He was following his profession of millwright strumentality, while he was there superintend19 miles from home, when, owing to inad. ing the erection of a mill. He knew that men vertence, his clothes were caught in the wheels could not live by bread alone, and therefore of a bone crusher, which rent away his right spent some memorable time in grinding for the arm, broke all his ribs on the right side, and people the nourishing food of a better and higher mangled the breast bone. In a condition of life. agony, dreadful to himself and to all spectators, he survived for nine hours, retaining the perfect use of his mental faculties until the last; indeed, conversing until within five minutes of his death.

We are not to sorrow like those who have no hope, but to chasten the flow of natural emotion by the joyous conviction, that those who sleep in Jesus, God will bring with him. There was one who said in ancient time, "O death! I will be thy plague! O grave! I will be thy destruction !" A grand prediction by one whose power is equal to his love. It has been partially fulfilled in his own triumph over our enemy, and will be completed when mortality is swallowed up of life, and we are able to exclaim, "Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ!” Man in general shudders as he nears the gates of death, because he feels that he is entering into the shadow of a great mystery. It is a fearful thing to die - but is it not likewise an awful thing to live? Is not life as solemn and mysterious as death? If we would only consider it in the true light, as the seed-time of eternity the period of spiritual preparation for meeting God-- the opportunity granted to

It may be interesting to inquire-What was he conversing about? Death has gathered ripe fruit this time. While the sands of life were rushing rather than sliding out, he spake distinctly and earnestly on the exceeding love of God in the gift of his beloved Son. As a child leans on the arm of his father, he rested his soul in the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, clinging to his cross and his priesthood, and fervently praying that the Lord would come quickly, and receive his spirit unto himself. His brother Alexander Hutchinson, well known among the brethren, was with him during the last two hours of his existence, and from him we learn that he died rejoicing in God, and anticipating without doubt or fear the realization of all the promises. "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Al-build up character in moral glory-how submighty: just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints!"

Our dear departed brother was baptized in Carlisle when he was 30 years of age, in the year 1823. After his return to the Old Mills, his younger brother Alexander was likewise constrained to confess the Lord in the ancient manner, and they walked together for about twelve years in holy fellowship, promoting each other's advancement in intelligence and holiness. They often sought communion with the Scotch Baptist church in Dumfries, but owing to the dominance of the Calvinistic theory in that church, the questions propounded were so worded, that they could not answer in the affirmative. The object desired was not accomplished, until an instrument, properly prepared, was raised up by the providence of God. Our late and dear brother, G. C. Reid, in his evangelizing career, travelled that road, and was received as a teacher in the church. He, not being corrupted by the leaven of a human system, put the necessary questions to the Hutchinsons in a scriptural form and manner, and they were received without objection. Since that memorable period they have manifested lively interest in the welfare of the church, and their history is twined with its progress and destiny.

limely would we walk before God and man!
Our high vocation would always be evident to
ourselves as to others. Ungodly passions could
no more domineer and harden into habit, than
temples and theatres could rise amid the fires
of the last day.
G. GREENWELL.

FAMILY CIRCLE.

RICHES OF THE GOSPEL.- When I go to the house of God, I do not want amusement. I want the doctrine which is according to godliness-I want to hear of the remedy against the harassing of my guilt, and the disorder of my affections -- I want to be led from weariness and disappointment to that goodness which filleth the hungry soul- I want to have light upon the mystery of Providence, to be taught how the judgments of the Lord are right, how I shall be prepared for duty and for trial, how I may pass the time of my sojourning here in fear, and close it in peace. Tell me of that Lord Jesus, "who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree" — tell me of his intercession for the transgressors as their Advocate with the Father-tell me of his Holy Spirit, whom they that believe on him receive, to Our departed brother was a man of strong be their preserver, sanctifier, comforter - tell intellectual power: rather original in his man- me of his chastenings, their necessity, their ner of thinking somewhat slow both in con- use - tell me of his presence, and sympathy, ceiving and expressing himself--but firm in his and love-tell me of virtues, as growing out of grasp over the material which he acquired, and his cross, and nurtured by his grace-tell me capable of turning it to the best purpose. The of the glory reflected on his name by the obelittle church at Dornock was formed by his in-dience of faith-tell me of vanquished death,

JUNE, 1851.

