promised to our first parents, and coming upon earth in the likeness of man at the appointed time-I believe this Saviour, to be the eternal Son of God, one with the Father, whose death was the atonement for the sins of the whole world-I believe Him to be the Mediator, through whom I approach the throne of the Almighty, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity' -it is in this Saviour, this crucified Saviour, that I put my whole trust-His blood has cleansed me from my sins, His death has made atonement for my offences-His Spirit, which is offered to every one, and is One with the Father and himself, purifies, renews, and sanctifies my heart, strengthens me against its corruptions, the temptations of the world, and the suggestions of the evil one, without whom I could no more live as he commands, than the body could live without nourishment; it is through my Saviour I trust to be raised to life immortalHe has opened the gates of heaven to all believers, and clothed in the wedding garment' of His righteousness, I trust to be admitted to the mansions prepared for the redeemed,' and for all this I find a warrant in the Bible."

Again there was a pause, at length Miss Arnford said, "Do we agree Rose? Are our definitions the same ?"

"We do not, indeed, agree," said Rose, but, dear Miss Arnford, do you mean by the natural heart, the heart of every human being as it is, when they are born into this world?"

"I do, Rose," replied her friend, "I do mean that the heart, the natural heart of every one, is unholy, therefore it must be changed before we can hope for heaven, for 'without holiness no man can see the Lord.' Many are the proofs mentioned in Scripture, of man's corrupt heart. David says, 'There is none that doeth good, no not one.' In the eighth chapter of Genesis, God says, The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth.' In Ecclesiastes, For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.' St. Paul says, 'The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; they are foolishness unto him.' And for the necessity of a change of a renewed heart, Jesus says, ' Except ye be born again, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' St. Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, says, 'By the grace of God, I am what I am ;' and to the Ephesians, Be renewed in the Spirit of your VOL. V. 3rd SERIES, Ff

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minds." Dear Rose, continued Miss Arnford, as she waited in vain for Rose's reply," will you not read your Bible, and judge for yourself? Will you not seek to know that God, who is now waiting to be gracious? Oh! if you would only pray to be taught by Him, if you would only seek His Spirit, if you would listen to the still small voice of His grace, that even now is making itself heard, you would experience the necessity of that change, you would not rest till you had felt its power. Promise me, Rose, that you will pray for light on this momentous subject, that you will not let it pass by you as an idle talewill you not, Rose ?"

"I will promise, dear Miss Arnford," said Rose, throwing herself into her friend's arms, and bursting into tears, "I will and do promise to try and understand what you say."

"Ask for His Spirit to teach you, love, and he will not refuse His blessing on your undertaking. Farewell for the present."

(To be continued.)

HARVEST.

"The Harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and we are not saved.”

Jer. viii. 20.

IN the conduct of the Jewish Nation we have an awful and affecting instance of ingratitude and rebellion against God. Unmindful of the wonders of His hand, and the power of His arm so often engaged on their behalf, they devoted themselves to the service of idols, slighted His worship, and broke His Holy Covenant. Their repeated transgressions, at length, provoke His wrath, and rouse His justice to punish them. Seventy long years they groan in captivity, and lament their slighted mercies and privileges. In the worship of the temple they no longer engage, and as they sigh and mourn in Babylon, they exclaim, "The Harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and we are not saved!"

The seasons as they revolve are calculated to impart salutary and profitable instructions. The Spring reminds us of our duty to plant and sow what will be afterwards useful and beneficial. The short-lived Summer presents the moral, that all human bliss is as transient and fading as its flowers. The

Autumn exhorts us to gather while the opportunity is present. The Winter gravely and solemnly depicts the end of all things. The text at the head of this paper directs us to two of these seasons-the Summer and the Harvest, and I shall now endeavor to improve them.

THE HARVEST IS PAST.

Harvest is a joyful time, and hence we read of the joy of harvest.-Isa. ix. 3.-For many months we watch the progress of the fruits of the earth. The springing corn; the opening bud, at length, expand and advance by degrees to maturity. What joy is excited at the appearance of corn when ripe for the sickle, and what triumph accompanies the harvest-home! The gospel brings joy to the earth; its very announcement was a beam of happiness. "Behold I bring you good tidings of great joy." Every sinner converted to God is a source of joy to angels, who convey the happy news to the courts above, and to saints below, who witness the conquests of redeeming grace. The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the

rose.

