careful examination cannot fail to rectify | seductive fields of fancy and original the mistake. Whatever opinions have speculation, he confined himself to the been expressed on this subject, for our- sterner and more solemn realities on selves, we cannot help thinking that his which men's present and everlasting imagination was possessed of consider- well-being is dependent. If he had able boldness and compass; and, if asso- conceived that this could be equally ciated with an intellect less powerful, or well secured by the brilliant displays a reasoning faculty less vigilant, would of fancy, or the elaborate speculations have shone with a brightness not in- of original genius, or if the exquisite ferior to that of Chrysostom or Jeremy harmony of his mind could have perTaylor. His sound judgment, and vi- mitted the unrestrained and erratic play gorous practical understanding, whilst of any one of his faculties, we cannot admitting the companionship of imagina- doubt that he would have dazzled by tion, pruned and restrained its luxuri- the picturesqueness and magnificence ance as unadapted to the tasks to which of his fancy, and the bold and startling he had more immediately committed inventions of his originality. But the himself. In dealing with men on ques- beautiful symmetry of his mind, and tions of everlasting moment, he felt the very nature of the things which that they were not to be dazzled with the he set himself to accomplish, forbade magnificent, or amused with the fanci- this. ful, but convinced and enlightened by the clearest demonstrations of truth. If at any time he permitted himself to turn aside from the field, where he had reared so many trophies of his power, and snatched a brief interval of repose amid the sacred duties of his mission as "set for the defence of the gospel," we cannot but think that his imagination would spread around him the picturesque and the beautiful, if not the gorgeous and magnificent. | In acquirements, Dr. Wardlaw was greater than he cared to appear. He was no smatterer and no pretender. He disliked all display; and the keen inquisitiveness of his mind rendered all guess-work and superficiality on literary questions a thing utterly impossible in his case. The order of his mind rendered accuracy indispensable. He could wield no weapon until he had thoroughly tested it, and would not venture to speak on any subject until he had examined and made it his own. Dimness and doubt were in his estimation not merely intellectual disqualifications, And although, from the very completeness of his mind, he was incapable of indulging in that loose discursiveness of thought which is frequently | but moral hinderances; and, therefore, dignified with the name of originality, it is impossible to peruse his writings without perceiving that, had he permitted himself to enter on fresh and untrodden fields of investigation, he might have astonished the world by the boldness of his speculations, and commanded the homage accorded to original genius. He felt that it was not strange and startling novelties that really benefit mankind, however much they may excite the wondering curiosity of the multitude, or minister to the mental luxury of those who seek the cloisters of contemplation, rather than the open arena of practical usefulness; and therefore, turning aside from the when he spoke, as a scholar or critic, on any subject, it was out of the depth and fulness of his knowledge. He was incapable of parade of any kind, and had a feeling of honest contempt for certain cheap and common-place modes of appearing learned. Whenever he attempted to discuss any subject, in the pulpit or through the press, the fact of his doing so was ample proof that he had mastered it in all its details, literary and philosophical. All the productions of his pen, indeed, bear the stamp of accurate scholarship, as well as refined taste. His learning, although paraded neither in his ordinary teaching nor in his published works, was unquestionably comprehensive and ac curate. wisdom, and the heart melted by the forcing the great verities of the Gospel, and might remain unmoved by his As a preacher, in some respects Dr. chaste and flowing eloquence: but the Wardlaw stood alone and unapproached. | intelligent, the thoughtful, and the In vehemence of oratory, splendour of earnest, seeking to have the understanddeclamation, and impassioned earnest-ing illumined by the lessons of Divine ness of appeal, he has undoubtedly been surpassed; but in clearness, comprehensiveness, force, elegant simplieity, purity of taste, and felicity in applying the lessons and warnings of Scripture, he had, perhaps, no equal in ancient or modern times. His mode of treating his subject was generally textual, and consequently his discourses were distinguished by great amplitude and richness of scriptural illustration. He felt, indeed, that the inspired volume was a fountain of living water-a mine of immortal wealth, which no skill could exhaust, and compared with which the most splendid creations of human genius were but tinsel or dross. His grand object was to unfold the lessons of Divine truth, and stamp them indelibly on the understanding and conscience of his hearers; and for the accomplishment of this object he brought all the rich and varied powers of his mind into active play in his public ministrations. His judgment surveyed and approved his plan of procedure; his reasoning faculty built up an argument clear, compact, and convincing; his fancy threw around a variety of chaste and beautiful illustrations, which at once augmented the force, and illumined the design of his discourse; his heart, throbbing with compassion for souls, breathed pathos and tenderness into every sentence; and the sweetness of his voice combined with the calm and dignified solemnity of his manner won the ear, and fixed the deep and thoughtful attention of his audience. It