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souls be a motive to teach? If so, we should begin at home, and this were teaching first those we love most. If probability of success be an encouragement and a motive, we should begin at home; for with whom are we more likely to succeed than with our children—with those who look upon us as the wisest, the best, and the greatest? In short, if the glory of God be a motive, we should begin at home; for if we could inscribe our lessons upon universal nature, and telegraph our instructions by the sun, this would not promote the glory of God, if our families are neglected. Let us, therefore, as the heads of families, employ the means put within our reach, and sow in the minds of our children and servants the seeds of righteousness and holiness, that our families may become as nurseries to the church. Do not rest satisfied with merely speaking to them

-a duty which can be performed in no other way than by teaching them the knowledge of the sacred writings, which are "able to make them wise unto salvation." Servants, as well as chidren, ought to participate in the instructions imparted in these domestic seminaries, since they are, by Providence, placed, for a season, under our care. It is not for masters to exercise dominion over their consciences, nor to substitute their own opinions concerning the gospel, in place of the gospel itself; but rather to teach them "the truth as it is in Jesus," and persuade them "to flee from the wrath to come," by a believing reception of the gospel, and by giving themselves up to the Lord by public profession. We frequently find reason to lament the inconsistency-we will not say the folly of many professors of religion, who would, in regard to this duty, begin at the wrong end. Instead of descending from generals to particulars-from wholes to parts -it would be acting the part of consistency to ascend from particulars to generals, which, certainly, is the order of nature. Who will give a person credit for the purity of his motives in contributing towards the pecuniary support of religion, if that person give It was an important part of the much towards sending the gospel priest's office, under the law, to make abroad, and little or nothing to sup-intercession for the people. Jesus port it at home. The same reasoning is applicable to those who would be teachers everywhere except at home -who would have all to become their disciples but their own households. Let us rather, if we think we possess teaching qualifications, begin to exercise those talents at home, then at the Sunday school, and, last of all, from the pulpit. Nothing would be more difficult than to believe that man to be in earnest, who publicly warns his neighbours "to flee from the impending vengeance," but who seldom or never informs his own household that the "Son of Man is come to seek and save the lost." We will venture to ask whether love to

but endeavour to enlighten their understandings, and through the understanding to touch their hearts, and through the heart to influence the conduct; and so their light will shine before men, who, seeing their good works, will glorify their Father who is in heaven.

Christ, as the great antitype of the Jewish high priest, is represented as living for ever to make intercession for the whole family of God on earth. So every Christian parent ought to make the care of his family his own, and plead for them at the throne of grace. And as the Author of Christianity is the encourager of virtue, He has connected some personal benefit with the faithful discharge of every duty; and we shall find, if we attend regularly to this duty, that the enjoyment of some very valuable blessings will be the result. The worship of the Supreme Being, as conducted in our families, is a seminary in which we shall learn many excellent lessons

-it gives a kind of education to the kindlier feelings of the human heart. It is a truth familiar to most of those whom we address, that the Author of our nature has appointed that man shall learn continually, and learn by example and practice. Now, family worship will call into exercise many feelings of the human heart, which nothing else will do, at least in the same degree. It will be readily admitted that sincerity is essential to prayer; and if sincerity is ever to become a constant habit of the mind, it is to become such by exercise, and what can be more likely to draw out this Christian virtue than pleading for those who are so nearly bound to us by the ties of nature? When we think of a person praying for an enemy, the idea of sincerity would, probably, not be the first suggested to our minds. But, as it is so natural to us to love our offspring, that it may not be unreasonably considered as the second great commandment of nature inscribed on the tablets of our hearts, if a man may be supposed to be in earnest when pleading for himself, we cannot, without justly incurring the imputation of much uncharitableness, entertain any doubts in respect to his sincerity and earnestness when his children are the objects of his intercessional addresses to the Throne of Mercy. When, therefore, by exercising it in relation to your families, this sincerity has become a fixed disposition and habit of the mind, it will naturally enter into the essence of prayer when offered up in behalf of your neighbours, for your Sovereign and country, when you plead for the heathens, or intercede and implore pardon for your enemies.

There is another thing which we have frequent occasion to lament, which is a hardness of heart, and an absence of that fervency of feeling, which we know is essential to the spirit of prayer. Domestic worship is a remedy for this. Have you not repeatedly experienced, when labour

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ing under this unpleasant state of
feeling, your thoughts turned upon the
circumstances of your children and
family, and immediately the icy bonds
of nature were dissolved into that
warmness of feeling so congenial with
the nature of the exercise in which
you were then engaged.
Let us,
therefore, not flag in our attention to
this duty, "and in due time we shall
reap, if we faint not."

