MAR. 4.-In the year king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Isa. vi. 1.

KINGS, as well as meaner men, die, and all their greatness is enshrined in the tomb. Vanity and meanness are inscribed upon every thing human. Death is always a very important and affecting event in life; but by the frequency of the occurrence it has become very familiar, and loses much of its influence; and there are few things that excite so little attention. This was noticed and lamented so early as Job's days, by Eliphaz, who said, "They are destroyed from morning to evening; they perish forever without any regarding it." Yet surely this insensibility cannot be universal; surely death hath some kind of power to arrest the attention of the most thoughtless. And what does it say? "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it." We see the universality of the ravages of death; that death is the "way of all the earth;" that "in this warfare there is no discharge." And should not the living, who know that they shall die, bring home the inevitable destination to themselves, individually reflect, and say, "I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living"? It is the end of all men, and all men ought to lay it to heart. We see how little human greatness is. There is in human grandeur a comparative reality, and it has its uses and its claims in the present state; and nature and providence conduce to the production of it, and the Scripture commands us to respect it always,-to render "honour to whom honour is due, and fear to whom fear." But these often regard the office rather than the men. "I said ye are gods, but ye shall all die like men, and fall like one of the princes." "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returns to the earth in that very day his thoughts perish." Why, then, should those in the superior ranks of life despise others? And why should others ever envy them? Is their strength the strength of stones? Are their bones brass? Are they not made of the same clay with others? Are they not subjected to the same infirmities, exposed to the same accidents and

diseases? Are they not inheritors of the same mortality? And are they not hastening to say "to corruption, Thou art my father; and to the worm, Thou art my mother and sister"? Ah! says one,—

"Whene'er I feel my virtues fail,
And my ambitious thoughts prevail,
I'll take a turn among the tombs,
And see whereto all glory comes."

"Ah!" says David, "I have seen the wicked great in power, spreading himself like a green bay-tree: he passed, and was not; I sought him, but he could not be found." Ah! what must death be to the great without religion? When Dr. Johnson was walking over the pleasure-grounds of Garrick, he said to him, "Ah, Davy, these are the things that make men unwilling to die!" Yes; what can make a man willing to resign the highest seat of power, and indulgence, and dignity? Suffering may indeed make him willing to depart, if he believes that there is no after-state; otherwise conscience, if it be alive, and if it be awake, must tell him that his present sufferings are only the beginnings of sorrow. It is only hope, a good hope through grace, therefore, that can effectually do it. This, indeed, can more than reconcile the possessor to the loss; this turns the loss even to a gain; and what, then, is a palace to "a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens"? What is an earthly crown compared with the "crown of glory that fadeth not away"? Therefore David, who was a very mighty monarch himself, who had risen surprisingly in life, who had so much to leave behind him more than any other man in his day, was more than willing to resign it; he prayed to be delivered from men of the world, who had their portion in this life; "for," said he, "I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness."

MAR. 5.-There is another king, one Jesus. Acts xvii. 7.

We have two epistles addressed to the Thessalonian believers, both of which raise them so high in our esteem, that we feel an interest in every thing which concerns them. We are here informed of the commencement of the church of Christ among them, by which, we need not say, is not meant the erection of a

building, (for the early Christians had no place expressly appropriated to their worship till ages after,) nor the formation of a national establishment, (for it is well known that the civil power did not attempt to aid Christianity till the close of the third century.) But we mean, that by the coming of the gospel some were converted, and these formed themselves into a voluntary and holy communion, to assemble together in the name of Jesus, to attend on his appointments, and to "walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” “Now, when Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath-days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, opening and alleging that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ." What was the result? Perhaps there never was a sermon yet preached that was useful to all who heard it. Not excepting the sermon Paul preached at Athens? No; for though some "clave to him others mocked." Nor even the sermon Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, when three thousand were pricked to the heart, and cried out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" No; for some mocked, and said, "These men are filled with new wine." "Some of them believed and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude; and of the chief women not a few." But others "rejected the counsel of God against themselves," and commenced a furious persecution. Now, we only observe here the calumny under which they endeavoured to justify the vileness of their proceedings; they accused Paul and Silas of being disturbers of the public peace: but they themselves had excited the riot by urging on a number of vagabond miscreants, who were always ready for any confusion or evil work. Paul and Silas preached quietly in the synagogue, and wherever they came they admonished men to be quiet and to mind their own business; to love one another; to follow peace with all men; to "do good unto all men." And yet they are said to be those "who turned the world upside down." They were also reproached as being opposed to the established government, and enemies to Cæsar. They do things contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that "there is another king, one Jesus." Now, had this been true,

