uttered, and no horror felt for its aggravations, deeds of dishonesty and baseness may be committed in secret or in darkness, and exultation felt at the thought of their concealment; but an eye like a flame of fire darts through the covering which veils the guilty heart, penetrates its secret recesses, and detects the impurities with which it is stained,—an ear which listens to the gentlest whisper that escapes from the human bosom, attends to every idle word which drops from the lips of depravity, and a Being to whom "the darkness and the light are both alike," marks the most hidden deeds of the sinner's life with the most scrupulous care. And shall it not strike terror into the breast of the most daring profligate in the midst of his misdeeds, to reflect that that God who "understandeth his thoughts afar off," who knoweth every word on his tongue, by whom all his actions are weighed," and against whom his sins are committed, is a Being of spotless holiness, armed with vengeance against all the workers of iniquity, and only prevented by the long-suffering patience of his own nature, from overwhelming them at once with everlasting destruction! Sin may be palliated so as to lose its deformity in the eyes of men, and hopes may be indulged by the sinner, that the denunciations of wrath shall ultimately prove mere empty threats to keep him in awe; but in the sight of a pure and holy God, sin must ever appear exceeding sinful," and sooner shall heaven and earth pass away, than the justice of the Eternal shall fail to execute vengeance on the impenitent offender.

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This naturally introduces another idea on the same branch of the subject, namely, the intimate

connection between the character of God, as present witness and future judge. The same authority which tells us that God now observes the conduct of men, assures us also, that he shall one day bring them to a strict account. Thoughts of evil may pass through the mind, the language of impiety may be uttered and forgotten, and deeds of wickedness may elude the keenest vigilance of men, but these thoughts, words, and actions, are all registered in heaven, and "God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it hath been good or whether it hath been evil." What a solemn thought! that nothing escapes the eye of Omniscience, and that nothing shall be forgotten or overlooked at the day of judgment! Eventful period! when every evil thought which the heart conceived, every idle word which dropt from the lips, and every unhallowed deed which the eye of man never beheld, shall be disclosed, and proclaimed before assembled worlds. Characters which have passed from the earth unsullied even by the breath of calumny, shall then be exhibited in the most gloomy colours, and from the decision of the Judge there shall be no appeal. The truth of the representation which shall then be given, cannot for one moment be questioned, for the Judge now scans the most concealed parts of that conduct on which he shall then decide, and his faithfulness and impartiality are equally above suspicion. Tremble, then, ye ungodly and profane! for an infallible Witness, to whom all hearts are open, now follows you with his searching eye, and all your thoughts, words, and actions, stand on record till the day of judgment. "There is nothing hid which shall not be revealed, nor covered that shail not be made known." "There is a day when God shall make manifest the hidden counsels of the heart; when that which hath been spoken in darkness, shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ears in closets, shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops." O could I exhibit to your view an impenitent sinner just about to appear in the presence of the Witness and Judge of his conduct, how would it silence for ever the whispers of infidelity! how would it make the illusions of sense to vanish! how would it cover with gloom the gayest scenes of life! I contemplate him stretched on the bed of death,-every look bespeaks the agony of his inmost soul,―he struggles for breath to utter the language of self-reproach and self-condemnation, with the sullenness of black despair (for the hour of mercy is fled for ever) he yields the contest to the king of terrors, and is hurried into the eternal world! But Oh! could we follow him to the land of souls, and contemplate him standing in the presence of his Judge, how still more awful would the sight be! The throne is erected," the Judge of quick and dead" is seated on his tribunal,-around him are assembled unnumbered worlds,-the poor, selfcondemned criminal, with shame and confusion of face, appears before his Judge,—he " calls on the rocks and mountains to fall on him and cover him

THE LAKE.

The effects resulting from these properties are very varied and exceedingly beneficial. By means of Light we receive instantaneous information with respect to the form, size, colour, and position of surrounding objects, whether they be close at hand or placed at a distance. And while it conveys to us, in a moment, that knowledge of earthly objects, which, by other means, we slowly and imperfectly acquire, Light alone enables us to carry our enquiries beyond the boundaries of earth, supplies us with all the information which we possess with regard to the heavenly bodies, makes known the constitution of the material universe, and points out the laws by which it is governed.

