6

speak the language of Scripture, Without blood is no remission.' Traces of this doctrine are found in the language, the creed, and the monuments of nations far dispersed, or ages ago extinct. But whilst they felt assured that without blood there was no remission, they knew of no blood which would cleanse the conscience from the guilt of sin. They multiplied the number and increased the value of their victims; but still felt that God was unappeased, the wounded spirit was unhealed, and the waters still overflowed the hiding place.

6

In the Scriptures God appears glorious in holiness, whilst as a God of love, he comes forth in the person of his Son, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them."

To the wisest philosophers the invisible world was an immense chasm, a wide waste of waters, over which reason, like the bird let loose from the ark, wandered with weary wing, seeking rest, and finding none. To them all was doubt, perplexity, and despair.

Their views of futurity were equally vague, indistinct, and unsatisfactory. Some denied its existence, others admitted the future existence of the soul, but rejected the doctrine of the resurrection of the body; whilst their descriptions of the engagements of departed spirits, even when wrought up by the poetical imagination of a Virgil, want dignity: they are mean, contemptible and frivolous. But life and immortality are brought to light by Revelation, and so vividly yet so soberly do the writers of that volume describe the subject, that we appear to have not so much a description in words as a picture of the scene.

Probably the best part of the system of the ancients was their morality, but this was miserably defective; some of the chief virtues in a creature, such as humility, modesty, and patience under insult and injury, are either classed with error, or entirely overlooked: others of an inferior order, are exalted to the first rank; and the whole system wanted motives which should make it operate on human conduct. These, of the most sublime, most powerful nature, the Scriptures supply. They present motives which appeal to man's hopes and fears, his gratitude and self-love, and bring down all the terrors and all the transports of the judgment-day, to bear on the actions of the present moment. Those aimed chiefly to regulate the external conduct, these to transform the heart; those to regulate the streams, these to cleanse and purify the fountain; those to make man fit for a residence on earth, these to prepare him for the skies.

There is another view which may be taken of the information contained in Scripture. Not only is it interesting and important, but inexhaustible; a mine of mental wealth, which runs the richer and the purer the farther it is worked. By diligent application it is possible soon to make ourselves completely master of all the thoughts and views contained in any other volume, and by way of

6

accommodation it may be said, He that drinketh at these waters will thirst again; but he who comes to the Scriptures, drinks not only living water, but from a fountain which will never dry. Even in portions of the word of God, which we had imagined barren of instruction, how often has the devout reader discovered truths which were the food and solace of his soul! As in all the works of their divine Author, the Scriptures seem to possess a kind of infinitude in either direction: in some sentiments which they develope there is a boundlessness and a grandeur which almost overpowers the limited conceptions of the human mind; and on the other hand, a propriety, and a justness, and a minuteness-a beautiful accuracy of thought, which fills the heart with wonder and admiration. We feel assured from their similarity that they must proceed from that infinite Spirit who garnished the heavens and clothed the lily of the field; breathed intelligence and moral greatness into the mind of an archangel, and formed the insect's wing: who weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance, and gave fibres to every leaf, and to every blade of grass.

Nor do the Scriptures ever become antiquated; we mean in thought and sentiment. In every department of literature books are constantly being superseded by new discoveries which render the old treatises useless, except as matters of curiosity to teach us what was once thought on the subject: but after all that has been written and discovered in these last days, what single statement of the Scriptures has been disproved? Discoveries which have shone into the darkness-hundreds of volumes of the works of men— have only illustrated, and confirmed the word of God. And for history, for poetry, for morality, but above all for a complete system of religion which shall support the hopes, remove the fears, and satisfy the moral cravings of the human mind, and at the same time, stand the test of the most rigorous investigation of enlightened reason, with what book could we supply its place? "It has remained for ages a splendid and immutable fabric, which time could not crumble, nor persecutions shake, nor revolutions change; which has stood amongst us like some stupendous and majestic Appenine, balanced on the base of its eternity; the solemn memorial of what was, the sublime prediction of what must be." Secondly. The Scriptures have a happy influence on the conduct.

Few that are accustomed to make observation, can have failed to perceive how much the formation of character depends on the scenes, and society, and sentiments with which the mind is conversant. If the objects of its familiar intercourse be mean, trivial, and unimportant, such will generally be the character of the mind and of the deportment. Hence the importance of having our companions and pursuits of a nature which shall expand, enlarge, refine, and ennoble, rather than degrade and demoralise the soul; hence

also the importance of a judicious selection of the books which we read; for, next to the actual scenes in life, few things exert a more powerful influence on the conduct and the character, than the course of our reading. But with what volume can we make ourselves familiar, where we shall find precepts so just and holy, examples so benevolent and pure, or doctrines so sublime and affecting as the Bible. The natural tendency of these, from the very character of the human mind, must be good, and the attentive reader of Scripture will have observed how fully this tendency is recognised throughout that sacred volume.

