we are to receive according to the deeds done in the body; that as the tree falleth so shall it for ever lie; and that one of the chief miseries of those who shall fall short in the account of their stewardship, will consist in a sense of their loss, in the contrast between what their condition is and what it might have been,-between the fire that is always kindled, and the worm that never dies, and the lake that ever burns, and being approved and applauded by Him, who would have crowned them with exceeding happiness and eternal glory, and enriched them with a variety of blessings, greater and mightier than tongue can tell, or heart conceive.

We have yet to consider,―

IV. The last point of instruction presented to us by the parable, which is this,-That, besides being long-suffering toward them, God allows of Jesus Christ as the Intercessor of men; he allows of his supplications being offered up for lengthening the season of his mercy, and trying them still farther with the means of his grace. The prayer which the dresser of the vineyard is here represented as putting up for the fig-tree is," Lord, let it alone this year also." The object of it is not that it may never be cut down, but only that it may not be cut down now. The trial which he entreats may be given to it, is but for a time, and if during that time, it do not revive, become fruitful, and yield a return adequate to the additional pains that are taken with it, that after that it may be hewn down, and cast into the fire.

And what is it that, if it be thus spared, he here promises to do for it? He promises to "dig about it," and to "dung it,"-to use the fittest means by which new vigour is likely to be infused into it. And does not Christ, as the great Intercessor of the human race, do the very same thing? Every year that transgressors are spared, is he not multiplying to them the instruments of their improve ment, affording to them still more opportunities of turning to a good account the field of occupation into which he has put them? He who, while they were sinners, did give himself up for their salvation, who, even upon the cross, could offer up a prayer for the forgiveness of his very murderers who were impiously depriving him of that life which was both taken up and laid down for their sakes, exhibits, now in heaven, the same kindness toward his enemies; prays to his Father that he would still exercise his long-suffering patience, and is afraid only of this-that they should fail to turn it to any answerable account.

If the tree bear fruit, "well,"-both the owner and the dresser of it will be unspeakably pleased. And if the unfruitful professors of Christianity will, even at the eleventh hour, but turn from the unfruitfulness of their ways, work out their own salvation, in a full reliance on those succours that are freely offered, and that will never fail, and, as the stewards of the Most High, will do the work, and improve the trusts of their Lord and Master, they shall reap the fruit, and receive the recompense, of faithful servants. God will graciously God will graciously

condescend to reward them, Christ will welcome them as the fruits of his successful intercession, and there will be joy in heaven over their repentance.

But, if still the tree should bear no fruit,-if it still should disappoint the expectations that are formed of it, after that it shall be cut down. The punishment of unfruitful men is sure, though it should not be swift; the infliction of it is certain, though it may not be speedy. The season of grace, long as it may be lengthened out, will go by. The opportunities of reconciliation, much as they may be multiplied, will pass away; and then, if they still misimprove the means that are given to them, they will assuredly be taken out of the vineyard of the Lord, and their roots shall be rottenness, and their blossoms shall ascend like the dust; "for, as the earth, which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs, meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing of God, so that which beareth briars and thorns, is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned."

Nor can such a termination be regarded as unjust. If vengeance be wantonly provoked, what wonder if at last it be inflicted, and what vengeance can be equal to that of disappointed affection? It is in vain to imagine that God should make those bear fruit who obstinately refuse it,— that he should continue his favours, when his favours are regularly perverted. If they have ears to hear, and yet will not hear, of what use to send forth the voice of inspiration, or the sound of the truth? If they have eyes, and will not see, all light will be lost on them. If they have hands, and will not do the work that is appointed to them, it is of no avail that they are preserved in the place where it may be done. No mercies will melt, no privileges profit, no means reach, minds so stubborn and so stupid as these! And will it be just to complain, when they meet with the issue of which they now are forewarned? No, my brethren; God tells them here, that if they abuse his grace they must feel his justice; that if they reject the offers of his love, they must endure the stripes of his wrath. He gives to them now the most positive assurance that a day is approaching when he shall ease himself of his enemies,-when he will be avenged of his adversaries; that he, if he cannot obtain their acquiescence in the way of cordial submission, will at last fulfil his pleasure upon them in the way of righteous indignation,—— that he must reign, he must rule over them, if not, as loyal subjects, for their happiness, at least, as rebels and as reprobates, for their everlasting perdition.

