for evil; and require the control of enlightened judgment and sound discretion, no less than of benevolent purpose. Their constant tendency is to excess, and all excess is mischievous.

[To be continued.]

M. L. H.

THE VARIETY OF PREACHING.

Perhaps there was never, at any given period, a greater variety, both in the manner and doctrines of those that preach the gospel, than at the present day. To describe all these varieties would not be practicable, were we to confine ourselves to a small circle of churches.

There are some who place little or no value upon the preparations of education and learning. The grand requisite or qualification is zeal; and that zeal is to be caught from what they esteem a special divine impulse. There are others that hold that ignorance is not, in these days, thus miraculously enlightened; that a study of the scriptures, a knowledge of their original tongues, and of the manners and customs of the age in which the scriptures were written, and the characters of the people to whom they were addressed, furnish important helps to understand their sense and spirit. They therefore submit to long, patient and prayerful discipline, before they attempt to teach.

Some choose the leader whom they resolve to follow in all his explanations of scripture doctrines: they

wed themselves to the name of that leader, never suffer themselves to doubt of his correctness, and follow his rules in all their teaching. Others call no man master; they examine for themselves, and feel bound to propagate no doctrine because another uninspired man has maintained it. Free as the air, their thoughts circulate through the whole compass of scripture doctrine; bound by no rules, save such as are clearly laid down by Christ and his Apostles.

Some dwell always upon dark and cheerless topics. They see nothing but the corruptions and weaknesses of human nature. They catch eagerly at those scripture delineations of God and his providence, which represent him in the most awful images; and therefore, in their teachings, they are always holding to view the 'terrors of the Lord.' Others see the better traits of human nature and the milder attributes of the Deity, and therefore speak more confidently of pardon and acceptance.

Some are moved with envy of other teachers or of the success of other sects, and resort to a variety of expedients to draw attention to themselves, to gain proselytes to their own sect, to steal away the hearts of those who have followed other teachers, to thin the seats of other congregations and fill their own. Others aim at doing good with more singleness of purpose; they desire to break over no bounds, to enter into no man's labor; they rejoice that men are won to faith and goodness, to repentance and its fruits, whoever may have been the happy teacher that has found success.

If we extend our observation wider, we see all christendom separated into larger divisions; churches that

embrace whole empires, locked fast in the belief that the church can make sale of pardons and indulgences: others that claim the right of Apostolic ordination, and the power of breathing the Holy Ghost into their teachers. We see a variety of minor churches, which have broken loose from these bonds, but which claim, each for itself, some peculiar authority and value for its forms of worship.

What now ought the plain inquirer for truth and duty to think and judge in circumstances like these? Shall he pray that the mouths of all teachers but one class shall be stopped, or that all churches but one shall be suppressed? No! we can find a better instructer than that bigotry which would suggest such wishes; and if we resemble Paul in his christian temper, we can resemble him also by saying, 'Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence or truth, Christ is preached, and I therein do rejoice and will rejoice. Paul had become known throughout a considerable part of Asia and Europe, and then was thrown into prison by an unchristian government. A variety of less worthy and less honest teachers gathered courage, when Paul was in bonds. 'Some preach Christ of envy and strife,' (says he) and he names another motive 'thinking to add affliction to my bonds.'-But Paul generously rejoiced that in any way Christ was preached. He knew that a knowledge of the character of Jesus as the Messiah would be promulgated by them all; his death, his resurrection, and many of his miracles asserted and defended; his discourses repeated; his doctrines of immortality and a retribution proclaimed; and though some mistakes and errors might

go forth with them, yet these might be corrected at some future time, by wiser and better teachers; and therefore, on the whole, he would not stop the mouths of those who preached of envy and strife.

Do Paul's words imply that some good might be done by preachers who were but very imperfect Christians? So it would seem. Those that hear and learn, know not the hearts of those who teach; and therefore, by judging of the reasonableness of their doctrines and of the pertinency of their exhortations, they may be edified. Balaam exercised the gift of prophecy, though a very defective servant of God. Saul was amongst the prophets, though cast off at last as unworthy of divine favor. Jonah, who carried the prophetic denunciations to a corrupt city, was but a poor peevish child of passion. Judas was amongst the twelve; and Paul rejoiced in the partial good produced by those who preached even of envy and strife.

If therefore there may pass within our notice, at the present day, some whose object seems to be, in part, to mortify some other teacher whose reputation they envy ;-some who are actuated by the pride of a sect, and who will leave no art untried to steal away the followers of other teachers, let us be calm and unmoved. Some good may come out of this evil. They may not win men away to destruction. The learner may have more singleness of heart than the teacher, and the teacher may inculcate enough of truth to lead to many duties. The gloomy publishers of terror may affect those hearts which love could never win; and those that whisper peace may melt the gentler spirits into love.

The Church that binds with the cords of infallibility, may bind to many rules of religious order; and the Church that is free, may lead free thoughts to noble attainments in knowledge and virtue. Were Paul alive, it is probable he would not interpose his authority to suppress any Church, any sect, or any class of teachers that bears the name of Christian.

If such should be our sentiments and feelings toward. the most selfish and designing, how ought we to feel toward those who are actuated by the sincere love of God and Jesus Christ, but who differ in things of an obscure and speculative nature? We can scarcely say that it is right to lament these differences. They are unavoidable; they are founded in the obscurity of the topics, in the ambiguity of human language, and the imperfection of the human understanding. We may even look upon them as agreeable proofs that men are free and exercise their own thoughts and form their own faith; for were all slaves to a dominant sect, all would be made to think alike, to disguise their opinions, or to have no opinion of their own.

D.

LINES ON THE DEATH OF MISS HANNAH ADAMS.

Mr. Editor: The following lines to the memory of Miss Hannah Adams, from the pen of one whose poetic contributions have frequently enriched the pages of the Advocate, I think delicate and discriminating. They were written after the perusal of the autobiography of