THE ANGEL'S FAREWELL TO THE BEATIFIED SOUL.

"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

And they who are numbered have ceased from To greet thee with anthems of gratitude here,

Praise Him whose great mercy thy manifold cares To wait on the heirs of salvation below,

"WHAT SHALL I DO TO BE SAVED ?"

We have said, that they who asked the question, "What shall I do to be saved?" in the Apostolic days, were, before, unbe

To all

HERE was a time, in the days of Apostolic simplicity, when this question was readily answered.-lievers in Christianity. The Church of Christ They who then asked it has not changed her dealings with man. She had been unbelievers in Christianity. holds up the conditional promise of salvation The first requisite for them, therefore, yet to all the world. Sometimes they who was to believe on the Lord Jesus never before heard of Christ at all, in foreign Christ." (Acts, xvi., 31.) If they and distant lands, present themselves to the believed that Jesus Christ is the minister of the gospel-tidings, with the great Son of God," (Acts, viii., 37,) they were question which heads this article. Somebaptized; because our Saviour has promised times unbelievers, who have lived in the salvation only to him " that believeth and is light of gospel truth, but who have regarded baptized." (Mark, xvi., 16.) In this ordi- its story as a chimera, or a figment of hunance, renouncing the wickedness of their man imagination, present themselves with past lives, they received the "remission of the same interrogatory. The Church of sins" that was promised in it, (Acts, ii., 38.) Christ has not changed her answer. By this initiatory rite they were said to "put who do not believe in her Lord and Master, on Christ."-(Gal. iii., 27.) They then she still exclaims, "Believe on the Lord "went on their way rejoicing."-(Acts, viii., Jesus Christ." Whenever any one acknow39.) Soon after baptism, the Apostles were ledges that " Jesus Christ is the Son of God," wont to "lay their hands on them," and in she ceases this cry, and offers to him the wathis confirmatory rite, "they received the ters of baptism. In a land like ours, the Holy Ghost."-(Acts, viii., 17.) Ever after-number is comparatively small, of those who wards, if faithful to their calling, they con- do not admit the truth of Christianity. To tinued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and such an one as admits it, it were a waste of fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in breath to cry believe, believe, when he is prayers."-(Acts, ii., 42.) The doctrine was already willing to admit the truth of what chiefly repentance: that is, "to forsake sin;" you say to him. His course is obviously to and faith that is, "to believe the promises be baptized; renouncing his sins, and supof God," made to them in his sacraments. plicating forgiveness for the past, and the asThe fellowship was, of course, the holding sistance of the Holy Spirit for the future; fast to a co-membership with all those ini-then, to receive the "laying on of hands," tiated into the Church by baptism. The breaking of bread was the "communion of the body of Christ;" and the bread was received with wine, which was the "communion of the blood of Christ."-(1 Cor., x., 16.) The prayers were the humble resort of needy children to a new-reconciled and affectionate Father. They were then to continue "faith-believe, and have ever believed, that "Jesus ful unto death," (Rev. ii., 10,) and, at last, through the atoning blood of the Lamb of God alone, who had purchased for them all these channels of grace and salvation, they were entitled to the "crown of life."-(Rev. ii., 10.)

66

or confirmation; and to go steadfastly on in his Christian path, in breaking of bread, in prayers, and in every duty of the Christian life. But there are many in our land, as in every Christian country, who have been baptized in their infancy, and who have not this portion of their work yet to do. They

Christ is the Son of God." They received the adoption of "children of God," and "heirs according to the promise," (Gal., iii., 29,) when they as babes "put on Christ" by Holy Baptism.-(Gal., iii., 27.) To them, if they propound this vital question, the