All heads of families ought to "rule well their own houses, having their children in subjection with all gravity." This every parent will generally acknowledge, and which every Christian parent is, by the nature of his profession, constrained to admit. At first view, this subject would appear comparatively easy, as nothing more is thought necessary than "to break down the wills of children” in time, and not to spoil them by over-indulgence. The right principle of exercising domestic authority is not, we opine, a less revealed truth than the plan of human redemption and restoration. Indeed, it was this plan, and the conduct of our universal Parent towards us, His disobedient and rebellious children, that unfolded it. But man was not only an undutiful child, but an enemy to his beneficent Parent. We will therefore reason thus-If gentle means are the most suitable to overcome enemies, and make them friends, much more, then, are those means the fittest to govern those so closely united to us by the bonds of love and natural affection. Now, it was God himself that taught us the true philosophy of this subject. To overcome an enemy, without injuring him, is an idea worthy of God as its revealer. None of the sages of antiquity knew any thing about it; no, none of their heroes, statesmen, moralists, philosophers, legislators, understood this principle. Every Christian mechanic, however, knows that our Father in heaven has placed his disobedient, hostile children, under a renovating, transforming, morally

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ed. The truth which we are endeavouring to establish, rests upon two of those principles. The first is, like things produce their like. The second is, contraries are subdued by contraries. This principle has ten thousand vouchers for its truth throughout the length and breadth of the vegetable and animal kingdoms of nature. Every herb, every flower, and every tree proves it. It is still more strikingly exemplified in the animal than in the vegetable kingdom; for the only resemblance perceivable between one flower and another is that of generic identity, while between a child and its parent there exists not merely the general likeness between beings of the same kind, but a particular or family likeness. This is equally true of the moral creation. Love engenders love, hatred begets hatred, anger is subdued by love, and love is extin

conquering, heart-melting, (not willbreaking) economy. In short, we are the objects of "the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and longsuffering," of which, it is our duty to know, the moral tendency is to lead us to repentance: "God is love," and "love is power." It was the manifestation of his love, not the law, that conquered the world. In this we are instructed to imitate him"Love your enemies." "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Yes, Brethren, this is the grand principle-this the golden rule e; Overcome evil with good." If there were no evil in the world, there had been no need for government had there been no evil in a child's heart or disposition, there would have been no necessity for ex-guished by wrath, as fire is by water. ercising discipline and authority; but As acorns always did, and ever will, inasmuch as the existence of this produce oaks ; 66 SO a soft answer necessity is acknowledged on all hands, turneth away wrath; and grevious instead of having recourse to the exwords stir up anger." This always ploded, unphilosophical, and unscrip- was and ever will be true-true of tural system of "breaking the wills" men, women, and children. Finally, of our children, and that by means in bringing up your children, and exwhich, for its cruelty and barbarity, ercising discipline over them, whether nothing could exceed, let us apply you appeal to their reason, their selfthe principle "overcoming evil with esteem, their interest, hopes, or fears, good." So little, however, has this let your words be dipped in kindliness principle been understood, even among and love; otherwise all the worst believers in Divine revelation, that passions of the human soul will be up in a calm and impartial observer of the arms against all your reasoning, reprocess of will-breaking, would be at proof, persuasion, and correction. a loss to know where, in the book of "Hard words are like hailstones in Glad Tidings, was revealed a principle summer, they beat down and destroy so outrageous to human feeling, and all before them, but which would so contradictory to that law of love nourish and promote the growth of which God has written upon every those things if melted into drops." parent's heart. "Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

In order further to establish this truth, let us glance at the reason of it. There are certain simple principles or axioms the seeds of great problems and demonstrations-in morals, as well as in geometry, which, by reason of their being less the objects of sense, less tangible, are frequently overlook

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salvation, without the accompaniment of sustaining hope and righteous conduct. Faith without works is dead; and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Faith, too, is the foundation of hope, and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit given unto us. And " now abideth faith, hope, and charity; but the greatest of these is charity." There is also but one faith and one hope; and "whosoever has this hope in him, (of

tion, 81; total, 284. Decrease by exclusion, 67; by death, 79; by dismission, 30; total, 176: clear increase, 108. The Circular Letter was translated, as usual, from the Welsh to the English language, by John Evans, Brecon. We are happy to learn, that some of these worthy Welch Baptists have abandoned their antiquated Calvinistic creed as a bond of union; some of them, indeed, have actually commenced baptizing believers on the simple confession of faith, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We cordially wish them great success in the cause of our common Lord. J. W.] PROPHETIC DEPARTMENT. being like Christ at his coming) pu

THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

DEAR SIR-Permit me to reply to your note on my first article, before I proceed with my second. I am glad to learn that the number of your prophetic correspondents is so much increased. I hope they may enrich your already very valuable columns with their love of heavenly truth. It should not, however, be forgotten, that "the spirit of the prophets is subject to the prophets." A divine harmony should be sought after and attained, for that is our privilege"Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit (the truth, the word) in the bond of peace," and so laboring as that we may be " perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." In order thereto, we need to forbear each other's difference of judgment in love, where an honest striving after the truth is apparent.

