From multitude of harps, and noise "Hearken, my sons, how He on high Ten thousand thousands crowding all 66 Hearken, my sons, how He on high Did Judah's monarch magnify! As Israel's tribes, from every gate Fast-flowing, stood all congregate, Forth stept the king with solemn grace, And, from his high commanding place, Gave sign that Horeb's ark was plac'd Beneath the cherubs' wings at rest; Whereat the people for a time Stood silent, rapt in joy sublime, Praise, praise in every heart up-sprung, But mute was each o'erpowered tongue : Till Asaph forth and Heman came, And all their choristers of name, Arrayed in linen-garments white, With timbrels, organs of delight, Psalteries and harps of golden string, And silver cymbals, glittering. Beside the altar's horns they stood, And struck at once their multitude Of cymbals, that all sweetly ring, Psalteries and harps of golden string; Conjoined with these, the Levite throng 'Gan peal their trumpets loud and long, And high their heav'n-ward voices raise In one harmonious hymn of praise; Praise, praise the Lord, (the choirs thus sang That court, and porch, and pillar rang,) For He is good; and ever sure His tender mercy doth endure! "Hearken, my sons, how He on high Did Judah's monarch magnify! The people, then, that tranced stood In ecstasy of prayerful mood, From that heart-ravishment awoke, And all at once the silence broke; Ten thousand thousand voices joined As if from one enraptured mind, Were lifted up to heaven, and sang Till all Moriah's mountain rang; Hinnom's long valley caught the song, And sent it to the hills along; And Judah's hills up-rolled the sound Wide through the wilderness profound. "Hearken, my sons, how He on high Did Judah's monarch magnify! As thus the hymn of praise was sung, And trump, harp, cymbal, pealed and rung. Behold! high o'er Moriah's top Heaven's cloudless, all-investing cope Was cleft in silence, and a flame, From God's high throne descending, came "Hearken, my sons, how He on high "Hearken, my sons, how He on high High, toward heaven, his hands, and prayed, The day with festal sacrifice; Whereat prince, people, elder, priest, That every face with bliss shone bright, They tarry'd at the sacred joy; From Salem home the tribes, who went Thus in his cool vine-mantled bower, MISCELLANEOUS. A bow drawn at a venture. In the year 1743, the Rev. George Whitefield had resolved to go to America, and had engaged his passage in a ship that was to sail from Portsmouth; but, as the captain afterwards refused to take him, "for fear of his spoiling the sailors," he was obliged to go to Plymouth. While staying there he frequently preached, and an attempt having been recently made to murder him in his bed, much attention was excited, and many thousands flocked to hear him. While he was one day preaching, Mr Tanner, who was at work as a ship-builder at a distance, heard his voice, and resolved, with five or six of his companions, to go and drive him from the place where he stood; and for this purpose filled their pockets with stones. When, however, Mr T. drew near, and heard Whitefield earnestly inviting sinners to Christ, he was filled with astonishment, his resolution failed him, and he went home with his mind deeply impressed. On the following evening he again attended, and heard Mr Whitefield on the sin of those who crucified the Redeemer. After he had expatiated on their guilt, he appeared to look intently on Mr Tanner, as he exclaimed, with energy, "Thou art the man! These words powerfully affeeted Mr T.; he felt his iniquities to be awfully great, and in the agony of his soul, he cried, "God be merciful to me, a sinner." The preacher then proceeded to proclaim the free and abundant grace of Jesus, which he commanded to be preached among the very people who had murdered him; a gleam of hope entered his heart, and he surrendered himself to Christ. This sermon was made eminently useful to many other persons. Obookiah.—The ways of Jehovah in making some persons the partakers of his spiritual favours, and in preparing others for the full discharge of Christian duties, are frequently very remarkable. When the late Rev. S. J. Mills, a truly valuable labourer in the missionary cause in America, and afterwards himself a missionary to the heathen, first went to New Haven in Connecticut to study theology, he became acquainted with a heathen youth, from the Sandwich Islands, named Obookiah, who had been very remarkably saved from death, when his parents and others were killed, and who was now ardently desirous of instruction. He became the servant, the pupil, the companion of Mr Mills, was subsequently called by the grace of God, and furnished the occasion of establishing a prosperous school in connection with the American Board of Commissioners for foreign missions. John Bunyan. The celebrated author of the Pilgrim's Progress experienced several remarkable providential deliverances. Once he fell into the river Ouse; and at another time into an arm of the sea, and narrowly escaped being drowned. But the most singular instance of his preservation occurred when he was about seventeen years of age. At that time he became a soldier, and at the siege of Leicester, in 1645, being drawn out to stand sentinel, another soldier in the same company desired to take his place: he consented, and his companion was shot in the head by a musket-ball, and killed. A South Sea Youth.