is true that congregations, accustomed to loose and vapid declamation, which touches neither the understanding nor the conscience, and to strained and sensuous accommodations of Divine truth, which demand no exercise of thought, and minister to low conceptions of Christianity, might fail to appreciate his felicitous mode of en sweet As angels use, the Gospel whispers peace. Reclaims the wand'rer, binds the broken rule Of holy discipline, to glorious war, The great power of Dr. Wardlaw as a writer is known to all who have any acquaintance with the theological literature of the present day. His writings are voluminous, and on a variety of subjects. He commenced his career, as a writer, with his unanswerable work on the Socinian Controversy, by which he spread dismay and discomfiture among the adherents of that heresy, and closed it with his equally unanswerable work "On Miracles," by which rationalists and modern free-thinkers must feel themselves greatly perplexed and confounded, if not put to silence. Throughout all his works, from first to last, there is the same clearness and force; the same power of argument and felicity of style; the same accuracy and extent of knowledge; the same mastery of his subject; the same deep earnestness of purpose, combined with scrupulous exactness of statement, and eloquent persuasiveness of manner. His writings, which are fraught with instruction on the most momentous subjects that can occupy the attention of mankind, and furnish throughout some of the finest samples of "English undefiled,” cannot fail to form an abiding monument of his genius, learning, and piety. As long as theology is a science deemed worthy of study, and wherever the English language is spoken, the works of Dr. Wardlaw will continue to be read and admired. his wit; but among those who were admitted to his friendship, and were deemed worthy of that distinction, he always appeared as one of themselves, breathing the spirit of generous frankness, and winning confidence and love by the cheerfulness, suavity, and gentleness of his manners. The meanest of his flock was uniformly greeted with a benignant smile, and counselled with an air of paternal kindness that gave him a place in all hearts, and secured for him the effectual fervent prayer of many a righteous man. In his own family he shone the radiant centre of a tenderness and love that lighted up every countenance, and gladdened every heart, and diffused around him an atmosphere so fragrant with the power of religion and the sanctity of heaven, that all who witnessed the serene cheerfulness and blended affections of his home dwelt fondly for ever after on its memory. It was indeed in the privacy of the domestic circle that Dr. Wardlaw so beautifully illustrated that brightest attribute of true greatness-the capability of forgetting it, or surrounding it with a soft and chastened radiance, on which the eyes of childhood may gaze undazzled, and amid which the tenderest affections of the heart may grow up and luxuriate. Classic antiquity represents Phoebus as laying aside his refulgent diadem of light that Phaeton, But whilst Dr. Wardlaw for many his supposed son, might enter into his years stood prominent as a public man, presence undazzled and unawed. The mingling oftentimes in the thickest of fiction was beautifully realized in the the fight when the interests of truth case of Dr. Wardlaw, in the privacy of and freedom were menaced, and com- home, and the circle of friendship. The manding homage and admiration wher- unassuming simplicity and gentleness ever he appeared, his native simplicity of his manners, combined with his acand the genial sweetness of his nature re-complishments, vivacity, and innocent mained unimpaired. His consciousness playfulness, made him the idol of his of superior intellectual power, and his own family, and the charm of every high standing as a preacher and author, society in which he mingled. never betrayed him into anything like But it was not simply as a preacher, haughtiness of tone or bearing, or an author, and a man of varied accomchilled the warm current of his affec- plishments, that Dr. Wardlaw stood tions. He could indeed smite and wither prominent before the world. Nor is it the mean, the worthless, and the base merely on these grounds that his name with the lightning flash of his indig-will descend with honour to the latest nant glance, or the polished missile of posterity. He was the founder, or, at all events, the early advocate of Congrega- | tainly raised and embellished the edifice. To him, therefore, its highest niche will be assigned, and to his name, in the best and noblest sense, the honours of canonization will be accorded. tionalism in Scotland, who threw the prestige of his own great name around it, and above all others contributed to raise it to its present position. At the commencement of his career Congregational Dissent had no existence in Scotland, or at most was but struggling into being. It was offensive to the great body of the people, and was regarded by many of the thinking and intelligent as a perilous innovation on received opinions touching ecclesiastical polity and discipline. Its adherents were necessarily few and without influence. They were looked upon with suspicion, and not unfrequently were branded with epithets implying ignorance or fanaticism. Undeterred, however, by opposition, and incapable of permitting his convictions to be warped or modified by circumstances, he committed himself to what appeared to him as truth on questions of church polity. But, in doing so, he evinced no asperity or dogmatism; he never dwelt in the spirit of censoriousness on the views he had relinquished, nor commended those he had adopted in a tone of arrogance or assumption. When adverting to the opinions from which he had dissented, or when advocating those he had embraced, he was uniformly distinguished by the meekness