against the infidel its power of comfort, and yet to avoid, in their own discourses, almost every principle from which that power is drawn. Disregarding the mass of mankind, to whom the Gospel is peculiarly fitted, and omitting those truths which might revive the grieved spirit, or touch the slumbering conscience, they discuss their moral topics in a manner unintelligible to the illiterate, uninteresting to the mourner, and without alarm to the profane. This is not " preaching Christ." Elegant dissertations upon virtue and vice, upon the evidences of revelation, or any other general subject, may entertain the prosperous and the gay; but they will not mortify our members which are upon the earth; they will not unsting calamity, nor feed the heart with an imperishable hope. 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 harassings 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 be their preserver, sanctifier, comforter. Tell me of his chastenings; their necessity, and their use. Tell me of his sence, and sympathy, and love. Tell me of the virtues, as growing out of his cross, and nurtured pre by his grace. Tell me of the glory reflected on his name by the obedience of faith. Tell me of vanquished death, of the purified grave, of a blessed resurrection, of the life everlasting-and my bosom warms. This is Gospel; these are glad tidings to me as a sufferer, because glad to me as a sinner. They rectify my mistakes; allay my resentments; rebuke my discontent; support me under the weight of moral and natural evil. These attract the poor; steal upon the thoughtless; awe the irreverent; and throw over the service of the sanctuary a majesty, which some fashionable modes of address never fail to dissipate. Where they are habitually neglected, or lightly referred to, there may be much grandeur, but there is no Gospel; and those preachers have infinite reason to tremble, who, though admired by the great, and caressed by the vain, are deserted by the poor, the sorrowful, and such as walk humbly with their God. THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD. WHAT may be the meaning of these two terms in such common use? Do I understand them? I find much respecting them in Scripture. Of the first, it is said, "Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word; that he might betroth it to myself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."* Of the world, I find it said, "Love not the world, neither the things in the world: if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him; for all that is in the world, Ephes. v. 25--27. ́I conclude, then, that both the church and the world must be persons, living men and women amongst whom I dwell, whom I meet daily in the street, and in the market, and with whom I daily converse. But although these persons are so intermingled, that I cannot discern their character by their exterior, it appears they are capable of being properly distributed into the class or the other. All my neighbours and relatives, all my fellow-creatures are seen by the omniscient eye of God, as belonging either to the church or to the world. one And, O my soul! remember that God seeth thee also! In contemplating others, overlook not thyself! Thou art seen by thy Maker, as one of the church, or one of the world! Is it then a matter indifferent to which I belong? Am I equally safe-equally happy with either? Can I be identified with both? Impossible! This is evident from the description given of each in the word of God. The church is a body of persons loved by Christ: they are those for whom he laid down his life it is "a glorious church:" it is holy. Not so the world. There is the lust of the flesh: there the lust of the eyes: there the pride of life. Moreover, I find it written in the Scripture, that "the friendship of the world is enmity with God: whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world, is the enemy of God." Oh, then, how necessary, how unspeakably * 1 John ii. 15--17. + James iv. 4. Alas! many around me who evidently love the world, and who even call themselves" men of the world," yet think that they be long also to the church of Christ! How could they ever have brought themselves to think that they are Christians, that they shall be saved, who are one with the world in its ungodliness, in its folly, its licentiousness, its deceit? Is it by reading the Bible? Can they find no distinction there between the church and the world? No; it is not by reading the Bible that they have brought themselves to think there is no difference between these parties: it is by neglecting the Bible, or, at least, for want of understanding it: it is because they have not examined themselves by the test of God's holy word: it is because they are deceived by their own hearts, and that wicked one, the great deceiver, who was a liar from the beginning" it is because they have received for doctrines the commandments of men ;". because they have greedily drunk in the soul-destroying notion, that a man may be of the world, and at the same time a true Christian. "O my soul come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united!" Let me know, O my God! who are the people that belong to thee! Let me find out the followers of the. Lamb of God!" I shall know them by their meekness and gentleness: I shall see the image of Christ upon them: they will breathe the Spirit of Christ, which is far, far from the spirit of the world! Where thy people are, there may I be! Let me be united-yes, I have no other wish for this world; thou who knowest all things, thou knowest, O my Lord and Saviour! that I have no other wish than to be united with thy true followers-to share their lot; if they are honoured, that I may be honoured with them; if they are despised and persecuted, that I may be also! In this place thou hast a church; but oh, how small, when compared with the world! Wide, indeed, is the gate, and broad is the road, that leadeth to destruction, and many there are that walk therein; and straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there are that find it. It is good for me to keep in view the end of the church and the world." The wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God."—" On the wicked God shall rain burning coals, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup."- The lake that burneth with fire and brimstone; the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quenched," shall torment them. Alas! that they should be so blind to the fate that awaits them-that they should be so "led captive by the devil at his will," "blinded by the god of this world!" for the world has a god! but he is not the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: it is "the devil and Satan," the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience." Him they serve; his wages they receive; his drudgery they perform-slaves, miserable slaves they are, deceived, degraded, infatuated! They have "sold themselves to work iniquity" for "the pleasures of sin, which are but for a season. They have bartered their immortal souls for a sordid "mess of pottage!" True Esaus! "earthly, sensual, devilish." It is fit they should be together; swine with swine; wolves with wolves; foxes with foxes; dogs with dogs! How can the sheep of Christ's pure, peaceful, gentle fold, be one with them even here below? How can these different natures coalesce on earth? Much less can they be one body hereafter! No, no, no! it is impossible! "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." But "without holiness no man shall see the Lord." Then, "judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity: I have trusted also in the Lord, therefore I shall not slide. Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart. For thy loving-kindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in thy truth. I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I have hated the congregation of evil doers, and will not sit with the wicked. I will wash mine hands in innocency: so will I compass thine altar, O Lord."-" Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth."* And I long to be admitted within the veil of the heavenly temple, that I may be with thee, and with thy church, for ever and ever, where there is nothing impure and offensive as in this world, and where I shall be employed in singing the songs of heaven with "the ransomed of the Lord"-the true church-a great multitude, which no man can number, of all nations, and kindred, and people, and tongues, standing before the throne and before, the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and crying with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb!" Thou, O Lamb of God, wast * Psalm xxvi. slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood; out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests !"* All our sorrows left below, Brighton, Sept. 1826. MISCELLANEA BIBLICA. No. II. The King of Ammon's Crown. WE are informed, 2 Sam. xii. 30, that the crown of the King of Ammon, taken by David on the reduction of Rabbah, weighed "a talent of gold with the precious stones." A Hebrew talent was equal to nearly 114 pounds troy, a burden far too great for the head even of royalty. Commentators have found on the subject abundant scope for their ingenuity, and devised various methods of lessening or removing the difficulty. The following extract from Hyde, (Hist. de relig. Perarum,) both shows that such massy appendages to the throne were not unusual in ancient times, and also explains how they were sustained without crushing the head that they were intended to adorn. tantæ capacitatis, ut, uti interiùs magnam granorum mensuram, sic et exteriùs aliquot carminum inscriptionem capere possent."p. 304. SO "But the crown used on solemn occasions, decked with gold and precious stones, was weighty, that they were obliged to suspend it by a golden chain over the heads of their Kings in the throne. Chosrau Perviz had such a pensile crown which weighed 60 of their minas, each equal to two litra, or one rotula, (i. e. two pounds troy.) Hence, without any metaphor, a certain King of Persia, recently crowned, uttered the exclamation, How heavy is this crown! an expression, for which his subjects deposed him as unworthy of regal honour. Those crowns were capacious enough to receive a large measure of corn within, and to afford room for poetical inscriptions without." The crown of Chosrau, described in this passage, strikingly corresponded, it should seem, with that in question, especially in respect to weight. What then is to hinder us from concluding, that the crown of the King of Ammon was a similar pensile crown? What indeed, unless it be found in the phraseology of the sacred text? Here, however, appears no obstacle. "And he took the crown of their King from over (p) his headand it was placed over (y) the head of David." The Hebrew particles are as currently used in the sense here given, as in that assigned to them in the common version. There appears no specific indication, that this ponderous insignia was ever worn as an arti cle of dress. The Pygmies. H.* BIBLICAL DISCUSSION AT A ROYAL TABLE. While Cameron was in England, during the reign of James I., he' the Gamadeans were a people of Phoenicia, expressly mentioned by Pliny, (lib. 2. cap. 91) who, as neighbours, would naturally be employed at Tyre. Aquila and others, they proceeded, instead of retaining, translated the name into Greek, by the equivarent vyμaio, which being ambiguous, might be applied either to them or to Pygmies; just as the sea of Edom, means either the sea of Idumea, because it flows by its confines, or the red sea, because Edom, a name of Esau, signifies red. Stili a doubt remained, because Ptolemy, Strabo, and other ancient geographers, make no mention of a people called Gama-. deans; because the best editions of Pliny read Gamales, instead of Gamadæi; and because it is improbable that so close a translator as Aquila would have rendered the proper name of a people well known in the east, by a mere appellative. went one day, accompanied by his illustrious pupil, Bochart, to Whitehall, where the King was accustomed to dine in public. To furnish subjects for pious conversation on those occasions, a chapter of the Bible was usually read. The chapter of that day was Ezekiel 27th. When the reader came to verse 11, his Majesty inquired, why in some versions, for instance Aquila and the Vulgate, Pygmies were there represented as keeping the towers of Tyre. Some replied, on the authority of Ctesias, that Pygmies were men of exceedingly low stature, the tallest not more than two cubits, the generality not more than a cubit and half, and, consequently, the smallest not more than one cubit in height. Hence their name from vyμn, a cubit. The Tyrians, they said, employed these as a military guard, to show that they needed none at all, and despised the assaults of besiegers; like the Jebusites, (2 Sam. v. 6,) who set the blind and the lame on their walls in defiance and contempt of David. One remarked, that from a sense of their personal weakness, and by continual warfare with their agile enemies, the cranes, for whom they were scarcely a match, the Pygmies had become very alert and dextrous, and were therefore more fit for a military watch, than men of prowess who were apt to despise dangers. Some, on the faith of Ctesias, observed that the Pygmies were skilful archers, who though incapable of effecting much by manual force, could inflict tremendous destruction on the conductors of a siege. These expositions were deemed unsatisfactory, because such eigh-lation of the fore and back arm. teen-inch men were, after all, suspected to be mere fabulous per sonages. Others came nearer the truth, observing, that the Hebrew word was, gammadim, and that At length Cameron, who was not unknown at court, was required to give his opinion. He modestly replied, that so far as appeared to him, the Hebrew gummadim might be fairly rendered pygmies, because both terms were derivatives from roots, signifying the cubit or fore arm; but that, instead of referring to the stature of the people, they rather expressed the muscular vigour of their arms: thus a pugilist is denominated vyμaxos, pugnacious, as fighting with a brawny fist (vyun). Of the same derivation, he remarked, is the Latin pugno, to fight, and pugna, a battle, because, whether in the games, or in serious warfare, such conflicts require a nervous and firm articu Hence, both Greeks and Latins denominate military force, a military hand, manum, because a contest must be maintained by manual effort; and Spaovxeip, bold hand, is applied to a daring, war |