-The Rev. W. Ellis, when describing the idolatry of the South Sea islanders, informs us that when they offered human sacrifices to their idols, a youth educated in the school at Eimeo, very narrowly escaped with his life. This interesting and intelligent young man, whose name was Aberahama, was marked out as a victim; and when the priest's servants came to take him, he fled, but was pursued, shot at, and wounded. When he fell, he crawled among the bushes, and eluded the discovery of his pursuers, though they several time passed the place of his retreat in search of him. When night came, he crept down to his friends, who dressed his wounds and removed him to a place of safety. He lived to enjoy the blessings of the Gospel, and to be the means of imparting them to others. [The following anecdotes have been forwarded to us by the Rev. Dr Ralph of Liverpool, in the course of whose experience they occurred:] Nature perverted by Superstition.—Mr Bennet, appointed to visit the stations of the London Missionary Society, once related the following, among other anecdotes, to me:"A native of Otaheite, who had lately embraced the Gospel, was brought before the Church for having relapsed into heathenism, by placing some water in a cocoa-nut for the spirit of his departed wife to feed upon; it being a belief of the country that this intercourse may be obtained with spirits after they leave the world. Me leave Word of God for old superstitions?' said he, with great emotion. No, no! Word of God grow big tree in my heart.' While he was thus defending himself, the accuser rushed out of the party assembled, and returned with the proof of his guilt in his hand, the cocoa-nut with the water in it, and set it down before him. Me leave Word of God? No, never, never!' again he exclaimed, with uncommon sensitiveness; but, hanging his head as in great grief, he added, My wife and I were very fond of each other. We lived together happily for many years. Leave Word of God? No, no! But I just thought, she might possibly return to me, and so I put down the cocoa-nut and water, lest she might come and take a little. The Hell on Earth.-A young man, who had spent a life of irreligion, though often warned of his danger, at length was seized with a fatal sickness. After frequently parrying a request to send for a clergyman, with the common answer, "I have never done harm to any one," he reluctantly consented to have one. clergyman paid several visits without any apparent success. Delirium came on; and, suddenly, while the clergyman was on his way to him once more, he clasped his hands, and screaming, with a voice heard at the distance of several streets, and remembered long after as all but preternatural, he uttered the words, Fire, fire, fire!" and, in a few moments, expired. 66 Heavenly Trading.—A child, in a commercial community, on being asked, "What is time?" replied, "Time is our principal, and the use we make of it is the interest." 66 Nature in Heaven.-" Mamma," said a child on her death-bed, whose brother John had departed at an equally early period, a few years previous, in the possession of like precious faith, know each other in heaven?" do you think we shall "Yes! my dear," replied she; "for God will deny us no happiness consistent with his glory, and that is not inconsistent with it." "Oh! then," exclaimed she, "how Johnny and I will run to meet you when you come there!" Separate Numbers from the commencement may at all times be had to complete sets. Published by JOHN JOHNSTONE, at the Offices of the ScoTTISH CHRISTIAN HERALD, 2, Hunter Square, Edinburgh, and 19, Glassford Street, Glasgow; J. NISBET & Co., HAMILTON, ADAMS & Co., and R. GROOMBRIDGE, London; W. CURRY, Junior, & Co., Dublin; and W. M'COMв, Belfast; and sold by the Booksellers and Local Agents in all the Towns and Parishes of Scotland; and in the principal Towns in England and Ireland. Subscribers in Edinburgh, Leith, and Portobello, will have their copies delivered at their own residences regularly, by leaving their addresses with the Publisher.-Subscribers in Glasgow will, in like the Publishing Office there, 19, Glassford Street. manner, have their copies delivered, by leaving their addresses at Subscription (payable in advance) per quarter, of twelve weeks, Is. 6d.-per half-year, of twenty-four weeks, 3s.-per year, of fortyeight weeks, 6s.