health and vigor. But he has outward faculties as well as those which are inward and spiritual. For while in the body, he has also the organs and senses of the body, through which he holds communion with the material and spiritual world, with God, with nature, and with man; and through which they commune with him. By these outward faculties he manifests to others, to the world, that the character of the inner or spiritual man is holy and spiritual. His outward members are, as it were, spiritualized, and indeed corsecrated to the service of the inner man. The eye, the ear, the tongue, the hand, the foot, all move in harmony with the will of the inner man. They are members of righteousness, because the functions which they perform accord with the feelings and emotions of the mind, or inner man. Hence their proper exercise always indicates the symptoms of sound, spiritual health. The eye, when sound, never looks with concupiscence; the ear, when in health, never listens to evil suggestions; nor does the tongue, while spiritually sound, utter corrupt speech, but, on the contrary, that which is good for edifying. Its speech will always be with grace, seasoned with salt. Nor will the hand or the foot consent to become an instrument of evil or unrighteousness; but, contrariwise, an instrument of blessing one's neighbor. In a word, his mind is not more desirous of devising what is good, than are his outward members active in executing it. But in determining what is good and profitable to men, he will be content with nothing short of the highest standard of moral excellence. He will, therefore, always have recourse to the word of God, to ascertain the mind of the Spirit in relation to what he purposes; and what he purposes in this manner, he feels himself fully able to execute. And as to what he purposes, he will always be found to be not less discriminating and conscientiously scrupulous, as to the means, than he is to the end proposed. His rule of action will never permit him to do evil that good may His standard of moral purity and excellence will not allow him to engage in any enterprize, though lawful in itself, that might either in the pursuit, or accomplishment of it, put in jeopardy his reputation as one that fears God and loves righteousness. He is indeed ever careful never to infringe the laws of spiritual health. A conscience void of offence is to him a constant spring of enjoyment. In his transactions with men his Yea is ever Yea, and his Nay is always Nay. The delightful law of kindness is ever seen and felt in his intercourse with men. He loves them that fear the Lord, but condemns the workers of iniquity. He loves and seeks the society of those who bear the moral image of him whom he de

come.

lights to serve; and to commune with them in his holy sanctuary, is the joy and rejoicing of his heart.

Such are some of the prominent and' unequivocal symptoms of spiritual health.

We are now, in the second place, to consider some of the deviations from this condition, constituting spiritual dyspepsia.

It is a remarkable fact that there is hardly any disease less understood than that which is so often presented to us, and known under the vague denominations of Lukewarmness, Worldly Conformity, and Spiritual Apathy; which seems the more extraordinary, because there is none of greater importance, whether we regard its variety, its consequences, or its connexion with other diseases. In the first place, then, we shall endeavor to present to the reader a review of the symptoms of spritual indigestion, and its more immediate consequences; in the second place consider some of the proximate and remote causes of this disease, the manner in which they excite it, and the changes which take place in its progress; in the third and last place, detail the plan of treatment which has appeared to us most successful.

as

So gradual and insidious is the approach of this disease, and so slight, at first, is the deviation from the condition of health, above described, as scarcely to be perceived by the patient himself. He may indeed continue, as formerly, to partake daily of spiritual food, but with a relish somewhat diminished. This symptom, at first so very obscure, does not, however, continue long before there is also felt a slightly impaired appetite, accompanied by a slight impairment also of spiritual discernment. The occasion of the above symptoms would seem not unfrequently to depend upon protracted abstinence from spiritual food; the functions of the inner faculties peculiar to the spiritual system, have consequently, from too long fasting, become weakened, while the outer senses have been, at 'the same time, too long employed or exercised upon outward, secular objects. There is consequently a morbid reaction of the outer upon the inner senses. The outer senses have thus acquired a preternatural strength from protracted, exercise while the inward spiritual senses have become weakened from disuse. It is thus, we presume, that the spiritual functions of reflection, meditation, and assimilation are disturbed, the appetite diminished, and spiritual discernment impaired. Hence it follows that from this undue excitement of the outward senses, the bread of life when received cannot be properly assimilated, because due time has not been taken for the restoration of the spiritual functions of reflec

tion, discrimination, and adaptation of the word of life to the particular wants of the inner man.

Should, however, these morbid symptoms of the dyspeptic not be relieved, but permitted to run on unchecked, then we shall have, ere long, those of a more aggravated character. To the impaired appetite, will succeed a slight feeling of spiritual debility. His system becomes morbidly sensitive to the changes of the moral atmosphere around him. He cannot so well resist its oft deleterious influences upon his inner man. In his works of faith and labors of

love he sooner becomes weary. There is, indeed, apparent in his gait, a spiritual languor, indicating a great want of spiritual nourishment, and of tone and vigor to the system. When he takes his seat at table, to partake of a spiritual repast, although upon it is spread, in the richest profusion, the greatest variety of the most delicious spiritual viands, he eats with but little relish, and with still less spiritual discrimination. He often, indeed, selects a portion of spiritual meat much too strong for his weakened powers of digestion, the effect of which is not to nourish, but unduly to excite the head and to produce paroxysms of spiritual delirium, in which the dyspeptic talks incoherently of election, reprobation, the final perseverance of the saints, and fancies himself to be rich, and increased in goods, and to have need of nothing.