Seeing then that these things are to come to pass, brethren, take ye heed that ye walk worthy of that vocation wherewith ye have been called. Improve, with diligence, preparation, and prayer, all the dispensations of Providence, all the means of grace, and all the opportunities of improvement with which God has favoured you. Forget not that solemn account, which you one day must give, of the talents you have received, and

that awful sentence which one day will be pronounced on those who have misimproved them. To you, to me, to every one of us, He hath said, "occupy till I come," and blessed will it be for us all if we, when He doth come, can give a good account of our occupation.

It must indeed be acknowledged that, to look back upon time squandered away and opportunities let slip, and advantages turned to no profit or fruit, must indeed be unpleasant, and were this our only state, we should gain little by our doing so. But if there is to be another life, and that an eternal one, and if we are assured that much will be required where much has been given, then the unpleasantness of the thing, instead of being a reason why we should not pursue them, becomes The the strongest of all reasons why we should. sense of our own iniquity, the pains of a guilty mind, the pangs of a repentant heart must be experienced by all of us at some time, and we should rather that they come upon us now for a little, than hereafter for ever. Better that we discover our real state in this life, where an atonement for sin is held out, than suffer it to be concealed until the next world, where there remains no more offering for sin. Better that we now make the most active inquiries after our sin, and mourn over their number and aggravated nature, and implore their pardon, for His sake, through whose blood they can be cancelled, than suffer them to remain a debt upon our spirits at the great day of account. If we cannot now endure these spectres of guilt which it may be our memories do present to us, how will we endure them hereafter? If to view them during the short period of self-examination occasion such uneasiness, to what a height will not that uneasiness rise when we shall find them in the next world haunting us unremittingly for ever? That uneasiness, that anxiety, that torment which, with such good effect, they might now produce in us, if we sought after their forgiveness, will be turned into a remorse unspeakable and eternal

I am

not recommending these to your liking, nor attempting to reconcile your sentiments to their experience. This only am I contending for, that upon the principle of a regard for our own interest, we should never shrink from that severe scrutiny of our own hearts, to which one day we must submit. The recollection of our past life, the suspicious examination of its different parts, is a duty that must be done frequently when it may be of use, or once for all when it can be of none; and if we are not willing to purchase an interval from present pain at the price of eternal sorrow, if we do not wish to forfeit things eternal for the sake of a deceitful tranquillity that is but temporal, then let us have submission to the reproaches of a mind that may repent, and be converted, and be forgiven, rather than fall at last a prey to the gnawings of that worm that never dies. If upon inquiry, we have the happiness to find that we have made a profitable use of the gifts God has bestowed on us, and know, and are sure that

we will obtain his approbation for the employment
to which we have turned them, then let us give
to him the glory of them, and be grateful for the
succours He has been pleased to bestow, and re-
solve that we will love him with still greater
ardour, and serve him with still greater diligence,
and pray to him with earnestness and in faith that
He would enable us daily to make still greater at-
tainments, and to preserve those we may have al-
ready made; that He would strengthen us for yet
farther progress in our Christian course, and guide
us to run the race of this life that we may not
lose the prize of the life that is everlasting. But
if, on the other hand, we can arrive at no such
conclusion, if we have the clearest and most
convincing proof of having perverted, or even
hidden, the talents that have been given to us,
then, let us repair instantly and without delay, to
and pray
grace,
that repentance may

the throne of

be granted to us; that our unfruitfulness may be forgiven; that through the intercession of the Great Mediator another year may be added to us, and that the God of grace, stablishing and strengthening us, may enable us to do what is well pleasing in his sight, and to work the work which He hath given us, habitually and stedfastly, to our life's end.

[IN a very useful work which has recently appeared under the title of "The Evidence of Profane History to the Truth and Necessity of Revelation," we find the following remarks on a very interesting subject.]

The sons of Noah were Japheth, Shem, and Ham. The first two were blessed by their father for their The posses dutiful and respectful conduct to him. sions of Japheth were to flourish, and their colonies were to be diffused, while the posterity of Shem was marked out for the peculiar people of God. Ham had wickedly insulted his father, and he was cursed by him in the posterity of his eldest son Canaan, of whom it was said, "A servant of servants shall he be to his brethren." Each of these prophecies has been literally fulfilled.