-Monthly Parts, containing four Numbers each, stitched in a printed wrapper, Price Sixpence tion with those of human systems, particularly as they regard the attributes of Deity, and the fundamental principles of moral obligation. glancing at the character of the Divine Being, as set before us in Scripture, we behold it infinitely AVERSION TO DIVINE REVELATION, BECAUSE OF ITS glorious, and transcendently sublime, exhibiting PURITY AND HOLINESS-ORIGIN OF IDOLATRY-HIS- We have seen that faith is a commanded duty, unspotted holiness, inflexible justice, undeviating veracity, unerring, though unsearchable, wisdom, omnipotence, omnipresence, and immutability; and yet so gracious, and so compassionate is the God of the Bible, that his "goodness is over all his works;" nay, as a comprehensive whole it is said, "God is love." When, again, we look at the leading aim in all human systems, we find that it is to bring down the Deity to a level with humanity, or, in the language of Scripture, to make God "altogether such an one as ourselves." In proceeding to make the manifestations of the tendency of our corrupt nature, we shall see that what may be called the religion of human nature is ever the same in all the multifarious modifications of heathenism, Hinduism, Popery, and Mohamedism. In all of them we perceive one uniform and undeviating effort to supersede divine truth, by substituting such errors as favour the indulgence of the various passions and propensities of carnal and corrupted man. We have already alluded to the fact that error in doctrine of a practical nature, is more readily believed than truth; and have generally referred to the cause, which is, that error or corruption in doctrine, is more congenial to human nature in its present state, than that which inculcates purity and holiness. To be convinced that this is a fact, is of no small value, and that chiefly on account of the practical bearing which it may be expected to have on the moral principles, and the light which Now, when we speak of superseding divine it throws on the believer's mind, regarding the truth, it is implied that men were always in posnature and origin of the struggles in which he is session of it, till they put it away for something engaged, with a "heart that is deceitful above all else that was more agreeable to them; and matthings, and desperately wicked." The more intelli- ters of fact bear us out in saying that they did gently, also, that he understands his actual position, this in contempt of the most striking and overhis own feebleness, and the treachery of his enemies whelming evidence, with a degree of haste, and within, ever ready to surrender the citadel of the heart with a degree of headlong recklessness, that would to his enemies without: the more will he feel the ne- appear utterly incredible, if it were not utterly cessity of distrusting himself, and his feeble pur- undeniable. The explanation of the wonder is to poses, and of placing his whole reliance on the Lord be found in the tendency, or rather irresistible Jehovah, in whom alone is everlasting strength. and headlong propensity in men to make God The simplest and most effective way of estab-"altogether such an one as themselves," or, in lishing our position, regarding that tendency in our nature, which is the fruitful source of so much evil and unbelief, is by a reference to the history of mankind; and the evidence it affords is uniform and undeviating in every age and region, and among every tribe and kindred of the human race. Important illustrations might be derived from a comparison of the doctrines of divine revelaVOL. II. the striking words of St. Paul, it was because "they did not like to retain God in their knowledge." Rom. i. 28. In the brevity indispensably requisite in such papers and such a work as this, things of importance occur, which it is necessary to pass over unnoticed, or to introduce with a superficialness of allusion that is disadvantageous to the subject. In this slight and superficial way, we must at present notice a very common expres- mark the change which immediately followed the sion, essential to this topic, and that is, the "reli- first transgression. The now unhappy pair began gion of nature," or "natural religion." Deep is to disrobe the Divine Being of his attributes, and the delusion involved in the expression as it is to act towards him as if he were altogether such commonly used. There is a sense in which na- an one as themselves; for " Adam and his wife tural religion, as signifying the religion which hid themselves from the presence of the Lord nature teaches, has a true and most important God among the trees of the garden." Here is meaning. The Scriptures teach us that this reli- no small degree of practical atheism; for where gion of nature, or this religion which nature now are the attributes of omniscience and omniteaches, is so precise and clear in the instructions presence? The promised seed of the woman, it gives, as to leave him who continues unin- | however, appears to have been connected with an formed "without excuse." "The heavens declare immediate revelation of mercy addressed to sinthe glory of God; and the firmament showeth ners as such, and hence the sacrifices of Cain and his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, Abel prefiguring the true sacrifice for sin in the and night unto night showeth knowledge. There fulness of time. There can be no doubt that is no speech nor language where their voice is penitent Adam and righteous Abel would comnot heard. Their line is gone out through all municate to others the divine knowledge