spake of old. It is impossible to read them without being struck with the abiding sense which these holy men seem to have had upon their minds of God's interference in all our concerns. They looked beyond second causes, and fixed their thoughts at once upon the great First Cause; and what they felt in their hearts, they were not ashamed to profess with their mouths: their language was a perpetual confession of their faith.

One feels how different from theirs is the way of speaking common among ourselves. It would sound strange and unusual, and some people would be apt to take offence, if God's name were as frequently introduced, when mention is made of our ordinary blessing. And, no doubt, it had better be omitted altogether than used lightly and inconsiderately. But why should the Christian be driven to such an alternative? Why should he not speak habitually of God as the author of his mercies, and speak with reverence? Perhaps we are little aware how much influence our language has upon our thoughts. If we accustom ourselves to speak inaccurately, we shall learn to think inaccurately: if we accustom ourselves to speak like unbelievers, we shall learn to think like unbelievers: if God's name is seldom in our mouths, it will seldom be in our hearts. But this is only part of the lesson before It would be well if God's name were more frequently introduced, so it were done with reverence, when we speak of the good gifts which we enjoy. But the grand point is-and it is only in proportion as the other contributes to this that it is worth anything -to acquire the habit of ascribing all our blessings to God in our hearts, and of thanking him for them unfeignedly. We have seen in some measure, in the passages which have been brought forward, how plainly and earnestly scripture teaches us this duty. I shall proceed to point out some of the advantages which would accrue from the prac

us.

tice of it.

1. It would be the surest way to secure the continuance of God's mercies, and to draw down more. Unthankfulness and the forbearing to acknowledge God's hand provoke him to take away his benefits. Thus, in the verse which follows the text, we find God threatening this very judgment: "She did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal. There fore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof." And we most of us know that striking judgment threatened against unthankfulness in Deut. xxviii:"Be

with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord thy God shalt send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things." And so, no doubt, God deals with us still, both nationally and individually. If we receive his benefits as though they came of course, without acknowledging his hand, without giving him thanks, without yielding the fruits of thankfulness in our lives, we shall be sure to bring down some heavy judgment or other, most likely the withdrawal of benefits of which we have shown ourselves so unworthy. It may be a worse judgment still-the continuance of them, perhaps even the increase of them; and, at the same time, seared and hardened hearts and careless and ungodly lives, only ripening us more and more for vengeance at the last. With regard to the withdrawal of God's mercies, we know not but that, in many an instance, sickness has been sent, because in health we did not consider that health was God's gift; war, because we did not value peace; bad crops and unfruitful seasons, because, instead of being thankful for such harvests as we had, we were ingenious in finding out this or the other drawback for which to murmur; just as I have heard people complain, after a harvest which they could not but acknowledge to have been a very fine one, that, notwithstanding the corn stood so upright, or was cut so early, or there were so many to glean, that there was not much to speak of after all. Far better, and far more becoming, instead of fixing our thoughts upon any evil that may chance to be-and, indeed, in this world must be~ mingled with our prosperity, to dwell only upon the good; unless, indeed, so far as to moderate our affection for earthly things, and to train ourselves to long more and more earnestly for that blessed land where everything is perfect, and nothing enters that can lessen or impair God's gifts.

2. To recognise God, then, as the author of our blessings would contribute to secure the continuance of those blessings, and to draw down more. But, further, it would keep our faith in exercise; it would enable us to realize God's presence as our friend and benefactor; it would bring us into sensible communion with God daily, many times a-day; it would draw out our love to Christ, and enable us the better to appreciate his redeeming mercy, seeing that every temporal blessing we receive is the fruit of that; and then what a happy life should we lead, thus filled with praise and thanksgiving! It makes a wide difference how we go through the

FREDERICK WILLIAM III., KING OF
PRUSSIA*.