There is at times also apparent a want of that harmonious healthy action between the mind, the heart, and the remote organs of seeing and hearing. The eye, when it sees that which is the property of another, looks with cupidity. The ear, when it hears evil suggestions or counsels, listens at first with but little dislike; then, after a time, with indifference, and finally, if this effect be not corrected by a healthy reaction of the mind, it goes on at length to approbation, terminating in perverted moral action. In like manner also is it with the tongue, when from under the salutary influences of the mind and heart. Its perverted function will at first be seen in using lightness of speech, jesting, boasting, using words with double meanings, and unless these symptoms are timely remedied, they will shortly go on to exaggeration, prevarication, and confirmed falsification. So also is it with the hand and foot. They, too, if long deprived of the sanative control of the heart, become perverted in their functions. The hand will offend, and the foot trespass, and will thus become the instruments of unrighteousness. The above symptoms, indicating the condition of the outward senses and organs, constitute the second stage of spiritual dyspepsia. The third and last stage indicates the condition of the heart SERIES III.-VOL. 47*

itself, as the great fountain from which are the issues of life and health. We have indicated above that love, joy, and hope are amongst the symptoms that denote spiritual health in general. These symptoms depend, however, upon the healthy condition of the heart in particular. The heart itself again depends upon the head for its healthy tone. And it is through the medium of this organ the heart is to receive the pabulum vitæ, the pure milk of the word, and from which it is to issue or be circulated as the great centre of spiritual life, health, and vigor. It must, therefore, continue to receive a proper supply of this spiritual chyle or milk, that it may with vigor perform its functions; first, that of vitalizing or spiritualizing it, and afterwards of circulating it through the entire system of the spiritual man. From the great importance of its functions, we see at once the propriety and necessity of the advice given once by a distinguished spiritual physician: "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." How serious, then, must be the injury to the whole spiritual constitution when this organ becomes diseased. The spiritual pathologist, however, has always found it difficult to discriminate properly the symptoms that denote functional, from those that indicate organic disease of this organ. This, however, they have always found, that in every case where the heart was really diseased, the head was never found in a sound and healthy condition. This arises, indeed, necessarily from their physiological connection. The functions of the head and heart, whether in health or disease, always act and react upon each other. A. W. C.

REFORMATION-No. XVIII.

WE come now to consider the relation which the present reformation sustains to the ancient or rather the original Christian church established by the Apostles. It is to this Primitive and uncorrupted Christianity that most of the parties of Christendom desire to claim a more or less intimate relationship. Each one is careful to display any particular feature in which resemblance to it may be traced; and where all likeness is lost, a confident appeal will usually be made to the musty records of ecclesiastical genealogy, in order to prove a descent, either lineal or collateral, from a progenitor whose divinity admits of no dispute.

The slightest RESEMBLANCE to primitive Christianity would seem to be regarded by many as undoubted evidence of legitimacy. It

matters not how numerous or how great the differences, if likeness may be traced in a single feature, or if there even be imagined a similarity in the fashion or color of the garments in which they have arrayed themselves. It is astonishing, indeed, upon what slender support the claim of even an exclusive title of succession is sometimes made to rest. A religious community will spring up, and after inventing for itself a system of doctrine and of ecclesiastical polity, will profess to be the true representative of the ancient church, if to its dissimilar institutions it has but attached similar titles. A single word of scripture may, like a minute quantity of pure gold, be beaten out so thin as to cover a prodigious surface of partyism, and give to it in the eye of the uninstructed the substantial and precious qualities of original truth. It is thus that the word "presbytery" is employed by some to gild their frame-work of church government; while for others, the term "conference" is made to serve a similar purpose. Thus, too, the word "baptism" is made to hide a variety of human inventions, and the term "faith," to cover with glittering and delusive splendor a vast superficies of speculative human opinions.

Some, on the other hand, rely upon a claim of transmitted authority-upon the virtue of official prerogatives, consecrated by tradition, and perpetuated, in more than one sense of the word, by imposition. The chrysmal efficacy of ordination is supposed to impart validity to all religious acts; to give an indispensable sanction to sacred ministrations, and to infuse into divine institutions a balsamic and healing power. Amidst the labyrinth of conflicting claims which bewilder the truth-seeker, it is this slender thread of an alleged apostolical succession, which is thought to be the only clew that can infallibly guide research. It is this floating and unsubstantial gossamer which must attach the soul to its only anchor of hope. It is this sublimated effiuence of official grace; this mysterious transmigrant; this ever-living spirit of sacerdotalism, that can alone impart vitality to the body of Christ, or sustain and perpetuate the existence of the Christian church.

It is, however, in other cases, the attribute of ANTIQUITY which is supposed to be the true evidence of genuine descent. To boast the possession of a distinct ecclesiastical organization from an early period, is to prove an absolute identity with the original church. The turbid waters which overspread the slimy and alluvial Delta, are to be regarded as those of the pure and sparkling fountain from which, in the rocky recesses of the far distant mountains, a doubtful geography may have traced the stream. The once seamless coat