Japheth peopled the "isles of the Gentiles," as the European countries are termed in Scripture, and his descendants have spread out in colonies over every part of the globe: the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the English, have" dwelt in the tents of Shem," by their possessions in the East.

From Shem the Jews are

descended, to which nation the apostles and the earliest Christians belonged, and from which Christ himself arose. Lastly, the negro races of Africa, who are the children of Ham, have even to this day been the servants of servants, the lowest and the most abject of slaves.

After the deluge, Josephus informs us, "Mankind long remained together as one family, inhabiting the tops of the mountains round Ararat." While they were thus united, it is generally allowed that their future destinations were assigned to them by Noah, speaking under the divine inspiration. Moses mentions the divisions of the earth, when the Israelites were in sight of the Holy Land; and reminds them as of a

thing well known, that Canaan had been from the beginning the lot of their inheritance. Consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will show thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee,-When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.' Many learned men are of opinion that some of the families of Noah dispersed in an orderly manner to their respective settlements; and that this was the first dispersion, related in the tenth chapter of Genesis. The whole of the earth was at this time "of one language, and of one speech."

to guide the stranger in his journeying, and which in
those days, as in the present, were a sea of land, and
the compass unknown."

The enterprise of the giants in heathen mythology
appears to be a mutilated record of the tower of Babel.
Ovid represents this as before, instead of after the
deluge; but such confusion, under the uncertainty of
tradition, and the want of chronology, is quite natural.
And, that high heaven no more secure might feel
Than earth, the giants the celestial realm attempt;
And raise a pile of mountains to the stars.
The sire Omnipotent Olympus clave,
And with his thunderbolt threw Pelion down
From Ossa's top; the horrid form beneath
Their own vast heap lay buried. Earth, 'tis said,
Was soaked with blood impregnated with life,
The warm gore of her sons. Lest no remains
Of this her savage progeny exist,

She turned it to the form of men. But these
Alike defied the gods, and furious were,
Greedy of cruel slaughter.Offspring of blood
They seemed.

Nimrod, whose name is said to mean a rebel, is by profane authors named Belus, signifying Lord; the first being his Scripture name, on account of his rebellion against God, and the last his Babylonian name, on account of his empire there. He was the son of Cush and the grandson of Ham; and "he began to be a mighty one in the earth." "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Cal--the Babylonian or Assyrian monarchy. This was neh, in the land of Shinar."

The identity of the land of Shinar with that of Babylonia, may be said to possess all the certainty which can be desirable for an inquiry referring to times of such remote antiquity. The physical characters of the country, the ineffable impress of the hand of nature, every existing monument, and all the traditionary and valid records which have been saved from the scythe of time, unite in determining the land of Shinar and of Babylonia on the alluvial plains of the Euphrates and the Tigris.

There Nimrod and his followers determined to build a city and a tower which they vainly boasted should reach to heaven, to make themselves a name, and to prevent their being scattered abroad upon the face of the earth. While they were building this tower, which they intended as a monument of their glory, they were dispersed by a miracle; for the Lord confounded their language, so that they could not understand each other, and they were scattered over the face of the whole earth. On this account, the place was named Babel,a word signifying confusion, "because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth."

Josephus says that "the place where the tower was built is now called Babylon," and that "traditions of the building and overthrow of it and of the division of language which then took place, were contained in the books of the Sibyls (or heathen oracles) preserved at Rome." And it is recorded by most of the ancient historians, that an immense tower was built by gigantic men at Babylon, at a time when there was but one language among mankind, and that the attempt displeased the gods, who therefore demolished the tower, overwhelmed the workmen, and dispersed them over the face of the whole earth.

Babylon became the capital of Nimrod's dominions,

the first empire established in the world. Erech, one of the cities which Nimrod built, is supposed to be the same which occurs in Ptolemy under the name of Araca. Accad lay northward of Erech, and both places were near the joining of the Tigris and Euphrates. Calneh is supposed to have been the same with Ctesiphon on the Tigris, as the country around it is called Chalonitis, a name which appears to have been derived from the Scripture word Calneh.