I apprehend that the character and contents of your "Prophetic Department" are adapted to, and intended for, such only as have already began sowing to the Spirit. No man can live in hope of the Saviour's second coming, until he has believingly embraced Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and submitted himself to His commands. Faith, hope, and holy living, keep pace together. There can be no holy living wlthout faith, neither any power of living hope. There can be no faith which brings

rifieth himself, even as Christ is pure." Nothing can be more practical than this doctrine of our hope, when scripturally educed.

I quite agree with you, that the unanimity of the apostolic watchmen of Zion, and the knowledge of God by His children from the least unto the greatest, is intended in those scriptures of the prophets to which I referred. And the testimony of John and of Paul, to which you have referred, would certainly justify that conclusion. But that fulfilment is only in part. Those scriptures of the prophets (Is. lii. 7-10, 7er. xxxi. 3134) are two-fold. They apply to the last days-the days of this gospel age; but more especially to the last day-which is the millennial day— the day of judgment--the era of Christ's and the saints' reign together -and of their righteous government of the world.

This two-fold application of the scriptures of the prophets to the last days, may be briefly illustrated. Compare Isa. lxi. 1-2, with Luke iv. 1621, and there we find the Lord leaves out the day of vengeance of our God;" or rather, he stops, and does not read or apply it. And why? Because he was speaking in order— first of the days of this dispensation of grace, and not of the last day, which, as already stated, is "the day of vengeance of our God." This is evident from the following scriptures, applied to his second coming :—Is.

xxxiv. 8, lxiii. 4; 2 Pet. iii. 3-8; 2 Thess. i. 3-10 "These are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled," as Christ said to the disciples, Luke xxi. 22. But these days of vengeance, of which Christ spake, are the last days; and the last of these last days is emphatically "the day of vengeance of our God."

Compare, again, Zech. xii. 9-14, with John xix. 37, and there we observe that John leaves out the mourning. We do not, however, infer from hence that the prophecy of Zechariah had no allusion to this dispensation, for we find much weeping spoken of in the New Testament concerning Israel by him. But we also find that weeping and mourning associated, and chiefly so with his second appearing. Take one scripture as a specimen Rev. i. 7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even | so, amen." Compare Matt. xxvi. 64, xxiv. 30; and again Zech. xii. 10-14, with other parallel scriptures.

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These two instances are specimens of that two-fold sense of many Old Testament Scriptures spoken of; and this very principle, we observe, is applicable to the two other scriptures referred to in my last.

Inst. 1. Compare Isa. lii. 7-10 with Rom. x. 12. The apostle quotes from the prophet, and thereby shows that the prophecy is applicable to this present age. But the prophecy is not wholly applied to this age. He does not quote the prophet as saying unto Zion, now "thy God reigneth." He does not speak of the watchmen as now seeing " eye to eye"-or of Zion being brought again and restored-or of the waste places of Jerusalem breaking forth into joy and singing together, &c. In a spiritual sense these things are now all realized; but the full, final, and literal sense thereof is applied to his second

coming. To prove this, let us briefly note its several parts.

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth,” v. 7. We have here the person spoken of— and spoken of as a preacher: we have also the place and the character of his message. THE PERSON SPOKEN OF is Christ-the light, the life, and the Saviour of the world, (Is. lxi. 1-2, Luke iv. 12-21.) It includes also his faithful ministers, in whom he dwells by the Holy Spirit, and whom he sent into the world, as the Father had sent him, (John xx. 21.) In that character he will come again, when he comes in his glory; and then also shall his angels, his ministers, his servants, be sent on their final message through the world, (compare Heb. i. 7-17, Mat. xxiv. 30-31, Isa. lxvi. 1520.) THE PLACE OF HIS (and their) MESSAGE is said to be the mountains. "At that day," when he shall come the second time, “his feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives," (Zech. xiv. 4-5.)

"The mountains," however, are doubtless figurative, according to the prophetic usage, of kingdoms, and refer to the "kingdoms of this world," which, at his coming, shall become the " kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ." An allusion to, and illustration of this, is given by David in these words, "The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness." Again, THE CHARACTER OF HIS MESSAGE is, good tidings, peace, salvation, and the reign of God our Saviour. The three former of these features are contained in the latter: that is to say, the good tidings, peace, and salvation, are associated with Christ's second coming, and with his reign as the God of Zion. His coming is preceded by the bride's announcing the fact, attended by the bridegroom's voice, and followed by

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