voice of the Church is, receive the "laying has promised to meet and bless the returning on of hands," and go "on your way rejoic-wanderer. To "go to JESUS" is indeed the ing." And if, perchance, this ordinance hath ever been complied with, she holds forth the sacred emblems of a Saviour's dying love, and entreats, while she commands, in her Master's name : 66 Take, eat." "Drink ye all of this." And if ye have received the initiatory rite of baptism, or the confirmatory rite of the laying on of hands; or if ye have partaken with your fellow Christians of the elements of the bread and wine, which outwardly shadow forth the inward" strengthening and refreshing" of the soul; if any one of these holy ordinances, or if all the three, have been ever received by you, and ye have yet come far short of the sacred requirements of your Lord, or have strayed far away from the "good paths" in which ye ought to walk, your duty is most plain: Return; renounce with prayer and fasting your transgressions. Stay not, to wait sinfully for feeling. Stay not, to wait sinfully for conversion or penitence to come to you. Stay not, because you are unfit to come. But proceed at once, to the full compliance with your Master's will, and there confess your sins in humbleness, and receive supplies of mercy and forgiveness from on high. Through the atoning merits of Christ alone, your sup-bleeding cross, at whose feet the relenting plications will be answered, and your imperfect obedience accepted.

only refuge of the sinner; but it is by complying with the appointments and ordinances of our LORD, with a renunciation of every sin, and a sole reliance on assistance from on high, that he is to go to his SAVIOUR. The SAVIOUR of the world must be reached in his own appointed way. But how many are there, professedly instructors in the ways of holiness, who do not teach in their Gospel simplicity, these plain and ancient truths of our religion; and yet, they cry out to the sinner, who would inquire the way to eternal life: "Go to Jesus; go to Him; go, cling to His cross; throw yourself at His feet; cast yourself at the foot of His cross; cling to Him, till ycu have found rest for your soul." As we have already remarked, this is all very well, if a right interpretation be given to these words. But if otherwise, and we would ask it with all reverence, what is the import of this language? The houses of worship, in which such things are uttered, are not adorned with visible and substantial images of CHRIST; there are no crosses there erected, towards which to point the penitent offender; no pictures or similitudes are there, of a waiting SAVIOUR, or a

suppliant may cast his body in humility and adoration. Our LORD himself most surely does not descend in a visible and tangible shape, at the sinner's cry; and to obtain His cross is now an utter impossibility. Is it that the pleader for Heavenly mercy must form a mental image of these objects of devotion? Is it but a self-created picture of his fancy, toward which the anxious soul is endeavor{ing to bend his gaze? Might it be but some impalpable and unreal vision, like Macbeth's " dagger of the mind,"

We have stated the Apostolic mode of procedure, when the great and vital question, What shall I do to be saved?" was propounded by any of their fellow-beings who were desirous of learning the way to eternal life. We have endeavored to show that the Church has not changed her reply, or her dealings with men in like cases. But in the answers which are given to this question, by many who are called ministers of the word of God, there has oftentimes appeared to us something extremely vague and undefined. The course which the inquiring sinner is di- If this SAVIOUR, and this cross, to an ignorant rected to take, appears involved in a mys-listener, are but images produced upon the reterious uncertainty, if not, as we have often feared, an unreality. "Go to JESUS," say thousands of preachers, without informing their listeners where our LORD most surely may be found of the suppliant; where He

"Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain ?"

tina of the mental vision, why then may not such a Protestant, like the Romanist whom he so much dreads and hates, make to himself Saviours and crosses, and other sacred emblems, of wood, or of wax, or of ivory, or

was their teaching, how very different their conduct, from this. Whether such a notion be the offspring of ministerial labors misdi

of some other material which has visibility and substance? And why before these may he not bow down and worship? What matters it then, or rather, why is it not prefer-rected, and ministerial inculcation of such able to have the sacred vision,

