has been a good deal of disputation about the origin of sacrifices. Whether they arose from the natural feelings and prejudices of mankind? or were of divine appointment, and whether they were originally offerings or expiations? We do not enter into these questions however, and our future remarks will be independent of them. It is sufficient to remark, that by the time of Moses and during the history of the Israelites and Jews, mankind had imbibed the idea (no matter how) that God was naturally (so to speak) of a severe and harsh character, and required to be moved by some external means to the exercise of mercy. The institutions of Moses recognised such a sentiment, and were adapted to it. Hence the maxim of his laws, even in regard to the most trifling matters, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the law to do them." In one sense, indeed, this may be said to be the maxim of all laws that ever were made; they denounce punishment against all who disregard their commandments. But in enlightened ages, the law discriminates between different degrees of offence, according to the motives or circumstances of the offender; it reserves to the chief of the state, the power of pardon and commutation; it gives the penitent the means of repairing his errors, in many cases, by pecuniary compensation, or fine, -and it is the glory of all modern lawgivers, that they take care to temper justice with mercy. But this was not the spirit of the Mosaic Law. It was stern and indiscriminate-not making allowance even for ignorance or inadvertence, on the more trifling matter of ceremony. Every offence required a special expiatory sacrifice or a periodical general sacrifice, in which it might be generally but still formally included.

Now we say, that this was a grovelling and defective spirit the result of ignorance and barbarity. The adaptation of the Jewish law to this spirit of the times, was only an accommodation to circumstances-a temporary and provisional arrangement, to govern men by the means and motives of which they were susceptible. Some men must be deterred by the terror of such a law, from infringing its precepts; and when they had offended and were penitent, they required to be soothed by some special and palpable token of the remission of their sins-that is to say, by an atonement for it. They were incapable of being influenced by the principle of love, and of a willing

obedience to a paternal and benevolent Deity; and for that reason, they could have no confidence in his mercy, without some sensible token of it.

I have said, that this was the spirit of the people and of the times; and the institute of a severe law, and of sacrificial atonements, was adapted to it. But it is evident by the writings of the Prophets, that so far from it being the design of Providence to train the spirit of mankind to such a system, it was the constant aim of those inspired teachers to raise men above it. Accordingly, they are unceasing in the declarations and praises of the spontaneous mercy of God, as "enduring for ever”. "that as a father pitied his children, so the Lord pitied those that feared him; remembering their frame, that they were but dust," &c. At other times, the Prophets reprobate the idea of men recommending themselves to the favour of God by ceremonies, and declare, that "to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of lambs”—“ to what purpose, saith the Lord, is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me; I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats-they are a trouble to me, I am weary to bear them; wash you, make you clean, cease to do evil, learn to do well: such are the sacrifices with which I am pleased." What can be more evident from such passages as these, which abound in the Prophets, that it never was the design of the Deity, either in instituting or in legalizing sacrificial atonements, to teach, that he required to be made merciful by such means? Quite the contrary; they were intended to assure those penitents, who, from their ignorance and superstition, were fearful and incredulous on the subject, that he was innately merciful, and ready to forgive sin when it was forsaken, and when the ways of the sinner were amended. And this assurance was given them in a manner suited to their capacities, prejudices, and customs. But when such external token was relied upon, without reference to the moral qualifications of the worshippers, expressed or understood-or when it was supposed to have any thing in itself gratifying to, or influential with, God-or when it impeded or deteriorated any moral duty or feeling of a higher order, then it was completely perverted from the design of God, in condescending to authorise it.

But although the doctrine of the Prophets thus furnished a key to open and explain the ritual of the law,

yet, in point of fact, the people never fully or generally comprehended their doctrine. They were not yet capable of it. They were yet children, as regarded the age of the world or of society. This is not only manifest from their history, but the idea is distinctly noticed by Paul, who was himself at one time deeply imbued with the same spirit; and, upon his authority, we know it to have been the prevailing spirit of his countrymen, even at and after the commencement of the Christian era. "The heir," says he, "as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, being under government; even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world; and even yet, ye turn again unto the weak and beggarly elements, desiring again to be in bondage. Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.'