When the various qualities of this wonderful substance are taken into view, how glorious does He appear at whose command it first shone forth! and when we consider the benefits it confers on man, how great is the obligation under which we are laid to love and to adore Him!

There is another reason that makes the investigation of this subject peculiarly interesting to the Christian. Light is so frequently employed in Scripture to denote the knowledge of divine truth, that we almost forget that the word is metaphorically used. A few observations will be sufficient to shew the aptness and beauty of this similitude. Revelation, like the rays of Light, is designed for universal diffusion, and accordingly, the commandment says, Go teach all nations," and the invitation is "Come unto me all ye that labour;" like them it pursues a straight and onward course, refusing to follow the crooked paths of deceit; like them it conveys, at a glance, much information which other means slowly and imperfectly communicate, and not only enables us more fully to understand the interests and concerns of earth, but extends our view to heaven. That knowledge of God and of our own spiritual condition, which natural reason dimly unfolds, the Gospel exhibits in the brightness of noon, while, by it alone, we are taught the existence and nature of angels and of devils, the future destiny of man, the place which we hold in the rational creation, the moral perfections of the Deity, and the wise and

holy laws that regulate the concerns of accountable and intelligent creatures.

Shall we not, therefore, prize that precious Volume which brings life and immortality to light," and bless the name of the great Redeemer, by whom that gift has been bestowed, and strive to live as "the children of the light and of the day?"

CAMELS.

BY THE REV. ROBERT JAMIESON,
Minister of Westruther.

AMONG the animals peculiar to the quarter of the world where the scene of the Sacred History is laid, the camel must rank first in order, whether we consider the antiquity of its domestic character, the singular properties with which it is endowed, the feats of labour and strength of which it is capable, or the purposes of general utility to which it has long been subservient. In the remotest periods, we find it associated with the rising industry and commerce of mankind, constituting the staple source on which they depended for food and clothing, cherished with the greatest care as the surest indication of wealth and honour, and occupying the chief place in the list of articles which princes conferred as presents on their favourites, or fathers as dowry on their children. From the frequent notice taken of this invaluable creature in the Sacred Records, it is evident that its characteristic qualities, and the great variety of purposes to which it is applicable, were as well known to the patriarchs and their contemporaries, as to the modern inhabitants of the East, and it may tend to give the student of the Scriptures a better idea of some interesting passages in them that relate to the camel, if we coinpare its state and habits as it is now found to exist, with its condition as described in the earlier annals of the people of God.

In appearance the camel is of unwieldy bulk, and though destitute of all claims either to elegance of form or beauty of proportion, it is admirably adapted, in point both of constitution and shape, to the regions which it traverses, and the laborious life it is destined to lead. Most readers of this article may have enjoyed an opportunity of witnessing a living specimen of this species of animal, and therefore it would be superfluous to enter at large into its natural history; but for the sake of those who are totally unacquainted with it, it may suffice for our present purpose to bid them figure to themselves a quadruped of a large size, covered with a soft kind of hair, considerably shorter than that of the ox, without horns, its lip divided in the centre, and six broad projecting foreteeth in the lower jaw, short ears, a long waving upright neck, long and slender limbs, very broad and divided feet, two large protuberances on the back, seemingly intended by the Creator for the reception of burdens; and by the grouping of these circumstances, they may be able to form some idea of the general features of a domesticated beast, which has ever been esteemed by the people of the East as the favourite, most useful, and important of all the animal productions of Asia.

In most parts of the Oriental world it is to be found, and every where it is highly prized; but to the pastoral people who frequent the desert, of which it is a native, and where it is to be found in the greatest perfection, its value cannot be estimated; for besides its utility as a beast of burden, it supplies them almost wholly with the means of their scanty subsistence, its flesh and milk furnishing them with food and drink, its hair affording materials for their garments, carpets for their tents, and sacks for their grain; its skin being made into bottles of various sizes, in which they treasure up their water, and transport their butter and other articles of a similar nature, its sinews serving them as ropes, and its dung