But it must not be overlooked, that whilst the Scriptures are admirably adapted as an instrument to effect the purposes designed by them, they are only an instrument; the excellency of the power is of God, and it is only as accompanied by the Holy Ghost that they become the means of salvation. Truth, however excellent, however important, does not operate on the heart and life as a charm or talisman; the heart is renewed and the life reformed by it; but it is truth understood and believed, approved and obeyed, truth carried home to the heart by the Spirit of God. How earnestly should we pray that the Holy Spirit might thus accompany divine truth to our hearts. When thus attended, it becomes the means of conversion. The Almighty can effect his gracious purposes by any means: even the wrath of man shall praise him; and the varied dealings of Providence are often employed to subdue the stubborn heart, and to turn the wayward will to God. But the more ordinary method is through the instrumentality of the word of God. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." "Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth."

By the same means the soul is sanctified, or made to advance nearer and nearer to the moral image of God. "And now, brethren," says the Apostle Paul, "I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified." "But God be thanked," says the same Apostle, that ye were the servants of sin; but ye have obeyed from the heart, that form of doctrine which was delivered you ;-(ye have taken the impression of that mould of truth into which ye were cast.) "Sanctify them by the truth, thy word is truth."

The holy Scriptures are also the armoury of the Christian, from whence he draws weapons both offensive and defensive. Having described the different parts of the divine panoply, the Apostle says:-"Above all, taking the shield of faith, whereby ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." They are a source of consolation in trouble. Next to prayer nothing probably so allays the perturbations of the heart, calms

the tumultuous passions of the soul, or assuages the sorrows and the anguish of a wounded spirit, like the devout perusal of God's holy word. It is there we learn the design of afflictions, the source whence they proceed, and the manner in which they should be borne it is there we are taught by precept and by example not to sorrow as those who have no hope, but to anticipate the rest which remains for the people of God: it is there that like Moses we rise to an eminence, from which we can look across the plains, and rivers, and fertile fields of the promised land. We may conclude therefore as we began, "Blessed is the man who delighteth in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth meditate day and night; he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

II.-An Examination and Exposure of the Hindoo Shastras, and Defence of the Christian Scriptures.

[Concluded from page 84.]

4.-Examination of the god Siva.

Síva cut

Many of you worship the God Síva, as he is called. off the head of Bramhá, and thereby committed Brahmá-hatyá, or murder of Brahmá; for this fault, in the guise of a mendicant, with the skull-bone cleaving to his hand, he wanders about begging.

Also, it is related of him, that being pleased with the religious rites of Bánásur, he became a porter at his door. It is also related that Bhasmásur sacrificed to him to obtain his blessing, that upon whose head soever he should lay his hand, he should be reduced to ashes. When Síva had given him this blessing, and Bhasmásur came to him to put his hand on his head, that he might destroy him and get his wife, Síva, being afraid of death, fled, and secreted himself in the flower called Sívalingá.

It is also said of him, that he wears a dried skin of some beast, has a snake about his neck, rubs his body with ashes, and dwells in the places of the dead.

Considering these and other things too abominable to be related, it appears, that as is Bramhá, and as is Vishnu, so is Mahádéva. The whole of the works of Síva are contrary to the nature of God, and are disgraceful. There certainly is no intimation or evidence that he is a god. His practices are even below the nature of men. In his life, there is begging, door-keeping, fear of death, lustful practices, murder, and such like mean and shameful works, united to and flowing from him; and such cannot be the works of God. These are relations fit only to destroy the virtue of the youthful

5.-Examination of inferior gods, &c. Besides these three gods, we must notice some of the inferior

ones.

It is said, that Gunésha coming uninvited to a sacrifice of Daksha-prajapatí, a Bírabhadra cut of his head, and that when the gods could not find his head, it having been eaten up by a demon, they placed an elephant's head on his body, and restored him to life. Afterwards, when Párvatí came to the place of sacrifice, she became ashes, and Síva knowing this, came up in great wrath, and created a demon from his bunch of hair, which destroyed the sacrifice, killed Daksha, and all who were assembled with him.

Again, your Kartikeyasir was born with six heads in one body, from the six sacrifices of the six Kartíkas. These Kartíkas seeing so uncomely a figure, threw him aside, and as Síva and Párvatí passed, they saw him on the grass, and took him up and kept him.

Besides these, you worship several other gods, and many goddesses, as Durgá, Kálí, Shyámá, Chandí, Mangalá, Bimalá, Komalákyí, &c. and presenting offerings of goats, fowls, buffaloes, &c. rejoice in them, supposing you will obtain salvation; but if the foregoing gods be deficient in power to save, how can these deliver you?

Moreover, there is among you the worship of serpents, the worship of the aspen-tree, the worship of tools, weapons, &c. which things you salute; thus have you gods many.

Hear now what Paul said to the Athenians, as related in the holy book, "We ought not to think that the godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device;—and the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now he commandeth all men every where to repent." Again, to the Romans, it is written, that "they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature instead of the Creator." Again, to the Corinthians, it is said, that "an idol is nothing in the world; and that there is none other God but one. But to us there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." This Jesus Christ is the Mediator. 6.-Examination of the Gurus.

Have you examined your Gurus? They appear to travel all about the country for the purpose of demanding gifts from those persons whom they suppose have wealth about them, while themselves are destitute of divine knowledge; and when these Gurus cannot succeed in obtaining the gifts they ask, they make pretences that they will injure the persons who refuse them. They are as wolves