but the Messiah whom he proclaimed. When asked, whether he were the Christ, or not? he at once replies, that that most honourable of all designations belonged to another; that one was coming, mightier than he, the latchet of whose shoe he did not regard himself as worthy to unloose, and that whereas he had baptised them with water, that mightier one would baptise them with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Now, if we consider what was the significance of the word Messiah in the hearts of the Jews, the self-denial of this course of action will appear to us singularly beautiful. The Messiah was more to them, than any dream of freedom can ever be to the warmest enthusiast of modern times. His expected appearance embraced all that they could imagine of religious, political, social emancipation and happiness. When he came, Palestine was to resume its ancient position as a conquering nation; the bondage that cursed it for centuries was to be effaced; the Roman spoilers, under whose yoke it pined, were to be hurled indignantly from its shores; no Pagan hand would desecrate its altars; no Pagan incense would mingle with the sacrifices of the Most High. How immense the temptation, then, for the ambitious to personate this character! And we find, in effect, that many had risen, with an attempt to unfold its expected attributes. But John was not of this number. So profound was his reverence for God, so profound was his reverence for the real Messiah, that he thought it honour enough and dignity enough to minister to the purposes of revelation in whatever manner the Revealer might appoint. That it would not have been difficult for John to have passed for the Messiah, is manifest. He had numerous disciples, his preaching had produced a wide and striking effect, and he was more popular among the multitude than Jesus ever appears to have been; Jesus died in the midst of their execrations, and John in the midst of their regrets. That in the midst of such singular advantages and temptations, John remained faithful to his appointed task; that he shrunk from anything that might delude mankind, as to its real nature, and its proper end; that he sought every occasion to give solidity to the claims and splendour to the reputation of Jesus, shows humility in its truest form, and the spirit of sacrifice in its most heroic and unquestioning devotedness. The courage of John was no less remarkable than his humility. It was shown in every incident of his life; it was shown especially in the circumstance that is recorded in a portion of my text. Herod, a weak and vicious king, had been guilty of an action at which all delicate feeling and all sound morality revolt. While his courtiers and his flatterers would be willing to gloss over the blackness of its atrocity-while the Jews would scowl at the misdeed, but scowl in silence,-John alone, in the face of a corrupt court and of a trembling people, raised his emphatic accents to condemn it. What spectacle more sublime, than that of a martyr-spirit that lifts its solitary voice and presents its solitary strength against the subtle entrapments and the overwhelming force of despotism. John on the one hand, armed only with the authority of God, and Herod on the other, backed by the immense resources of the Roman empire; what a strange contrast is this! and yet, how much it gives of elevation to the position and the character of the Baptist! It shows us, that moral power, however denuded of outward garniture and of outward means, is superior to material force, with the most complicated and successful machinery. Herod must have felt, that while shutting up John in the prison, he was the vanquished, and not the vanquisher. He must have felt, while endeavouring to expel remorse from intrusion into his brutal luxuries, that whereas he could only fetter John's limbs or destroy his life, John could fix the barbed arrows of despair into the conscience of a king; could make him more odious in the eyes of a nation that he ruled, and could wither his name with everlasting infamy. The inmate of the palace, and the inmate of the dungeon, differed widely as day and night in the external constituents of happiness. The one was girt by the splendours of royalty, moved in the pomp of state, was served by crowds of obedient domestics, was guarded by the glittering array of numerous troops; his imagination had only to conceive, his will had only to command, and every pleasure that earth bestows came smiling at his call; but there was a pang of misery in the depth of his bosom that none of all these things could expel. The other, lay lonely in his damp cold cell, fed on coarse and scanty food, holding no communion with human beings, listening to no voice of friendship, soothed by no tear of sympathy, while the gloomy bars permitted not the sweet radiance of the sun to visit his longing eyes, and the silence of his solitude was never broken but by the clanking of his chains; but there was a peace of mind, a holy rapture, an unchanging faith, which all this apparatus of oppression could not quench. The one was happy on his pallet of straw, because he could commune with his conscience and his God; the other was wretched on his couch of down, because he could commune only with the demons of passion and of guilt that peopled his soul. Such is the power of courage! such is the triumph of holiness! such is the reward of truth!