which the earth, and their words to the end of the they themselves had immediately received from world." Ps. xix. 1-4. So speaks the Psalmist the Most High.. In looking at the whole period generally; and let us now hear the Apostle more before the flood, we have Adam, who lived nearly particularly in the application of the subject: to the days of Noah, the "preacher of righteous"The wrath of God," says he, "is revealed from ness ;" and Enoch, the ancestor of Noah, who, heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteous- during a considerable portion of the lives of both ness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteous- of them, gave such a resplendent example of a ness; because that which may be known of God devoted servant of heaven, that he is said to have is manifest in them: for God hath showed it unto "walked with God;" and then he was translated them. For the invisible things of him from the to heaven without tasting of death," and he creation of the world, are clearly seen, being un- was not; for God took him." In the meantime, derstood by the things that are made, even his the world had the benefit of his example and ineternal power and Godhead; so that they are struction, for a period of more than three hundred without excuse." Rom. i. 18-20. What can be years. Here, then, we have direct revelation more definite as to the precision and fulness of the from the creation to the deluge, and all that was lessons of nature on the great matters of religion? It requisite was, that men should have "retained" is here affirmed to be so complete, that if there were that knowledge. And what is the divine testia disposition to receive instruction and follow it, mony regarding the antediluvian race? there would be no deficiency in knowledge, nor in the saw that the wickedness of man was great in the discharge of the duties which God requires of his earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts intelligent creatures. "They are without excuse." of his heart was only evil continually." For an But as the expression "natural religion" is hundred and twenty years before the awful catasgenerally used, it implies that man is left to find trophe of the flood, the "preacher of righteousout religion for himself from what nature teaches. ness" lifted his warning voice, delivering a message Now, we have seen, that if he were so left, he from God himself, which men would not receive, would be "without excuse" if he did not receive but treated it with mockery and insult. sufficient instruction. But we now go on to show that he never was so left, that he never was without divine revelation, except, when he put it away from him, which he always speedily did, because he "did not like to retain God in his knowledge." Let the reader mark the significant manner in which the word "retain" is here used. We cannot "retain" a thing till we are first put in possession of it; but if it be a thing that we do "not like to retain," we are likely to fall upon various contrivances to get rid of it; or, if possible, and if the thing be susceptible of it, we may mould and modify it into something suited to our taste, and which we shall then like to retain. Now, this may be said to be the history of mankind in regard of the knowledge of the true God, from the first sin in Eden onward through all their generations. Communion with God constituted the felicity of the first pair in Paradise, and therefore they possessed a right knowledge of his nature, in so far as finite creatures can comprehend it. But "God We say nothing of the tremendous judgment by which the whole human race was destroyed, with the exception of a single family consisting of eight souls, the head of that family being Noah, the preacher of righteousness. But let us reflect on the impressive circumstances in which that family had been instructed in the knowledge of God, and the awful events by which it was enforced, as well as the earnestness and affection with which Noah must have practically urged home his divine instruction. Did not these persons, at least," retain" the knowledge of God? How far otherwise, let the tower of Babel witness! That fruit and monument of idolatry was reared less than a hundred years after the flood, and while, we have reason to believe, all those who were miraculously saved from that awful catastrophe were yet alive, being two hundred and fifty years before the death of Noah. The birth of Abraham was just about contemporaneous with the death of Noah; and the calling of the father of the faithful took place in the seventy- | fifth year of his age. At that time the whole world was sunk in the abominations of idolatry; not one had "retained" the knowledge of God, till it was again directly communicated to Abraham. Now, to this patriarch the Lord himself bears this testimony: "I know him, that he will command his children, and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment." Gen. xviii. 