Mankind have always shown a lingering attachment to old forms and ideas; and that is an incidental evil, arising out of the circumstances of any arbitrary custom or obscure idea, having at any time received the sanction or countenance of divine authority; or even the sanction of men, who were on other accounts entitled to reverence. Shall we therefore conclude, that it would have been better that such things, being of no value, or equivocal and unmeaning in themselves, had never received any such countenance or sanction? No: we must judge of such things by their utility and effects at the time they were appointed or suffered. If they did good at such time, they were necessary and adapted to the age. Men could not comprehend or be influenced, by more enlightened principles. Yet this is no excuse for us, who know, or should know, better things, to remain attached to obsolete customs and ideas.

We think this remark proper, to justify the ways of Providence; but our concern at present is chiefly with the fact-namely, that although the Jewish Institute, as a whole-combining the doctrine of the prophets with the laws and the rites of Moses-was calculated to lead the Israelites forward to higher and purer sentiments than might strike its subjects at first view, yet from the natural prejudices and sluggishness of the human mind, the people generally adhered to the more gross and literal view of it. And the sentiment thereby engendered, and in reference to the relation in which men stood to their Maker, was this," that he was a hard Master, difficult to please,

and who had subjected them to an inexorable law, which it was in fact impossible to obey on all points-a God, whose favour could only be propitiated by bloody sacrifices, costly gifts, and the mediation of priests." Practically speaking, this was the spirit of the Jewish system—` capable enough of awing men into obedience, so far as regards the obvious precepts of justice and the arbitrary commands of authority, but engendering sentiments of fear and superstition in regard to the Deity, and stinting their social morality to what men were compelled to do by public law, or induced only to do from motives of selfishness.

The Jew-the man governed by the spirit of his age and of his country, stood thus and prayed with himself "God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this or another neighbour of mine. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all I possess, I perform all my sacrifices and oblations, I observe the Sabbath and the new moons, and all the ceremonies of thy appointment, or of the traditions of the elders." This was the orthodox Jew of his day, "concerning the literal righteousness of his law, blameless;" but an utter stranger to the charity which thinketh no evil to the benevolence which is ever active in doing good-to the humility which is so pleasing to God, and so suitable to the worshippers of God. In perfect consistence with his idea of sanctity and justice, this man might still be injurious to, and a persecutor of those who differed from him in their faith and customs; he might contend with every man to the utmost for his legal rights; be might give uncontrolled expression to the feelings of his anger; refuse to forgive offences; turn a deaf ear to the prayer of the needy; in short, care for nothing which was not forced upon him by the fears of superstition, or by the terror of the law.

age,

Such were the religious and moral sentiments of the even in this favoured nation. The same cause produced similar effects in the contemporary nations of antiquity, but aggravated by their grosser ignorance, and by the want of that restraint and regulation which the laws of Moses imposed. The root of the whole evil, was the false idea of God, as being a tyrant or a hard and capricious master; and this was rendered so much worse among the heathen, because they not only imputed an arbitrary authority and

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unrelenting justice to him (or to them, for in general they believed in Polytheism), but they likewise imputed passions and vices which would have degraded humanity.

SALTCOATS, August, 1832.

W. B.

The Unitarian Christian's View of the Recent Measures of Reform.-A Discourse, by the Rev. J. R. Beard.

Luke, xxii. 53, “But this is your hour and the power of darkness." THESE words were uttered near the close of our Lord's eventful life. He had been betrayed, had suffered the agony of the garden, was in the power of his enemies, and saw quickly coming on the indignities of the judgment hall, and the tortures of the cross. It was night to him, it was the hour of the evil one, it was the power of darkness. Look at Jesus in that hour. He stands alone in the midst of a frowning world; some friends even have abandoned, one betrayed, and others are about to deny and forsake him. His persecutors have compassed their wicked ends. They have him safe in their toils, and already they prepare the worst of disgrace and torture which the abuse of power, aided by depravity of heart, could devise. Look at the man in this awful crisis. There is no one earthly light amid the thick darkness. All is gloom and terror. His enemies have and enjoy their hour; darkness triumphs in its awful power. Yet what calm dignity invests his brow. His is the only eye that looks serenely bright on the falling storm. There is agitation and perplexity and fierceness in the faces of his enemies. Jesus stands in the midst, with his inward peace beaming mildly around him, and so full of self-possession is he, that he even arraigns those who had come to apprehend him,— "Why are ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me; but this is your hour and the power of darkness." There is both force and beauty of meaning in these words. They imply the serenity of the Saviour's breast, they imply a confidence in the Providence of God, and in the issue of the painful scenes of which his apprehension was the herald. This is your hour. I yield, for so it must be. It is the power of darkness, so has my Father ordered it in the unerring determinations of his love and wisdom. It is your hour,