gross perversion of the truth; or whether it result from the vagueness and indefiniteness "Sensible to feeling as to sight ?" of instruction to which we have above referWe ask it in docility and reverence. In our red; it is not our present purpose to inquire. ignorance, we cannot yet understand what is It is sufficient to observe that our God is this mental and internal process, by which every where present; that His calls are to all, souls thirsting after righteousness may come and from the times of old, to repent; not by to CHRIST, before they have complied, in child-waiting for the grace of God, as mere suscilike submission and humility, with his out-pients of his goodness in His own good time; ward rites and ordinances. If it be true. but by arousing from lethargy and indolence that while a portion of the Christian world is and apathy; by renouncing and forever abanbowing before visible representations and si-doning the sins that have defiled our life, and militudes of sacred and holy realities, another cast contempt on his grace, by going forward is but agonizing and praying for support and with prayer and supplication and fasting to succour to some self-erected images and vi- the means of grace; and judging of our consions of their own crude fancy; then this is one dition before God, not by the uncertain and of the many thousand ways in which, in this delusive criterion of feeling or imagination, world of mysteries and marvels, "extremes" but by its effect on our daily walk and conapparently the most antagonistic, do often-versation. The genuine fruits of the Spirit times most strangely "meet." Truth lies, immovably based, at a circle's centre; while every form and shade of error is floating un-themselves in sincerity of motive, in kindness restrained around the circumference.

In conclusion, we have one insuperable objection to the manner of teaching which obtains with many bodies of Christians, and among some ill-advised members of our own communion, and which is especially the case with those who take part in, and consent unto, what are called revivals, protracted meetings, and the like. Whether designedly or undesignedly on the part of those who teach and preach, an impression does seem to go abroad and prevail, to the destruction, perhaps, of many precious souls for whom Christ died, that a man must wait until he feel some special moving of the Spirit of God-some more than ordinary call from Heaven to his soul, before he can turn from his ways of sin and wickedness, and acceptably serve his Creator; that he must be endued with more than ordinary power from the Holy Ghost to re-create his soul, before he can presume to wait upon God in His sacraments and ordinances. We have seen by an examination of the Apostles' rule and practice, how different

can germinate alone in a soul in which He hath taken up His abode; and will manifest

and forgiveness, in humility and integrity and charity, and all the blending and beautifying graces that adorn regenerate humanity.While the atoning sacrifice of the only Mediator between God and man is our sole refuge and hope of salvation, we must employ those divinely instituted means and channels for the communication of the Blessed Spirit, which are offered in the Church of Christ; waiting for no further calls and invitations than have been vouchsafed to fallen man for ages; and which the holy Church hath been proclaiming, and doth still proclaim, to all who will come up to her sacred courts; who will come and " drink of the water of life freely;" who will come up, and “buy wine and milk without money and without price."

Our covenanted relation with the Father of our spirits is such, that we have but to fulfil, with earnestness and faith, our part in the sacred contract; for that which is God's to do," He for his part will most surely keep and perform." B. B. G.

Cambridge, Maryland.

SELECT ORATIONS OF M. TULLIUS CICERO, (a translation of the work, and use it secretly, WITH NOTES FOR THE USE OF SCHOOLS AND which was often done. A few pupils of indoCOLLEGES, by E. A. JOHNSON, Professor of Latin in the University of the City of New-York. mitable perseverance became good scholars; the Appleton & Company, 200 Broadway, New-rest became discouraged, and abandoned the study of the classics altogether.

York. 1850.

This book, comprising some 450 pages, is more Other teachers, to save themselves the trouble than two-thirds of it occupied with critical and of being frequently consulted, did not hesitate to explanatory notes, both original and selected. No allow their pupils the free use of trauslations in where is the march of improvement more clearly getting their lessons. This was the other exseen than in the later editions of the Greek and treme, and a very superficial knowledge of the Latin Classics, prepared for the use of Schools.classics was the consequence, which the pupils, It was once the practice to give a boy the bare in after life, found to be of little or no use to text, and let him worry at it till his patience was them, and hence came to place a low estimate well nigh exhausted, when he was allowed to ap-upon their value.

ply to his teacher for help. The teacher gave

Professor Johnson's Notes upon this edition of him what little insight he thought prudent, and Cicero's Select Orations we consider of inestimasent him to his form to make another trial. Itble value, as they appear to be exactly calculated would not do for the teacher to explain too much, to remedy the difficulties which exist between as that would make the pupil indolent. This the use of the bare text, which discourages apwas a strong temptation for the latter to procure plication; and of literal t anslations, which en