observe that special providence, which after this conference, ordered our singing at family worship the two last verses of Ps. xxvii. and our reading Mat. x. where in this case I was instructed, forewarned, and comforted. But thereafter I was baited with a temptation to fainting in the matter, and my courage damped. This was a heavy exercise to me that night. I prayed, read, meditated, struggled, urged my heart with these scriptures, Mat. iv. 39; Prov. xxviii. 21; Acts xvii. 26, hard put to it, but still in hope the Lord would not leave me to "transgress for a piece of bread.” But as I was putting off my clothes for bed, my text I was to preach on came into my mind," He came unto his own, and his own received bim not." This enlivened my heart with zeal and courage to speak without sparing in his cause. But next morning the temptation was renewed; and I had never seen my own weakness in that point so much as I saw it then. Nevertheless I was still in hope that God would not suffer me to yield, but would help me to speak the word he should give me. After all this, as I was going down to the kirk, John Blackwood, another good man, and an elder, put me in mind, to be sure to hold off from reflections as far as I could; for the which I reprimanded him. In the issue, the Lord gave me freedom to preach his word, whatever was to become of me; and my soul found cause to bless the Lord, that that temptation had not prevailed to render me unfaithful in his work. p. 54.

To feel the full force of this paragraph, it should be known, that "the cast of Boston's temper was naturally slow, timorous, and diffident." p. 509.

In this passage, we have striking instances of the well-meant but ill-judged kindness of that class of men, who advise ministers as much as possible to avoid" the Cross" in their official course. They are among the worst tempters, to which the christian preacher is exposed. When they can answer for his sin in shrinking from self-denying duties, then may they with more propriety urge him to be cautious and time-serving, Till then, they ought to hold their peace; or receive the reprimand, "Away ye tempters." Matt. xvi, 23.

Those who are avowedly opposed to the distinguishing doctrines of the gospel are not the only men, who in some form or other will urge the christian minister to "prophesy unto them smooth things." None are more anxious to be soothed in their sins than the coldly orthodox. A reliance for salvation on lifeless speculations, however correct, often fills the heart with the bitterest enmity to practical religion. Those, who maintain this reliance, will be eager and clamorous in their demands for what is often called highly doctrinal instruction. Any effort to give divine truth a practical form to send it home to the "bosoms and business" of men, will give them offence. Now these men, the christian preacher is to resist with as much promptness and energy as the openly heterodox. To yield to their wishes would be to dishonor his Master and injure their souls. So thought Thomas Scott. His bearers were continually crying, Give us the doctrines of

grace. In plain, practical views of our obligations, as moral agents, we feel little interest. Such views do not edify us. We are no Pharisees. We make no account of our good works in our expectations of Heaven. We do not like to be urged to perform them. But in such views of truth and duty, Scott saw the workings of an "evil heart of unbelief." Such a heart, in any one, he durst not gratify. Instead of humoring his people, he did his utmost to face them. He gave them such instruction, not as they desired, but as they needed. In so doing, he calmly expected, and fearlessly met their frowns. The same trial is to be expected in many highly orthodox communities. Let it be sustained in the spirit, which animated the heart of Boston, and all will be well.

The following extracts, taken from different parts of the private writings of Boston, cannot fail, we think, to interest our readers. Our clerical readers in particular will not need our assistance in deriving from them valuable lessons of instruction.

Thereafter, meeting with Abbay above mentioned, his foolish talking afforded me heavy reflections on the unedifying course of ministers, and my own among others, as one great cause of the unsuccessfulness of the gospel —A godly countryman told me, that he had not so much of that sermon to carry away as usual. I resolved to be shorter; and learned from these things, that however my gift seems to be plain, I have need of dependence on the Lord, ever for plainness in treating of gospel mysteries. Mr.F. had given the aforesaid elder a very indifferent character of me, saying, that now they were going to call a new upstart, one that broke the thowles. This character from that good man was affecting to me; considering that going under such a character, I was so unholy, my corruption pre vailed so much over me, and that I was really weak in comparison with others, who took a more smooth way than I durst take in my public performances and so it convinced me of my need to live more near to God. -I was comforted by a christian woman, blessing God that ever she saw ine, and shewing me that never one had read her case, as the Lord had helped me to do, in my sermons first and last.In the morning of the Lord's day, I took some thought of my notes, the rather to keep my heart steadfast, lest by worse meditations altogether, it should not so well be held fixed, but beguile me, as sometimes before. And this I reckon was the occasion of bringing me off from that way of spending the Sabbath morning in such meditations; and in coming over from it to the other method, of thinking on my notes, I designed impressing my heart with what I was to deliver, and to get it kept in a frame for preaching.- Coming home, I saw occasion to bless the Lord for His return to me in public ordinances; and went immediately into my closet for secret prayer: the which sinęs that time all along unto this day, hath been my ordinary practice.

:

There are many weighty thoughts and choice sayings scattered through the private writings of Boston, which are worthy of being inscribed upon the hearts of his readers.

The evening exercise on the question concerning the providence of God was sweet to me; and in converse after it, it was a pleasure to think and speak of the saint's ground of encouragement from that head under trouble, particularly, how it is their God, that guides the world; and nothing do they meet with but what comes through their Lord's direction; how he weighs their troubles to the last grain, that no more falls to their share than they need; and how they have a covenant-right to chastisements, to the Lord's dealing with them as with sons, to be rightly educated, not as servants, whom the master will not strike, but put away at the time. Communion with God consists in the Lord's letting down the influences of his grace upon the soul, and the soul's reacting the same in the exercise of grace.- -I have always observed, narrow thoughts of the doctrine of free grace, to be accompanied with narrow thoughts of the extent of the holy law. He intimated withal, that my style would be nauseous to the polite world, and that no book had yet been written on the depraved state of man, with true spirit and elegancy of expression. This did not much move me; for I do not think that way of writing is the way the Lord hath much used to countenance for the advancing of true Christianity. I have oftener than once observed, the more learned men easiest to please.