POSITIVE ORDINANCES.

LAW governs all things. Things animate and inanimate, rational and irrational, terrestrial and celestial, equally demonstrate the truth of this proposition. Destroy law, and you have chaos in the inorganic world, death in the organic, anarchy in the political, and hell in the spiritual. It may indeed be said, and truly, that laws are but an expression of the indispensable conditions of existence. They are the finger-prints of God. Let us endeavour briefly to scan them. Naturally, we think they may be divided into four general classes-Physical, Intellectual, Moral, Positive.

PHYSICAL laws govern matter, INTELLECTUAL mind. Gravitation is a physical law. Reader, do you see yonder sun? It is 1,300,000 times as large as the great earth, yet gravitation holds it as the child his marble. But look again: it holds with its delicate finger those little animalcules which you can scarcely see. How universal its power!-how invariable the exercise of that power!

Poisons kill. Here is another physical law stated without technicality; and it matters not whether it be the wise Socrates who designedly drinks the hemlock, or the little child that unwittingly tastes the pretty red precipitate, they alike die. Perhaps the world has something yet to learn with reference to the invariableness of God's laws.

We need not say much on intellectual laws. Clear it is that mind is just as much subject to the dominion of its appropriate laws as is matter. Who does not know that the memory, for example, may be developed or impaired, just as the blacksmith developes the muscles of his arm, or the foolish inactive student weakens the physical system. In vain may men expect miracles. He that neglects or over-stimulates the powers of the soul, must suffer. God has decreed it. We now advance to the consideration of moral and positive laws, and shall for the better understanding of the subject. examine them relatively.

MORAL LAWS prescribe the duties of rational accountable beings. They depend upon and grow out of the relationships by them sustained, and are in themselves right. POSITIVE laws concern the same class, but they do not necessarily grow out of any relations, nor are they right in themselves. They are right because enjoined by those who have the right to command. "Thou shalt not kill," is a moral law. It operates neither upon the irrational nor the irresponsible-the lion nor the maniac. As it depends upon definite relations, and its transgression always implies the wicked abuse of these relations, it must be right in itself. Kings, parliaments, and legislatures, did not make it-neither can they unmake it. Moral obligations are as eternal as the throne of the Supreme. He cannot, because he will not, change them. God could not, because he would not, make it right to lie. He could not, because he is the very perfection of virtue or moral character. Far otherwise is it with positive laws. They are constantly being made and unmade. They constitute the chief part of all legislation-of the decrees of

P

Emperors, the bulls of Popes, the orders of Masters-of, in a word, all commands of superiors in all the relations of society. In themselves they are neither right nor wrong-they are nothing. They are matters of authority, and considered apart from the authority that commands, are emphatically dead letters. They are recognized under all governments -they form a part of the conventional rules of all society, and without them neither law, government, nor society could subsist for an hour. They are right because they are commanded by rightful authority, while moral laws are commanded because they are right, i. e. right in themselves.

We trust that the reader has now a distinct conception of the difference between laws moral and positive; and shall proceed to state three important propositions.

1. Under all dispensations God has ordained positive laws.

2. These laws have always been practical and easy of understanding. 3. Obedience to these primitive laws God has always blessed; disobedience he has always cursed.

These propositions are exceedingly simple in their character, and must be proved or disproved by facts-speculations can avail nothing. It will matter not a particle whether these principles are consistent or inconsistent with this or that, or any dogma, doctrine, or article of faith. Are they true? is the only legitimate question.