-a power, a triumph, a reward, which the world can neither give nor take away. Let us honour, then, my friends, with our warmest gratitude and admiration, the memory of John. Let us honour his humility; let us honour his courage. His was not the greatness of commanding intellect; but it was the still higher greatness of moral earnestness and of moral energy. He was one of the truest, one of the boldest of men, in the midst of a backsliding generation. If he has not added to the treasury of human ideas, he has added to the still more valuable treasury of human examples. How few such men do we find at the present day! If we glance at all religious sects, and at all political parties, we find talent in abundance, but we find no pure and honest devotion to a principle. No man is willing to go forth, in the face of society, to proclaim his convictions. No man is willing to brave the enmity of the powerful, or the ridicule of the petty circle in which he happens to move. No one is willing to tell the community, of the rottenness, the error, the suffering, and the blood on which it is based. Oh would that we had a thousand such as John, to traverse the towns and the villages of our country to call men to repentance! The whole art of living, consists now only in the ingenuity of deceit; the whole of prudence consists only in the homage that we give to something which is called respectability!—be a respectable man, and nobody dares to question your claims or your opinions; the world has given you its passport, and you may go everywhere in safety and with welcome. Among you, my friends, how many are there, who would far rather be respectable than virtuous? If John, or Jesus, or Paul, lived at the present time, God might think them worthy to be martyrs; but you would scarcely deem them worthy to be received into the exclusive precincts of respectability. But I hope that there are higher aspirations in some of you: men willing to be honest themselves, and to applaud honesty in others, heedless of gilded decencies and hollow cant, and of the great Diana of our countrymen-respectability. MONTHLY RECORD. ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN UNITARIAN ASSOCIATION.- -We take the following account from the Scottish Guardian newspaper of this city, as quoted from a correspondent of the New-York Observer. Though there are some inaccuracies in its statements, it will suffice to prove to the members of the Church of Scotland-by whom the Scottish Guardian is supported -that Unitarianism, despite the assertion of the Rev. Dr. Chalmers, is not "dwindling away from public observation." The author of the following account may not know "where the 110 Unitarian Societies added to the number existing in 1825 are to be found;" but that they do exist our readers may rest assured. The 230 Unitarian Societies mentioned in the Report of the American Unitarian Association, are Congregational. The 300,000 worshippers, and 700 ministers, in the "Christian Connexion," who also are Unitarians, are independent of these. The Universalist Congregations, also Unitarian, are likewise independent of the number stated. The Society of Friends, comprising several hundred congregations, are also Unitarian. The attempt, therefore, to show that the Unitarian Societies have been recruited from, or formed by, societies formerly Universalist, is futile. Amidst every obstacle, Unitarianism in America is going forth conquering and to conquer. "The American Unitarian Association met at Boston on Tuesday evening, May 26. During the year, it has assisted twenty feeble societies, in various parts of the country. It also employed twelve missionaries, five in the northern and middle states, and seven at the west; and published between 60,000 and 70,000 tracts. A minister at the west had offered, that with the aid of 500 dollars from the Association, a permanent agency should be maintained there. The appropriation has been made. Since 1825 the number of Unitarian societies [congregations] has increased from 120 to 230. But they claim the Christians,' or, as they of late prefer to call themselves, the Christian Connexion,' which numbers more than 700 ministers and 300,000 worshippers. "I know not where the 110 Unitarian societies, added to the number existing in 1825, are to be found, though I have no doubt of their existence. For several years, the distinction between Unitarians and Universalists has been gradually disappearing, and some Universalist societies have been silently transformed into Unitarian. An instance has lately occurred in this city. The Rev. Paul Dean, pastor of the church in Bullfinch-Street, was a Universalist. He was understood to be of that class who hold that some, at least, of the human race will be punished after death, but only for a time, and that all will finally be saved. Some months since, the Rev. Frederick T. Gray, one of the Unitarian ministers at large' in this city, became his colleague; and on the 3d of May, Mr. Dean resigned his pastoral charge, and the resignation was accepted; so that now Mr. Gray is sole pastor, and the church is Unitarian. Probably much of the increase of Unitarianism is of this character. As both denominations generally reject the doctrines of the Trinity, the atonement, and the eternity of future punishment, such changes are very easy; and as, with many, Unitarian is a much more respectable name than Universalist, it is natural that they should occasionally occur. "At this meeting, the Rev. Henry Ware, Jun. stated that a person, whose name and residence are concealed, had appropriated 50,000 dollars to the cause of liberal Christianity; the income to be used for the encouragement of domestic missions.' I see, too, in the Christian |