FREDERICK William III. seized on the years of national calamity, extending from 1806 to 1813, to be the purifying period of himself and people. Such being his frame of mind, purpose, and aim, we can, in a measure, account for the mental power, moral strength, quiet, and soul-greatness wherewith he bore, without bitterness, the reiterated blows of misfortune that fell on his coun

try in rapid succession, and the magnanimity wherewith he endured the many personal mortifitions to which he was subjected. It is possible that no sovereign, throughout seven long years of oppression, has had like to him the bitter cup of suffering ever at his lips: truly, the bitterness sunk deeply into his whole being; but he recognised the Almighty hand which presented it, and with resolution he drank of it to the dregs, with eye of faith directed to heaven; and it was vouchsafed him to bear and act towards his personal opponents and slanderers with resignation and

magnanimity.

The sorrow-seeds which produced this precious and heavenly fruit were sown and germed whilst still blessed with the companionship of his angelic consort, the excellent queen, in Königsberg, during the years 1806, 1807, 1808, and 1809, to which city his powerful enemy had driven him back: it was there, on the edge of a yawning and frightful abyss, the great and merciful Refiner had placed on the seething fire of adversity the crucible of his purification; where, freed from alloy and dross, the silver glance of the pure metal developed itself, brightly shining to the end of his earthly career.

At that important period-virtually the Rubicon of his public as of his spiritual life-it happened that Dr. Borowsky (afterwards archbishop in Königsberg) filled the offices of principal court preacher and superintendent of that place in him the king found, to his great joy, a very apostle of

Jesus Christ.

:

To no ecclesiastic has his majesty been so spiritually indebted as to that original and remarkable man; and none did the king personally value and love equal to him, for no one's individualities of mind so suited the king's temper and liking as did his.

In the anguish-moments of the king's regeneration, that divine was ever near and by him, to foster and strengthen the fresh and healthful lifeshoot that, in a few years later, was to bring forth the regeneration of the Prussian monarchy; for what the immortal and illustrious minister, Von Stein, effected politically, was materially aided and furthered by Dr. Borowsky's spiritual and encouraging teaching. It was a very luxury to hear the otherwise word-chary and praise-sparing king expatiate on his favourite, in what may be termed eloquent fondness. A confidential correspondence was maintained between them, which ceased only at the prelate's death.

Being invited to accompany his majesty on one of his solitary strolls, I received from his own lips

From "The Religious Life and Opinions of Frederick William III., King of Prussia," as narrated by the very rev. R. Eylert, D.D, bishop of the evangelical church of Prussia. Translated from the German by Jonathan Birch. London, 1844. Would that Jonathan Birch had clothed this narrative in better English.-ED.

the following remarkable and never-to-be-forgotten narration :

"You must picture to yourself Borowsky as Testament; but, as that may be saying rather too a prophet of the Old, or an apostle of the New much, you may value him as a counterpart of those great originals. Every thing about him carries the impress of his station: fertile and solid, meek and serene, artless and single-minded, genuine and candid, in him is to be seen the affectation and pedantry. And so it ought and veritable Christian churchman, void of distasteful the calling of his adoption as to feel it as a part of must be, if the man is so thoroughly imbued with himself. This is what I sorely miss in the divines of the present day. Every profession gives to those whose whole souls are in it a peculiar something, by which they are readily distinguished. The lawyer grounds himself in, and rests on, his all that he draws into the forum of his speculative positive law; the philosopher on his insight into reasoning; the naturalist on his researches into the laws and powers of nature; the soldier on the his life. Each of those callings has its own pecuword of command, which is the form and rule of liar sphere; and its limitation is what gives it consistency, solidity, and repose, in the centre point of the periphery. On the other hand, I find in the evangelical clergymen of our times an evident and palpable liquefaction and divergency, a wavering, guessing, presuming, imagining; with the one so, with another so, as suits the colouring and blending of the shifting ideas of the day. I well know that, in the empire of religious truth, slothfulness is death; but mutability begets insecurity, and in the wavering loses all firm footing. The desire to attain to perfection is a but without a deep-laid foundation it throws up never-resting, original impulse of human nature; in the desire for novelty, may for a time so apno safe advance towards improvement; and what, pear, is nothing more than a rambling and erring about, whereby experience loses itself: it is, after all, but a daring experimentalizing. I require of a Christian clergyman at least that he carry the impress, and is in word and deed a servant of the

church.

