the result of Divine inspiration and arrangement, or whether he used them merely to meet on their own ground the unbelieving Jews,-who read little else but their own sacred books, and had no regard for any other proofs than those deduced from them—is a point that may admit of a doubt, and perhaps, at this remote period, be indeterminable. If, in common with his Jewish brethren, he did accept the whole as real verities, we have only an example in his case, as in others, how readily a noble and vigorous mind may be swayed by early prejudices and popular opinions, however in defensible, when religious investigation is confined principally to the dogmas and writings of those of our own sect or party, entertaining like general views,

But it gives me great pleasure to say, that notwithstanding the exceptionable character of much of the material used by Paul in illustration of his views, great and important practical truth lies at the basis of his teaching; truth in harmony with the Divine and human natures, and which, in its real significance, will command the regard and esteem of mankind, when systems of religion which rest on historical events, and deductions from ancient records, will have perished, with all their form and ritual and dogma. Christianity or the Christdoctrine, in itself, as inculcated by Paul and his fellow-apostles, is not a system of speculative opinions and abstract theories, such as those embraced in the popular theology, which shock reason, conscience, and the divinest and holiest sensibilities of our nature. It has not in it a particle of vicarious righteousness, to be dispensed to transgressors to avert from them the eye of omniscient God, and make it possible or admissible for Him to accept them as his children, and heirs of eternal blessedness, by looking upon them as righteous in his son while sinful in themselves. No such "atonement" as this, to be received by a strong and

delusive persuasion, under the idea of faith in the substituted righteousness and suffering of another, is recognized in the teaching of Paul. The faith of the gospel by which men are justified, as exhibited by him, is not a mere assent of the mind to the existence of any fact, either external or spiritual. It is not a belief that the righteousness or right-doing of Jesus of Nazareth, or any other being in earth or heaven, is or can be imputed to us as the ground of our justification, or as the condition on which God will save either a part or the whole of the human family—thus making something outside of God better than God, and supplying an imperfection of the laws he had established for the government of man, and that by the perversion and violation of eternal principles of moral rectitude! But it is a faith which carries with it good works, right practice, as an essential concomitant, inseparable from its being; without which, as James says, it as really is dead as the human body is dead without the spirit that animates it (chap. ii. 26). It is such a faith in God as brings him who has it into practical conformity with the perfections of God, which necessarily constitute the only basis of righteousness in God himself or any of his creatures.

Such as will further appear in the sequel-is substantially the Christianity of Paul, or as he terms it, "the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of the Christ."* Not meaning by "mystery," as Macknight weil observes, that the Christ-doctrine "was something that could not be understood," but, on the contrary, important spiritual truth, which, as to its essential principles, has existed through all ages, and which

The word Christos, Christ, signifies the anointed or anointer, from Chrio to anoint; it answers exactly to the Hebrew mashiach, which we pronounce Messiah or Messias.*** It should be regularly translated The Messiah, or The Christ; whichever is preferred; the demonstrative article should never be omitted." Adam Clarke on Mat. i. 16.

To the Editor of THE FRIEND.

I

HAVE just returned from our Quarterly Meeting at Westbury. Although as a Hicksite Quaker I have no special claim upon your periodical, I still take it for granted that matters which pertain particularly to our Society may sometimes be of interest to the readers of an "Independent Monthly." There was nothing in the business before the meeting to call for special notice; we had the usual amount of routine business, conducted with the usual deccrum, by the aid of an unusually efficient clerk.

The occasion however was marked by one notable feature: we had with us several members of a Yearly Meeting's Committee appointed for the special purpose of encouraging and promoting a better attendance of our meetings. This looks like work. I am greatly rejoiced that such a committee has been appointed. Very likely it will accomplish but little directly, but it will show the way for more important action. I begin to hope that before long the members of our society (and others too) will go into committee of the whole upon this subject of attendance of meetings; and if the Editor will permit, I do not know of a more convenient place for this great committee to begin its deliberations than may be found in the pages of The Friend.