The great mounds of Erech are called by the nomad Arabs Irák, Irká, and Senkerah, and sometimes El Asayah, "the place of pebbles.' This interesting ruin, which has been identified by Colonel Taylor with the Erech of the Scriptures, is surrounded by almost perpetual marshes and inundations. In the territory of Sitacene a remarkable pile of buildings is still met with. It is one hundred and twenty feet in height, and the brick-work is about four hundred feet in circumference. Its structure of sun-burnt bricks and layers of reeds announce it to be a Babylonian relic. The embankments of canals and of reservoirs, and the remnants of brick-work and pottery occupy the surface of the plain all around, while the name bears a close affinity to that of the Accad of Scripture, which ought by force of circumstances to be in the same neighbourhood with Babel and Erech.

"It

At the same time that Moses relates the account of Nimrod, he adds, "Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah." appears indubitable that Assyria owes its name to Asshur, and was also called Aturia, by the transmutation, according to Dion Cassius, of the s into t by the barbarians. Benjamin of Tudela corroborates the fact that the great Nineveh was called the great Asur.' Hyde says that Assyria was first named from Ashur, and Abú-el-Fedah notices Nineveh as the capital of the domain of Atúr." And Mr Rich mentions that the better-informed Turks who reside at Mousul, say it was El Athur or Ashur, from whom the whole country was denominated. There is a town in the same situation as Rehoboth, called by Ptolemy, Birthæ, which signifies streets in the Chaldee language; and as Rehoboth has a similar meaning in the Hebrew, it is con

About six miles distant from the site of ancient Babylon, a vast heap of ruins is still to be seen, which is with probability conjectured to be the remains of the tower of Babel. It is nearly half a mile in circumference, and about two hundred feet in height; on the summit is a solid pile of brick, broken at the top, and rent by a large fissure. Around it lie immense fragments of brick-work, of no determinate figure, tumbled together and converted into solid, vitrified masses, as if they had undergone the action of the fiercest fire.jectured to be the same city. Resen is supposed to be It is known by the name of the Birs Nimrood.

Its situation in a vast and dreary solitude, in a desert of immense extent, is very striking; and "the idea entertained by the first of the nations of men, of preventing their being scattered abroad upon the face of the earth, by building a lofty tower which should reach to the high heavens, is applicable, in the most remarkable manner, to the wide and level plains of Babylonia, here scarcely one object exists different from another

the same with the Larissa of Xenophon, the situations being alike between Nineveh and Calah, and described by him, as well as by Moses, to have been “a great city." Mr Rich, who visited this spot in 1820, gives a very interesting account of these venerable ruins, which lie "four horseman's hours from Mousul," the ancient Nineveh. A pyramidical mound stands on an oblong platform, and round it are traces of ruins like those of a city, which spread to a great distance east

About a quarter of a mile from the ruins, is the large village of Nimrod, sometimes called Diraweish, and it is curious that the villagers still consider Nimrod as their founder. The village story-tellers have a book which they call Kesseh Nimrod,' or Tales of Nimrod, with which they entertain the peasants on a winter night. Near this place there is a dam built across the Tigris, constructed of large hewn stones, cemented with lime, which at low water stands considerably above the river, and which the inhabitants attribute to Nimrod. These anecdotes would be of small importance in themselves, did they not serve to show that tradition still preserves the memory of the immediate descendants of Noah in the country which, as Scripture instructs us, they first inhabited.

ward. Fragments of burnt bricks with cuneiform | utter them, must be of the most injurious nature. It inscriptions on them are scattered about, thicker than is no doubt true, that the spirit in which such remarks those of Babylon, and much resembling the Nineveh are made, may often proceed from the natural hostility bricks. of the unrenewed mind to what is good. Even the most amiable to outward appearance, may have a deep-rooted aversion to the doctrines of the Gospel. But admitting this, how does it become Christians to give no occasion for suspicion being cast on their profession! Taking the very lowest view of the subject, it is an easy thing surely for a reasonable being to maintain that courtesy with his neighbour, without sacrificing any principle, which may lead him to be respected by that neighbour. It consists with our own experience, that when such a one has been removed from this lower world, men of all classes with whom he has intercourse, have joined in one common feeling of regret. But if a Christian, who is beset with many infirmities so long as he is in the body, still feels the risings of natural passion within him, where is his confidence? He surely cannot be ignorant of that. Will He, in whom he puts trust, not direct him to a way of escape? Assuredly he will. "Set thou a watch upon my lips," said the Psalmist," that I sin not with my tongue." So may every Christian, so should every Christian, pray, every morning that he rises, that in his daily business and intercourse with his fellow-men, he may show all the graces of the Christian character.

