ene of her laws, that all things be done decently, and in order. And finally,

"The church is a visible society, as she is united to Christ, and enjoys. communion with him, in grace and glory. Her greatest beauty is indeed inward and unseen. Every member of the church of the first-born is called by the grace of God, who is pleased to reveal his Son in him; his faith is unfeigned; his holiness is real, powerful, and evangelical; his circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, and not in the letter; and his praise is not of men, but of God. This is his true character, and his greatest honour. But how shall the world know, that they are the disciples of Christ? how shall wisdom be justified of her children? or, how shall they satisfy themselves, that by the grace of God they really are what they are? The answer is plain: "By their fruits ye shall know them,' Matth. vii. 16. 20. The man in whom Christ is savingly revealed, consults not with flesh and blood: where faith is without dissimulation, it worketh by love: he who is begotten to a lively hope, purifieth himself: true and prevailing love to God, keepeth his commandments; a pure heart is manifested in an holy conversation: and the power is always attended with the form of godliness. These being the genuine and inseparable fruits of vital union to Jesus Christ by his blessed Spirit, and communion with him, without which we cannot distinguish Christ's sheep from the men of the world, they must shew their character, and demonstrate their connections, by those evidences, which necessarily belong to their happy state, as members of the body of Christ. Hence even the children of God are a visible church in the world, and while they are sealed in their foreheads and right-hands, all men know whose they are, and whom they serve,"

AFFECTING DISPENSATION OF PROVIDENCE.

SIR,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN.

SCEPTICISM says, "Where mystery begins, religion ends." But if this be so, and if this be urged to its full and legitimate conclusion, then scepticism will land us in all the "blackness of darkness" of Atheism. For if the fact, that there are mysteries in our holy religion, be brought, as an argument against that religion; then let that argument be taken in its full extent, and it will plunge us at once into all the depths of the most appalling infidelity. It will go to annihilate that "God who sits upon the throne," and drive Him from the moral government of the universe. For there are mysteries in providence, as well as in grace-mysteries innumerable, and mysteries inexplicable by us, in God's moral government of the world. The book of God's providence abounds with mysteries. Events are perpetually recurring, the reasons of which we cannot assign, and the effects of which we cannot see. And it would just argue the same degree of rashness

and folly in us to deny that the world was under the govern ment and moral control of a Sovereign God; because we meet with these mysterious doings in the kingdom of His providence: as is exhibited by those who deny the great truths of revealed religion; because they meet with occasional mysteries in the kingdom of God's grace. The truth is, the book of providence spreads out before us, in its mighty pages, many an event, for the purpose of exercising our faith-exhibits many a lesson, teaching us to repose with an unshaken trust on that God who rules amongst the armies of heaven and the kingdoms of earth who does all things according to the good pleasure of his own holy will, and who does all things well. The book of providence is a sealed book. Nor will its seals be opened till that day, when, in God's light, we shall see light, shall see him as we are seen, and know him as we are known. In the meantime every mysterious dispensation of that providence as it occurs, calls to a renewed exercise of faith; makes us, as we journey on our pilgrimage way, lean more on that staff of God's promise-"All things work together for good to them that love God"-and quickens us to raise louder, as we go on, the song of Moses and the Lamb→→ "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints." Yes, to him who believes that every event is under the control of that Almighty God, who, whilst directing the courses and the movements of worlds upon worlds, is, at the same time, not suffering a hair to fall from our head nor a sparrow to the ground without his sovereign pleasure, the book of providence becomes most deeply important; and every event unfolded there assumes a deeper interest thus viewed by him who sees the hand of God in every thing, and acknowledges every event to be but the secret working of his unseen, yet Almighty power. To these observations my mind has been led by an awfully mysterious providence which has lately occurred, and which, as it is connected with God's people, we desire to record in the pages of your periodical.

John and Brice Gilmore were the sons of poor, but honest and religious parents, whose humble dwelling was near the shore of Lough Foyle. Their chief wealth consisted in a small boat, employed in carrying shells from a neighbouring isle which were disposed of to the surrounding farmers for manure. Their work was laborious and hazardous, and the nature of it rendered it uncertain; having always to attend to the state of the tide on their going out and on their return.

Yet "the hand of the diligent," as the wise man saith, "maketh rich;" and these youths, (for the elder was not more than nineteen, and the younger fifteen years of age,) by the blessing of God on their laudable efforts of steady persevering industry, were enabled to extricate their parents from a state of distressing penury, and to place them in comfort and comparative independence. On the 10th of October last they set off for the shell isle, in the pursuit of their usual avocations. And at the close of that day, their anxious parents went out to meet and welcome their children, expecting their return with the evening tide. They watched and waited on the shore till the evening tide rose, and till it ebbed away, but their children did not return. Disappointed, but not alarmed, they retired to their lowly dwelling, and having provided some necessary refreshment a warm bath for the chilled limbs of their children-a good fire lighted up on the hearth to cheer them as usual when they would return; and having surrounded their family altar, there to offer up their evening sacrifice of prayer and praise-there to commit themselves and their exposed children to the protecting care of that God who never slumbers nor sleeps, they withdrew to their repose.