It is a question whether the scanty attendance at our First-day and other meetings, is owing to a real deficiency of religious sentiment, or to other

causes. If it is owing to a lack of religious susceptibility, the case is very lamentable. For one, I do not think it is. So far as I am able to judge, the young men and women of the Society are remarkably upright, intelligent, and prompt to obey the requirements of conscience. There is very little in their deportment to warrant a charge of moral turpitude against them. This being the case, it is idle for any committee to go about saying, "Dear young friends, why don't you go to meeting? It is your duty to go to meeting.' For I may be very regular in my attendance of meeting, without being qualified to judge concerning my neighbor's duty. If I assume to lecture him for not conducting himself as I do, I shall only make mischief. I hardly hope that the present committee will be able to avoid this error altogether. Let them do the best they can.

My own belief is, that Friends no longer go to our meetings, only because they are unable to find satisfaction in what takes place there, and they despair of seeing any reform. Now if, instead of giving way to despair, they would take the trouble to state their views, temperately but persistently, I am confident that things would soon begin to improve. need a better Discipline, let propositions be offered, and, if necessary reiterated. If we need better preaching, let our old preaching-machine be overhauled. Away with this feeling of helplessness. This heritage of

If we

which we imagine the height of perfection when taking an outside view, are found each and all to be subject to various drawbacks and compensating disadvantages, so that a wise man may well be moved, as was Thoreau, to cast aside the troublesome comforts of modern times for the primitive simplicity of the woods.

Perhaps our most annoying and most indispensable luxury is "help." Knowing as they well know the utter helplessness of the housekeeper of to

be unendurable, if its victims could find any refuge from it.

Talk of the power and prestige of Mrs. Grundy! what are all her slurs or her inuendos compared to the verdict of the girl next door? Does not Mrs. Grundy herself get her information from this very source. Has she not more spies than the government at indeed, that

Rome ? So many sleeping or waking, home or abroad one is never unwatched, never secure. In fact

at

what is Mrs. Grundy herself, but a fully developed specimen of this same species. She is so vigilant that the most perfect tyrant might take lessons of her. Her emissaries are so well trained that the minutest particulars of your housekeeping do not escape her. The amount of your plate, the number of your forks and spoons, the quality of your carpets, the pattern of your under-clothes, are written down in a book of fate which may determine the happiness or misery of many a future year. How so? you ask. My dear Mrs. Innocent, do you suppose Mrs. Grundy will allow one of her faithful followers to serve in your house, unless your domestic arrangements and equipments come up to the conventional standard? But you say you can at least hope to find some one uncontaminated by Mrs. Grundy-You forget the girl next door. Will she not inquire at once of the new comer if you have set wash-tubs and a wringer, and the latest pattern of range, and hot and cold water in every room, and if you wash the dishes on Mondays, and a thousand other impertinent questions, which soon transform your hopeful neophyte into a querulous body like herself.

But after all the girls are not to blame, but their incorrigible mistress,

the aforesaid Mrs. G., and lest we do injustice to that much abused individual, let us consider a moment in what measure each of us are contributing toward the formation of her opinion. To be sure we do not busy ourselves with exactly the same kind of tattling which is common among servants, but we continually indulge in a refined species of gossip, to which the delicately trained ear of the demi-goddess of society is keenly alive.

How can we deny to those whose sources of recreation are so much more limited than our own, this pleasurable pastime of picking people's characters to pieces. Then do we not almost unconsciously encourage this trait, for the sake of the information we may obtain for ourselves. I heard a lady say to her maid, jokingly of course, " Mary you are not half so smart as Jane (her predecessor) was: I don't know near as much about my neighbors as when she was here." And Mary is not slow to improve the hint thus suggestively dropped, and soon emulates the former employee in her wonderful talent.

Charity, it is said, should begin at home, and so should reform; and the lessons we take closest to our own hearts are the ones we shall soonest teach to others.

"Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

No divided mind, no lukewarm enthusiasm, no blinking eye-sight will avail us in the search, which is to be the business of our lives. roads and difficult passes, towering heights and yawning chasms, lie be

Rugged

better work, a strengthening of the muscles for greater tasks.

If in undue haste for the ultimate, we fail to draw from each successful endeavor its full share of refreshment and invigoration, the flavor of life is