ON COURTESY.

AMIDST the spiritual knowledge which abounds in the
present day, it is to be feared that many of the relative
duties and graces which belong to the Christian charac-
One may be
ter are in danger of being overlooked.
very sound among his fellows upon the great doctrines
of the Gospel, and it would be a want of that charity
which thinketh no evil to say, that he was not fully
persuaded of their truth in his heart. From sad ex-
perience, however, it may be otherwise for we are
told, that even Satan can transform himself into an
angel of light. But take the most favourable view of
the case, it becomes a subject of inquiry, how the doc-
trines of the Gospel affect the every day practice. To
guide us in this inquiry, let us look to the third chapter
of the First Epistle of St. Peter, where the Apostle
concludes a long list of Christian graces, by calling on
the believer, amongst other things, to "be courteous."
"Courteous," in the ordinary meaning of the word,
applies to that civility which should subsist between man
and man in their intercourse one with another. How
often it has been shown in the conduct of men of the
world, must be familiar to all who have had dealings
with them. If this disposition proceeds from the mere
impulse of good feeling and good manners on their part,
how much more ought it, as a matter of higher and
nobler principle, to actuate the conduct of those who call
themselves Christians! An opposite behaviour not only
injures their own peace, it gives occasion to those

who have intercourse with them to consider their
Christian profession as consisting merely in words, and
having no meaning. Such a consequence is deeply to
be deplored, and bewilders those who otherwise might
have been desirous to attain to the knowledge of the
truth. It is no uncommon thing to hear the remark,
"Oh, so and so, I dare say, is a very good man in his
own way; but I wish to have no business transaction
with him. He is void of all courtesy, and I cannot
meet him even on the terms of ordinary civility."-
Again, if another be a Christian, it is remarked some-
times, "He is a very ill-natured one, harsh to all with
whom he has any thing to do. I would rather deal
with one who would knock me down, than with him
who professes religion, and does not act up to it."-
These, and similar remarks, are of more frequent
occurrence than professing Christians are at all
aware of. Their influence on the minds of those who

|

Courtesy costs little trouble to any one,-it should cost none to the Christian. He should lay account with trials and afflictions which await him in passing through the world. His course here cannot be always smooth. Let him, therefore, as the Apostle says, as much as in him lieth, live peaceably with all men;" and whether in his dealings in business, or in the retirements of domestic life, let him exhibit that meek and quiet spirit, which, in the sight of God, is of great price. Thus will he exemplify, in his conduct, the influence of those higher principles, which will not only command the esteem of all around him, but may also lead others, from his good conversation, to search for themselves that Word, which has made him wise unto salvation.

CHRISTIAN TREASURY.

The iniquities of the Fathers visited upon their Children.-God has declared, that he will visit the iniquiThe enemy of ties of the fathers upon the children. divine revelation may find this declaration incompatible with his views of justice, and may found upon this assumption an objection to the divine origin of the Book in which the declaration is made. But what shall be said of the validity of this objection, when we find the fact itself broadly and prominently meeting us, in the administration of the divine government? To follow out the objection consistently now, it will be necessary to conclude, that the world is not governed by a being of infinite perfection; nay, that the Ruler and the Judge of all the earth, if such there be, is deficient in justice, and does not do that which is right. But this is a conclusion at which Deism itself would shudder, and which can find admittance only into the cold and the dark bosom of Atheism. Where then does the fact meet us? Every where: in the history of nations and individuals, and in our own daily observation. In the history of the Jewish monarchy, we find the guilt visited apparently less sometimes upon the actual transgressor, than upon his descendants; so that, in his day, were peace and truth," while captivity and its worst evils awaited them. (2 Kings xx. 19.) And without going remotely into