But although they lay upon their beds, it was not to enjoy the refreshment of sleep. By a particular and remarkable circumstance, an impression seized upon their mother's mind that her younger son had fallen out of the boat, and that the elder had perished in his efforts to save him, so that both had met a watery grave. Her heart sunk under this mysterious foreboding, and she exclaimed, in a paroxysm of grief, "My children! my children are lost!" In vain did her family try to soothe her grief in vain did they try to reason down her sad forebodings. She was still haunted by this terrible idea. She could find no rest, and throughout that night, till the morning's dawn, she wandered up and down the shore, where she so anxiously hoped her children's return.

was,

With the dawn of morning she met the fatal messenger, and the reply to her question, "Have you seen my sons?" "Your younger son is drowned, and the elder has gone off with the boat to the opposite coast." One piercing shriek, as it burst from the stricken heart of the mourner and was borne to a distance on the silence of the morning air, told to those who heard it how deep the agony is, which wrings the heart with a mother's woe. But this was not all the truth-the boat was shortly after found, the cable coiled, the anchor at her bow, and the dead body of the elder son

floated on the waves. How this mournful event occurred can never now be known, nor will be, till that day when every secret thing shall be revealed. But the conjectures of the boatmen acquainted with the place were, that they perished just as the mother had declared. It was a solemn sight, as the eye rested on their earthly remains, borne slowly along, about to mingle with their kindred dust-to sleep in the same silent dwellings. And yet there is hope in their death, that though sudden, they were not found unprepared. Their views of religious truth were sound and scriptural-their attendance on the public ordinances of the Sabbath regular and reverential; and though, from the nature of their employment, they could not always take their place in the morning and evening devotions of the family: yet never did they leave their father's dwelling-never did they enter on the business of the day, without retiring in the hallowedness of secret prayer, to commit themselves and their ways to the keeping of God their Saviour: "They were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided." And though silence best becomes us under this mysterious dispensation, as we bow in adoring submission before that sovereign God, who does all things in heaven and on earth, according to the good pleasure of his own will, whose arm none can stay from working, and to whom none can say what doest thou, who maketh darkness his pavilion, and who rolleth the thick clouds around his throne:-yet from the midst of this dispensation there comes a voice to the sorrowing parents, which says"What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." There comes a voice to all, which says, in language not to be forgotten-"Be still and know that I am God." "For I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

H. :

57

EDUCATION.

"The principles upon which education is conducted are two, the one intellectual, the other religious. Instead of making it to consist in a mere labour of memory, and a formal round of lessons, every effort is made to exercise the mind and to direct and strengthen all its powers. Pains are taken to elicit and cultivate the mental faculties, and train the pupils to habits of thought and reflection. These exercises are all subservient to religion. The school opens daily with devotional exercises. Nothing is admitted inconsistent with the strictest views of purity and holiness. On this principle dancing is excluded. The great object of the education imparted is, to advance, as far as possible, both the mental capacities and the religious principles of the children. At the same time, the utmost attention is paid to every truly graceful and really valuable accomplishment. The manners of the children are watched and formed with unremitting care."-See Advertisement on the Cover.

THE freedom and frequency with which we expressed our sentiments on the question of national education, when the new system was first proposed to the country, render it unnecessary that we should now dwell at length on that branch of the subject. We will only say, that the opinions which we then avowed, we continue to hold with stronger conviction of their justness. No sooner was the plan detailed in the letter of the Irish Secretary, than we warned the public against it; and we desire to express our gratitude to Almighty God that we were then, as we hope, enabled to bear a faithful testimony. Our council, it is true, was disregarded by the official authority whence the measure proceeded-remonstrances and petitions have all been to no purpose-there seems to be a determination to carry it through in spite of all opposition-yet it is no small satisfaction to be able to think and say, we have done our duty. At present we will only once more record our dissent, and assign three reasons for it. 1. It is the duty of the Government to provide the means of Christian instruction for the people; but in the new system there is no such provision. We are far from saying it is the duty of the Government to force this provision on the people; but we do say it is their duty to offer it, and if it is rejected, they are guiltless. It is not even pleaded that the proposed measure contemplates the Christian instruction of the people; but its strongest recommendation, in the view of its authors and abettors, is that it does not interfere with the subject. 2. The new system not only does not provide Christian instruction for the people, but it denies it to those who anxiously request