SINS. The former causes are easily understood. This may be less obvious and accessible. The distress of the awakened and contrite heart is relieved by a persuasion of the grace of Christ in freely forgiving sin. When the penitent is led simply to credit this cheering truth and to act upon it, his extreme alarm subsides; for peace of conscience is the natural fruit of faith in the blood of the Redeemer. Being justified by faith, he has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; and he begins to walk in the ways of holy obedience with consistency, and with increasing spirituality and delight. But if he errs as to this scriptural course, if he mistakes the entire plan of the Gospel as a plan of salvation by grace, and continues to trust to himself, and to endeavour to establish his own righteousness, instead of submitting himself to the righteousness of Christ, his distress of mind is likely to increase, and, if other things concur, to plunge him at last into a settled melancholy. Though he is truly penitent, yet he dares not believe that he is. Though he is invited freely to the cross of the Saviour, yet he ignorantly excludes himself from its benefits. Though all of every character who feel and acknowledge their sins are urged to believe the Gospel, yet he conceives he is too great a sinner to venture to apply. Though he is instructed in the nature of the covenant of works and that of grace, yet he still clings confusedly to the law which can only condemn him. In the meantime, he labours and strives and watches and prays, but with little apparent success. Nay, he appears to himself to become worse. He mistakes the important doctrine of the necessity of evidences of his being in a state of salvation, for the necessity of his attaining certain previous qualifications to entitle him to come to Christ-an error of great magnitude. Thus he gra dually sinks into despondency. Like the stricken deer, he wanders here and there for relief, but in vain, unconscious that he carries about with him the instrument of his malady. His mistake is, that he thinks he must make himself better before he comes to Christ, instead of first approaching him with the humility of a helpless sinner, that he may obtain the pardon of his sins, and be sanctified by his Saviour's grace. Instead of this, he hopes to merit pardon and acceptance by his works. Hence he is filled with terror. His attempts fail, his performances are defective, and condemn him. Every discovery of the evil of his own heart and of the purity of God increases his perturbation and apprehension, and adds to his alarm. He comes at last to a settled dejection of mind, approaching to despair. But a still more frequent cause of this malady is SOME WILFUL SIN SECRETLY CHERISHED IN THE eursed thing in the camp of Israel, this must be cast out, before a scriptural peace can be enjoyed. I speak not of sins of ignorance or infirmity, nor of the effects of sudden temptation, nor of the disallowed imperfections which, through the defilement of indwelling sin, cleave to our purest thoughts and most righteous actions: these ought not to occasion religious depression. The humble Christian, daily examining his conscience and confessing and forsaking his sins, is cleansed by the blood of Christ from all unrighteousness. But if some course of habitual sin, whether secret or open, be entered upon, some palpable inconsistency admitted, something which lays waste the conscience or grieves the Holy Spirit, the consequence frequently is, and ought to be, religious depression. It is not necessary, in order to this, that a man should be altogether insincere or hypocritical, much less that he should openly renounce the truth of the Gospel. But if an allowed habit of evil has gained upon him, his serenity of mind must and will be proportionably disturbed. In a day of extensive religious profession like the present, such cases are not uncommon. Christians are betrayed into a conformity to the vanities or pleasures of the world. They indulge themselves in things which, if not grossly sinful, are yet inexpedient. They maintain no proper self-government over themselves. A haughty temper toward their inferiors, an envious disposition toward their equals, or a spirit of insubordination with regard to those placed in authority over them, steals in a certain measure upon their minds. Covetousness secretly set up as an idol in the heart, to use the expression of the Prophet, is a sin which eats as doth a canker. Five times only is lucre mentioned in the New Testament, and in each case the epithet filthy is added to it, to note the peculiar danger of this idolatry. Sins of impurity, again, secretly indulged, and perhaps justified by specious sophisms, have been, and are, the ruin of many. Whatever be the particular transgression, the effect of it is speedily seen in private devotional duties. These are either wholly neglected, or at least become heartless and languish. The circumspection is relaxed, and the simplicity of the soul is corrupted. Domestic cares leading men into unjustifiable methods of adding to their wealth, or the concerns of a trade or profession, conspire to deaden the heart. The Holy Spirit is quenched, and withdraws his influences. The mind, in which religion has been thus sickly, loses its tone and vigour; and when trouble comes on, it sinks into utter despondency. Even an excessive hurry and occupation from engagements in matters connected with religion, may have a similar effect, if they induce remissness in seeking God, and exclude secret and fervent communion with him. But the malady is not yet at its height. The unhappy Christian, now in a declining course, has, perhaps, many checks of conscience, many warnings and manifestations of divine mercy. Perhaps some event in the course of providence rouses him. Some awakening sermon startles him in his lethargy. Some open disgrace occurring in the church to a fellow Christian not more culpable than himself, infuses terror into his soul. He repents. He seeks to return to God. He seems to walk with the Saviour for a time in deep contrition and watchfulness. After a while, however, his old sins, like a wound imperfectly healed, break open afresh. He relapses into some known iniquity. These declensions and revivings recur again and again, like the periodical intermission and return of a fever. But by each relapse his state of mind becomes worse; till at length in some season of outward calamity, perhaps, his soul is overcome by dejection. He knows too much of true religion to be happy without it; yet acts too inconsistently to enjoy its pleasures. Conscience and inclination are at variance. He maintains fair appearances before his friends, and is as active, perhaps, as others in public concerns; but a worm secretly gnaws, as it were, his vitals, and a fixed melancholy pervades his mind. In addition to these causes of dejection, LONGCONTINUED AFFLICTION must likewise be mentioned. It is common to talk about afflictions, and it is easy to bear patiently the trials of others. We very readily recommend submission and resignation to a suffering friend. But to fall under the stroke of the Almighty ourselves, makes a different impression on the mind. If, however, the calamity be not overwhelming, or if it continue only for a short time, our faith may sustain it; especially if we apply the instruction of Holy Scripture, and submit with prayer and penitence to the will of God. But if the trial touch us precisely in our vulnerable part, or if it be continued long, and stroke succeeds stroke; if prayer appears not to be answered; if our case be conceived to be peculiar; if friends do not sympathise with us so tenderly as we expected; if God's mercies, which we thought were designed to comfort us, seem only granted to be withdrawn, and leave us tenfold more desolate than before; if the blessings of Providence appear to light upon others around us without visiting us; if the health and spirits, gradually worn and wasted with trouble, begin to fail, and the natural stoutness and fortitude of the mind to subside-then despondency is very likely to come on. Perhaps the wife or the husband is taken away, and one child and a second may be removed. Perhaps our circumstances become embarrassed. Perhaps long-continued persecution, so far as the happy constitution of our Protestant country will allow, oppresses us. haps an individual in our family or connexion who is most disposed and most qualified to irritate our temper, remains to harass us. Whatever the affliction may be, if the heart be long vexed within us, and wave upon wave beat over us, it may be expected that religious dejection will gradually follow, and the soul be led to brood in dark gloom over its trouble. Per To these causes must be added the TEMPTATIONS OF SATAN. This fell adversary lets nothing escape him. If he cannot destroy the soul, he will distress it and render it uncomfortable. His fiery darts are aimed at our weakest part. His suggestions to the imagination are like poisoned arrows. He sifts us as wheat. When the powers of darkness combine with external afflictions and a debilitated state of health and spirits, religious melancholy is often the consequence. Let it be remembered, however, that |