We have asserted these truths with reference to all dispensations, and ought, perhaps, for the sake of perspicuity, to say that we discriminate these dispensations thus. Primitive or Paradise dispensation; Patriarchal, Jewish, John's, or the dispensation of reformation; and the Christian.

PRIMITIVE OF PARADISE DISPENSATION.-This embraces the history of man unfallen-the sunny days of happiness and holiness. Did the Heavenly Father, in this period of man's history, ordain any positive institutions? We ask in reply, What was the first of his laws? Reads it not thus, "And the Lord God commanded the man saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." None surely will contend that this law or commandment is moral in its nature. If it were it would be binding now-nay, would be to fall eternity. Moreover, is it not preposterous to talk of man's sustaining a moral relation to a tree? It must be apparent that there was not, in the giving of this singular commandment, any reference to the moral fitness or reasonableness about which the world has heard so much. Morally considered it must seem both unfit and unreasonable. That man should die by the taste of an apple or a peach! Philosophy and moral fitness stand aghast at such an idea-it is well to consider that likewise does infidelity. The fact is, that man's suitableness never was, is not now, nor will it ever be God's suitableness. Wonder not then, reader, that scepticism cries out, "Away with this fable," and that a certain moral-fitness, philosophic sort of religion, comes very near doing likewise.

But was this command practical or not? Was it an actual tree with actual fruit, or was it a mere spiritual tree, and was the law directed against Adam's eating spiritual apples with his spiritual teeth? And was it easily to be understood? Did not God mark out his meaning so plainly that there could be no mistaking it? Said he not "of every tree" but ONE?

The law then was positive. It was clear, too, and practical. It concerned something not to be felt, but done. But is our third principle true in this case? God always blesses obedience, always curses disobedience.

Read the answer in the simple language of the 3rd chapter of Genesis. Read it in the desolated and cursed earth-in the march of dread pestilence --in the blast of the hurricane and in the tread of the earthquake-in the sharp cry of poverty in the sightless eyes of the blind-in the wild laugh and glaring eye of the madman-in disappointment and despair-in the records of bloody war-in the blasted countenances of the guilty-in the fires of malice, envy, and revenge that burn like volcanoes in their hearts-in the groans of disease-in the agonies of the dying-in the seared consciences of the godless and impenitent-in the victims of remorse. Alas! too, read it in the wailings of the finally lost.

True, eternally true it is, that God abhors sin and disobedience, and is pledged to take vengeance upon them.

We assert that by no other than a positive law, could the loyalty of Adam have been tested. Try others: "Thou shalt not kill." Could that law have tested Adam's fidelity? No doubt he would have obeyed it. But why? Because God had ordained the law? No, but because he loved Eve too well to take her life. So of all moral laws. Other motives could be assigned for rendering obedience besides that of honoring God, and hence they would be no tests at all. Besides, let us consider that the authority of God can be associated as truly with what seems to be a small commandment, as with those which are of the weightiest import; and that he who would transgress the least commandment, evinces a disposition which would rebel against all the authority of the universe.

We now pass to the consideration of the second, or PATRIARCHAL DISPENSATION, and shall endeavor to evince that the three propositions are true of this period also. The tragedy of Cain and Abel constitutes the first scene of this longest of dispensations. Sacrifice for the first time is met withafter the fall, the oldest institution. And the question arises, to what class of ordinances or institutions does sacrifice belong? Evidently to the positive class. There is not a single element of the moral to be found in it. What! is there moral fitness in man's seizing the innocent lamb, butchering it, and burning its carcass upon the altar, for the purpose of securing the favor of a good and benevolent God? There is anything here rather than fitness or propriety, humanly speaking. To the mere reason it is even abhorrent and barbarous. If sacrifice were of a moral nature, then Adam should have offered up lambs in the garden of Eden; and as moral obligations are perpetual, we and the angels in heaven ought to offer up bleeding victims. How monstrous !