19. Here, then, is evidence that the knowledge of the true God was again imparted to the descendants and retainers of Abraham, who was a prince of power and influence in his day. The covenant made with Abraham was renewed to Isaac and Jacob, and when the time of deliverance from Egyptian bondage approached, the distinguished prophet Moses was raised up as the immediate ambassador of God to the Israelites. But did they "like to retain the knowledge of God" thus imparted? Think of them beholding the wonders in Egypt and at the Red Sea, with daily manifestations of the divine power and presence in the wilderness; and then think of them at the very foot of Mount Sinai, where the divine glory was displayed amid thunderings, and lightnings, and blackness, and tempest; and then mark them as they fashion the golden calf and worship it. The whole subsequent history of this highly favoured people is a continued demonstration of their dislike to retain the knowledge of God. "To them were committed the oracles of God," and to them were sent, from time to time, special messengers and commissioned prophets; but they continued to multiply their idols, and increase their transgressions, till they were driven into captivity. From that time, indeed, it appears that they had ceased to worship material idols of silver and gold, wood and stone; but not less really were they guilty of idolatry, which consists in giving to anything else that place in the heart which belongs to God. They read Moses and the prophets in their synagogues; but they contrived to render this unavailing, for, by their traditions, they made the Word of God of none effect. How they dealt with Jehovah's message of mercy by his well beloved Son, Jesus Christ, whom with wicked hands they crucified and slew, is too well known to be noticed. With respect to heathen nations, we have seen that they became such by putting away from them the knowledge of God communicated to them at various periods of the world, not to speak of the warnings of Jewish prophets, and the circulation of the Scriptures in the Greek translation, commonly called the Septuagint. In the very days of our Saviour and his apostles, the doctrines of the Gospel began to be corrupted, till at length, in the course of a comparatively short period, the Papal power, in all the predicted lineaments of the "man of sin," had the greater part of the professing Christian world subjected to his iron sway. The Scribes and Pharisees were contented to retain the Scriptures; while, by their traditions, they rendered them of none effect. But the cor ruptions of the "man of sin," that " mystery of iniquity," were so gross and palpably at variance with the Word of God, that so long as that Word remained in the hands of the people, they could not fail to be at once detected. Recourse was therefore had to the bolder but indispensable measure, of withdrawing the pure Word of God from the people altogether. To have "retained" it, would have ruined the dark projects of the "man of sin." It seems superfluous farther to illustrate the prevalence of infidelity, and ignorance of the true God, by referring to the true cause of it,-the love of iniquity. Divine truth being corrupted, or put away, idolatry, the handmaid of iniquity, and the agent of Satan, beyond all other causes, was introduced. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." Rom. i. 22, 23. When men had once given way to the propensity of considering God such an one as themselves, there was no limit to the excesses to which the abominations of iniquity might be carried. Hence human passions, and even vices, were ascribed to the objects of worship, which were multiplied without end. Particular deities were represented as patrons of particular vices; and the worship offered to them, consisted in the practice of the vices of which they were patrons. Now all this took place, not in some region or period of peculiar debasement, but universally, and in every age; not in the savage haunts of some tribe of singular pollution and barbarism, but in the polished states of Greece and Rome, whose boasted literature is set before us, in our youthful days, as models of taste and elegance. But we conclude: and let it be remembered, that ignorance of the true God, wherever and whenever it has existed, is not to be ascribed to the impossibility of ob taining the knowledge, but to the resolute deter. mination not to retain it. What proves this, proves farther the great facility with which men will receive any doctrine, however absurd and palpably at variance with common sense, provided it favour the indulgence of vicious propensities. It is this alone that, in an enlightened age, can account for the continued existence of the monstrous absurdities and moral abominations of the "mystery of iniquity," or "the BEAST." Another thing that naturally follows from the facts adduced, is the difficulty of believing the pure truth of God, as unfolded in his Word; not because of difficulties which the understanding has to encounter, but just because of the purity, moral and intellectual, which it declares to be indispensable to the divine favour, but which purity is the utter aversion of the carnal man. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE LATE REV. ELIAS CORNELIUS, |