course, he follows it implicitly, and the Christian's compass should be the director of his course too; given in mercy, it should be followed in sincerity, with a humble and a thankful heart.

The navigator's course is a commentary on his compass, and so is (or ought to be) that of the Christian likewise. But is it such in reality? We shall best discover the truth by reviewing the various classes into which those persons who take the name of Christians may be divided.

Now scripture has expressly severed mankind into two great divisions, "the righteous and the wicked," "him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not," (Mal. iii. 18.) and consequently there are, and can be, but two primary classes; but every classification admits of sub-division, and we may obtain a clearer view of the apparent (though not of the real) state of the soi-disant Christian community, in our own times and in our own country, if we separate the latter of these divisions, ("they that serve him not") into its component parts, and consider them first.

I shall thus enumerate four distinct descriptions of persons, viz;

I. The professed unbeliever, whose motto, whispered in the heart, or uttered by the lips, is “There is no God." (Psalm xiv. 1.)

II. The practical unbeliever, whose practice exemplifies the apostle's description, "They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him." (Titus i. 16.)

III. The false professor, who by what he does not, as well as by what he does, clearly manifests his obedience to the common, but erroneous view of the

injunction, “Be not righteous over much." (Eccles. vii. 16.)

IV. The real believer, whose chosen motto, willingly and heartily acknowledged, but alas! how imperfectly acted out, is "Christ is all, and in all." (Col. iii. 11.)

Each of these classes is capable of a still minuter sub-division, as we shall presently see.

Now, a few among the former, and all in the three latter ones call themselves Christians, and though the inspired prophet would apply that term only to the fourth class, yet as the rest, by their own confession of Christianity, also acknowledge the word of God for their charter, their rule and standard, I cannot be wrong in bringing their creeds and their practice to its perfection, as a test. No one can in fairness, object here; a Christian means a follower of Christ, and if you bear his name, you are bound by his law. To that your faith, your works must be brought, and by it alone they must be tried: "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isaiah viii. 20.)

Whoever you may be, my design is to shew that you are not what you call yourself, either not at all, or not as you might be: to be a Christian as you should be, you must be under a different dispensation from the present.

Let me illustrate this position by a case, often before referred to, as exemplifying the obedience of man to his God. Suppose there existed a king, good, kind, wise above all men, who had given a law, by obeying which, every subject might please him, and for the fulfilment of which he would give to all per

fect assistance, if they asked it; in such a case, would he be a patriot at all, who disbelieved the existence of the king, and the authority of the law? or if he did not totally deny these, yet refused to believe the monarch to be such as he declared himself, in his law, to be? Or would he, by any means, be called a loyal man, who, by his words, acknowledging and allowing the law, by every act disobeyed it? Or he, who, professing even to love it, shewed as little obedience to it as the former? And would he be a patriot as he might be, who, in his heart, loving his sovereign, and endeavouring, in some points, to follow his law, yet in many others, ignorantly, or carelessly, or hopelessly neglected and disobeyed its requirements?

Now, let us apply this to the subject before us. Is he a Christian at all who disbelieves in any manner the doctrines of scripture, and denies God to be what he declares that he is? Or he who, not verbally objecting to holy writ, disobeys its every injunction ? Or he who partly, or it may be loudly, professing to be religious, yet shews by his actions, that his “religion is vain?" (James i. 26.) And is he a Christian as he might be, who, endeavouring in many, or in most particulars, to obey the sacred precepts, yet despairs of even attempting to fulfil some, and unthinkingly violates many more?

Let us, then, proceed to examine more in detail, the creeds or the practice of these various classes, so as to see what species of commentary they will afford us upon various texts of scripture. Each of these several texts must be equally binding on mankind, for as "all scripture is given by inspiration of God," every part of it must be entirely and equally divine, and no portion can be, in point of authority and

weight, "before or after other." Every doctrine must be believed, every precept obeyed, which we find written in those holy pages, while each and all "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Tim. iii. 16.)

X. Q.

LINES WRITTEN IN ILLNESS.

THICK clouds have darken'd o'er my day,

I cannot think, I cannot pray;

Yet at thy feet, dear Lord, I lie,
And read compassion in thine eye.

A sinner in word, deed, and thought,
But one thy precious blood hath bought;
Sure is thy word-thy promise sweet,
And none e'er perish'd at thy feet.

The fountain flows for guilt and sin,
And all who will may plunge therein,
I gaze upon my wounded Lord,
Wash in his blood, and trust his word,

I cannot pray, I cannot praise,
But, Saviour! I can lie and gaze,
And joy to feel that heaven will be
A place for loving, serving thee.

M. A. S.

NEGLECTED FRIENDS.

IT has fallen to my lot to point out more than one particular where the professors of vital godliness may, perhaps, too generally call themselves to account for doing the things that they ought not to have done. At present I am rather disposed to lecture myself and others for an error of omission: not involving the breach of any positive precept, but rather displaying the neglect of a great and precious privilege. From what cause it proceeds, I do not pretend to explain to me, the contemplation in question has ever been one of inexpressible sweetness and delight; and that I have not more freely indulged in it, is rather owing to the prevailing backwardness of others in discoursing on such a theme, than to any lack of inclination on my part. So strong is the influence mutually exercised by Christians over each other's habits, not only of action and expression, but even of thought, and such the natural recoil of most minds from the appearance of singularity, that the religious world may be said to set its fashions as arbitrarily, and to enforce them as despotically, as that world from which it professes to stand aloof; and innovations on the accustomed routine, are no less vehemently cried out against, than in the other instance. I fully expect that some heads of undoubted wisdom will be shaken, and some lips well used to distil the honey of divine