the Jews were the last people in the world who should have urged the charge; for it was well known that they hated Cæsar, that they hated his government, that they endeavoured the destruction of both, and that they were looking for a Messiah who, according to their views, would entirely accomplish it; while nothing could be more untrue and slanderous than the insinuation itself. Jesus had said to his disciples, "Render unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, as well as unto God the things that are God's;" and his servants, wherever they came, enforced civil obedience. Neither was it contrary to the decrees of Cæsar to say that "there was another king, one Jesus." Though the emperor, with the senate, would not suffer any one to wear the name of king without their permission, yet many were allowed to retain the title as tributary, as under their dominion. Jesus was called a king by his followers in such a sense as could not be included in the design of the imperial interdiction. He was indeed a King, but not an earthly king; his kingdom was not of this world. Oh, when will rulers learn to distinguish things that differ? When will they see that there is nothing in the example or doctrine of Christ to countenance the deposing of princes, or the depriving them of any of their lawful prerogatives?-yea, that in proportion as men submit to his laws they must be the best of men, the most enlightened and the most faithful subjects; because they are subject, "not only for wrath, but for conscience' sake"? So we see that Paul and Silas, without contravening the designs of Cæsar, could say, "There is another king, one Jesus."

MAR. 6.—And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. Luke xi. 27, 28.

THE Scriptures very aptly resemble the garden of Eden, where there was a fulness and freshness of every thing which could possibly be desired. In the Scriptures we have promises, consolations, encouragements, and cautions, &c.; all arranged in the most simple yet in the most interesting manner. We are shackled by no system, but have divine truth, mingled with history and

biography. Children, we know, are more easily captivated by tales and facts; and man is but a child of greater growth. We have here, First, The woman's exclamation:—“A certain woman of the company lifted up her voice," &c. We may notice the cause of her exclamation :-the speaking of Jesus. His word, though powerful, is not a hurricane, but harmony; not a hammer, breaking the block into small portions or pieces, but leaving each severed piece with its old nature and original properties; but the word of divine truth acts as the sun in melting down the stubbornness and obduracy of the heart. Observe, Secondly, On what her admiration turned. The cold-hearted Pharisee might have felt disposed to exclaim, "What irregularity! What a breach of order!" Jesus, however, was in no danger of being disconcerted in his discourse from any casual interruption, but was at all times fully at liberty to take advantage of every passing event; and we may readily imagine that, had such exclamations been made, he would have answered them by saying, "Let these hold their peace!" Then would "the very stones cry out against them." The woman doubtlessly felt the higher honour which was conferred on Mary. Really, when we think of this young creature, only about sixteen years of age, honoured as the mother of him who should be the Saviour of the world, we could not feel surprised had she become vain and proud. Nothing but the grace of God could have preserved her from it, after it was said, "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." With regard, then, to the woman's exclamation, we need not be surprised. Indeed, I am often astonished that the more vulgar and uninstructed among us do not more frequently break the rules of order and general discourse when they first behold the glory of God. Jesus, however, was anxious to inspire her with hope, by telling her, "Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it." On another occasion while Jesus was speaking, a whisper ran through the crowd,-"His mother and brethren stand without." They felt the high honour bestowed on them; but Jesus, "as his custom was," turned their attention from this subject by inquiring, "Who is my mother?” &c. "Whosoever doeth my will." The Saviour knew how to touch every spring and affection of his auditors. We may remark, in reference to the high admiration of the woman, that the admiration of every one, when he first receives a correct view of divine