It has long been our opinion, that by a diligent, systematic improvement of their time and strength, ministers in general might with much success cultivate some of the branches of sacred literature. A fair and striking illustration of this opinion, we have in the course which Boston pursued. It would not, we think, be easy to find a more active and devoted pastor and preacher. He seems with much earnestness and strong delight and great success to have "preached the word in season and out of season." He published, we know not how many sermons, on practical religion. The meetings of the presbyteries, and general assembly; and especially the communion seasons in different parts of the country demanded no small portion of his time. His health, moreover, seems to have been far from firm. His wife was often ill, and for many years was confined to the house, and to the bed. Yet thus embarrassed and engaged, he found time with very indifferent helps to prosecute the study of Hebrew literature with much success and deep delight. On a subject, difficult, subtil, ill-understood, he found time to write a volume, of no ordinary value. Of this work, J. H. Michaelis did not hesitate to say " Adeo solerter et exquisite, circumspecte, ac solide, ex sedulo observatis naturalibus hujus doctrinæ principiis, plurimum Reverendus auctor hoc argumentum pertractavit, ut cæteros, qui a me visi aut lecti fuerunt, longe post se relinquat."* If Boston amidst his labors and embarrassments

*With such exquisite skill, ability and caution, has the reverend author examined this subject in its fundamental principles, that he has far surpassed all athers whom I have read or seen.

found time and strength to accomplish so much in promoting the interests of sacred literature, what might not be accomplished in our country in advancing the same cause, if christian ministers generally were animated with his spirit. Their advantages for prosecuting with success their sacred studies, are incomparably superior to those which fell to his lot. Oh, that they would but equal him in the diligence and delight, with which he improved the talents, committed to his trust! Amidst his severest trials, it is interesting to observe how deep and permanent a source of enjoyment he found in his sacred studies.

I have been, (he writes,) most comfortably surprised with discoveries of the Lord's mind in His word of the Hebrew text, which he has been pleased to make to me by means of its accentuation. Particularly the discovery of the true sense of that passage, Gen. xlix. 10, by that means, did so affect, strike, and transport me, that it did most sensibly affect my very body, and that from head to foot. And by the light into the Lord's word so given me, I have found my soul sanctified, and made to love the Lord.

The memoirs of Boston are particularly interesting to the christian, and especially the christian student and minister, on account of the full and detailed manner in which, in the various circumstances of life, he describes the state of his mind and of his heart. We have something more than the outside of things. While we see the manner in which he performed the labors and sustained the trials allotted him, we are deeply interested and much instructed. This is a capital point in biography. It is too little thought of by most of those, who write their own memoirs or the memoirs of others. They give us a list of the results without an account of the means, by which they were secured. Had we a particular account of the different states of mind, through which Jonathan Edwards passed in writing his work upon the freedom of the will, it would be worth more to the public than all the memoirs of his life that have ever been written. The hint here given, might, we think, be profitably enlarged upon, and fully illustrated. Will not the numerous authors who write biography, attend to the suggestion?

ART. III.-REVIEW OF TYLER'S LECTURES ON FUTURE PUN

ISHMENT.

Lectures on Future Punishment. By EDWARD R. TYLER, Middletown, Conn. Printed by Parmelee and Greenfield. pp. 180. 12mo.

No question of a more serious nature can be agitated in this life than that which relates to the condition of the soul in a future and everlasting state. And as that state is to be passed under the government of the Creator, He alone is able to tell us what scenes of interest lie beyond the grave, and are to make up the destiny of immortals. Man never acts more rationally, therefore, than when, desirous to know the real truth, he takes up the book of divine revelation to inquire what God reveals concerning eternity. Though conscious of ill-desert and filled with apprehension of evil, it will do him no injury to learn the worst, and it may be of everlasting benefit to his soul. With these feelings, thousands have consulted that book, and found in it the doctrine of everlasting punishment. And thousands who have discovered the doctrine there, overwhelmed with anguish at the evil of their sin, have been heartily humbled before their offended Maker, and accepted with penitent and grateful feelings, the forgiveness offered them through Christ; and, having passed with blessed peace and composure through this life and the darkness of the grave, are now singing before the throne of God and the Lamb, the song of everlasting redemption.

Everlasting punishment is to be understood, as one of the final results attendant on the moral government of God over his creatures. It is a result which is secured, not by the act of creative omnipotence, nor by the application of moral government, but by sin-the voluntary transgression of beings when created and placed under such a government. Rom. vii. 13. Rightly explained, the doctrine of eternal punishment implies that God governs the rational creation by law, and that the penalty which he annexes to transgression is endless; -that under his government there are transgressors, and that those transgressors for whom no redemption is provided, and those for whom it is provided but who refuse to accept it during their appointed season of probation, experience the penalty in an everlasting punishment. The doctrine, thus understood, is of deep practical importance to mankind. To the unpardoned sinner it brings home the impressive warning, that except he repents, within the uncertain period of God's forbearance, he shall perish. To the justified believer too, it brings