of charity, the courtesy of Christian gentleness, and the candour of a manly and enlightened piety and hence his views of church polity, however novel and offensive, gained much by the spirit, as well as by the great ability and eloquence, of their advocate. His candour and uncompromising attachment to great principles forbade the idea of schism, or needless division, on his part, whilst his learning and eminence as a preacher commanded for his views deference and thoughtful examination. To his denomination in Scotland his name became a tower of strength. He was seen from afar, and multitudes gathered around him. If he did not project, or collect the materials of the temple of Congregational Dissent in the North, he cer But in this brief and rapid sketch of this distinguished man, we must not forget to observe, that his name stands connected, not merely with the rise and spread of a denomination, but with enlarged and grander conceptions than had hitherto obtained of certain fundamental doctrines of Divine truth. The fearless, and, at the same time, devout and reverential manner, in which he dealt with some of the gravest questions in theological science, moulded, and in many respects gave greater breadth and freedom to, pulpit ministration in Scotland, and, perhaps, in | England. His broad and magnificent views of the grandeur and extent of the atonement, and of kindred subjects, stamped themselves on the creed, and gave a higher tone to the preaching, of the great body of Christian teachers throughout the country. Before he appeared to plead the cause of truth, and, by his clear and eloquent exposition of great principles, to scatter prejudices and narrow preconceived opinions, the universality of the atonement was very generally repudiated and branded throughout Scotland as a dangerous heresy. But now, among his own denomination in England and Scotland, and even among sections of the church whose formularies ignore or proscribe the views he advocated, they are pleaded for as constituting the glory of the Gospel. His opinions on this subject, as well as on others, were, as a matter of course, challenged and misrepresented; and some theologians entered the lists with him in defence of narrow and restricted notions of the atonement. But a glance at his work "On the Nature and Extent of the Atonement of Christ," will sufficiently show how triumphantly he scattered the arguments of his opponents, and established the scriptural soundness of his own views. And although false opinions may still be found lingering in the minds of some, it cannot be doubted that Dr. Wardlaw has done much to give amplitude and distinctness to men's ideas of the grand fundamental doctrine of Christianity. With this his name will be associated in many lands, and for this future generations will hold his memory in grateful remembrance. And now to sum up these brief and imperfect notices of this great and good man, we feel that never has a brighter or a purer name been added to the roll of the mighty dead. Few men have been endowed with such rich and varied gifts, and still fewer have so simply and uniformly devoted those gifts to the best interests of mankind, and the glory of God. His life was a beautiful illustration of the doctrines he taught, and will henceforth continue to speak on behalf of truth and goodness with an eloquence surpassing that of his living voice. Though passed away from the scene which he adorned with his virtues, and contributed to enlighten and improve by his splendid talents, he has left an influence behind him which the flight of years will augment, and which, blending with that of other great names, will fall at once as sunshine and refreshing dews around the footsteps of future generations. Wardlaw has ascended to his rest, and will be seen no more amongst us; but his memory-sullied by no stain, and enriched by all the associations of eminent gifts and the noblest serviceswill shine on through all ages, as a light of the world. THE RELATIONSHIP OF CHRIST TO THE LAW. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets-I am not come to destroy but to fulfil." MEN's thoughts were greatly and variously excited by the great prophet of Nazareth-from all Galilee and Judea men were flocking to his teaching, the novelty and pregnancy of which produced upon them the impression, not only of a teacher sent from God, but of a great and impending revolution in the thoughts and modes of their religious life. Even before his advent, men's thoughts had, with strange unanimity, unconsciously and mysteriously gravitated towards the expectancy of some divine prophet; a Messiah who should make all things new-not only in conscious want, but in positive and feverish expectancy, he was "the desire of all nations." And his great, solemn words encountered this expectancy, and increased it to an almost painful intensity, and the first of all Jewish inquiries was, What is the relationship of this new teacher to Moses? If, as he says, he be come to set up a new kingdom, how will it stand related to the old? It was mainly to meet this feeling, and to supply this inquiry, that the sermon on the mount was delivered, the central thought of which was the verse that we have prefixed to this paper. With one or two exceptions on behalf of paragraphs incorporated by Matthew from other discourses of Christ, this is strictly the pivot on which the whole discourse turns. It declares the true character and methods of the new kingdomthat it was to be new, not in the sense of superseding or destroying the old, but in the sense of developing and perfecting it. It would be a surprising announcement to most who listened to him, expecting, as they did, some radical change in the old constitution of things. Some of them had expectations of a carnal kingdom-the Messiah was to sit on the throne of his father David, and to transcend his regal glories-they, there |