Harvest is the season for gathering in the fruits of the earth. Long exposed to winds and storms, to cold and heat, the corn at length ripens, and looks forward to the operation of the sickle, when the harvest shall be reaped. And now the husbandman gathers it in his arms, and conveys it to the garner. The gospel collects the penitent, calls the people from afar, and brings them nigh by the blood of Christ, first into the fold on earth, and then into the sanctuary in heaven. "Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." The youth must endeavor to lay up in store religious and useful knowledge for the time to A delightful harvest is presented to him in the fields of scripture, and in the regions of science. Here he may reap, from day to day, and derive that which will nourish and enrich him for both worlds.

come.

Harvest is a season of great activity.-No idle hands are countenanced, no half-hearted laborers are employed, industry and ardor reign throughout the field. The opportunity of

collecting the golden sheaves must be embraced now, and if lost it can never be recovered. Every thing relative to religion demands the warmest zeal. Sloth and supineness are every where condemned in the scriptures. This is their undeviating language-" Now is the accepted time-to-day if ye will hear His voice-awake thou that sleepest--be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. He that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame-What thine hand findeth to do, do it with thy might―The laborers in the harvest are still to go forward, till every sheaf is removed from the field."

THE SUMMER IS ended.

The Summer terminated on the 23rd September, on which day Autumn commenced. For three months the earth has exhibited an appearance of beauty and fertility. In the field we have seen corn waving to and fro. The garden has presented the rich parterre, and afforded to the delighted eye its graceful variety of flowers. Holyhocks, pinks, sun-flowers, geraniums, myrtles, and a long list of et cetera, have expanded their blossoms, while the lofty althea frutex seemed to direct our attention to the Author of them all, proclaiming, as is aspired,

"The hand that made us is divine."

If fertility has characterized the season of Summer, how strikingly does it appear in the sacred word, where its invitations, and promises and predictions are so abundant. It is a land flowing with corn and wine. The Bread of Life, and the wine which maketh glad the heart of man, are offered freely, and whosoever will may eat and drink abundantly. Compared with the gospel, the times of Heathen philosophy are as the cold cheerless days and nights of winter to the animating warmth of Summer, the season that charms every eye, delights every sense, and gladdens every heart. But if it is pleasant, it is alas! short. A few weeks of enjoyment, and it is gone! An emblem of our life, and of all its pleasures. The brightest sun becomes dull, and the fairest soon wither. What is your life? A short summer's day, a dream, a vapour which continueth but a little while, and then vanisheth away..

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Short is the period which is granted to us for making our calling and election sure. Yet, in this short period, we are perpetually reminded of our duty, and of our obligations. To the youth the gospel says, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth," and to those who are farther advanced, Escape for thy life." The herald of mercy meets us in every part of our pilgrimage, and warns us by the terrors of the Lord, and the compassions of the Redeemer, to "Flee from the wrath to come." O let us not lose a moment in delay, but accept, with humility and gratitude, the offered grace, lest we mourn at the last, when mercy is departed for ever, and exclaim, "The Harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and we are not saved!"

But from whom does this awful, bitter lamentation proceed? "I am not saved!" See yonder miserable mortal, stretched on the dying bed of groans, and sighs, and tears. It is some graceless professor of religion. Listen! and you will hear his heart-rending confession:-"Ah! I have been privileged beyond thousands, favored with a religious education, tender parents prayed for me, faithful ministers exhorted me, saints encouraged me, conscience often reproved me, providences alarmed me; but, in vain!-my Harvest is passed, my Summer is ended, I am not saved. I held the truth in unrighteousness; my head was filled with knowledge, but my heart was unsanctified; the house of God was my place of amusement, I saw, and was seen; I said, "Lord, Lord, with my lips, but my heart said, World, world; I spake of Jesus, but I loved Him not. Wo is me! I am not saved!!"

It is the voice of some profane lover of pleasure, torn from his wine, his songs, his mirth, his gay companions; reduced by disease and intemperance, and just ready to die, he bewails his attachment to sin and worldly lusts. "Oh that I had sought the things that accompanied salvation. Oh that I had followed the ways of religion, and regarded the safety of my soul; but Sabbaths violated and profaned; the name of God awfully blasphemed; the laws of God despised and trampled on; all witness against me, and the thoughts of death, judgment, and eternity, distract and terrify me--" The Harvest is past, the Summer is ended, and I am not saved!"