"In too many, this appears only when clad in their official garments, and disappears the moment they put on the less sombre coat of modern fashion, and mix in company as of the world. I am, however, not of opinion that our church doctrine, according to the symbolical books* of the church, should be considered so definitive in form as to admit of no change; on the contrary, I am convinced that, fructified from the inexhaustible fulness of the holy scriptures, and limited by its decisive authority-making use of the result commensurate with the advance of the times-rejuvechurch would develop and preserve a never-failnescence would be obtained, and the evangelical ing, healthy life, powerful for good works.

"But she must have a positive system, shew

• Might be rendered, standard books, of which are chieflyLUTHERAN.

The Confession of Augsburg. Apology of the Confession. Schmalkalder's Articles. Luther's Catechism.

REFORMED.

The Catechism of Heidelburg. Confession of Siegismond.

ing whereon she is, will be, and shall be; what she is and by which she may be distinguished from all other churches: such to be guarded and watched over as the holy thing; for communion is the only biding and concentrating power of the community.

"Is, however, the grand object of the church lost, or split into countless vistas-each dissentient making a religion for himself, instead of receiving in faith that which is given in the divine revelation; understanding, under the word 'freedom of conscience,' a liberty and right to do so, calling it protestantism-then will there be a never-ending protesting, until nothing remains of the positive value and contents of biblical Christianity. Such direction and disposition of the spirit of the times would undoubtedly place the evangelical church in an anarchial position.

"Whilst those of the higher and educated degrees content themselves with philosophy, æsthetics, and literature of the day, being hardly conscious of having fallen from connexion with the church, the middle and under classes of the people-who, at least, feel a church requisite on Sundays and festivals go astray, not knowing whereon they are, or what they should hold to.

"The belief of our forefathers in the fundamental dogmas of our holy religion is (thanks to the variety of systems and parish pastors who preach them) no more the belief of the children. The inclination for domestic devotion, which heretofore was the order of the day in Christian families, is consequently dropped: where, however, such is no longer honoured and practised, the warm desire for public worship is all but extinct. The clergyman loses his earlier respect, and the trust reposed in him, when he ceases to officiate in conformity to the binding rules of the church; substituting personal views, which he knows he cannot uphold, as proceeding from authority.

"I hate from my soul tyranny and wavering in weighty matters; and, at the same time, it is unbearable when the servants of the church, whose holy calling is to strengthen, confirm, and uphold, are themselves not firmly established in the faith. Yet, how can they be firm in transcendental affairs, not having a faith fixed, and being ready to barter the unchangeable and eternal authority of God's word for the transient phantasmagorias of human authority, and the word of God, which can never be overthrown, interpret, model, and daub over with the varnish of modern times, having no analogy to the doctrines of our church?

"I have myself gathered sad experience in that respect. When travelling, I have ever found pleasure in inspecting churches; and, whenever I can so arrange it, I rejoice to attend the public worship; yet seldom have I been comforted and edified on such occasions. The majority of the clerical gentlemen that I have heard when journeying have used the biblical text as a merely selected motto: instead of practically explaining and pressing the vivifying essence of the same on the hearts of their hearers, they have fretted and fumed themselves into a heat by empty declamation and far-fetched oratorical flourishes, to my grievous annoyance. But I have experienced still greater vexation when conversing with them, on their being presented to me. Few stood before me like men. The majority suited themselves by manner and word to my ex

pressions, determined to say only that which they presumed would prove agreeable. Scarcely one differed with me: flexibly they acquiesced in all my opinions, even such as I threw off only to prove their insincerity. Flattery is at all times disagreeable to me, but most so from the lips of a clergyman; who, though standing before his country's king, should never forget that he, filling the exalted office of a servant of Jesus Christ, should be there and every where the frank attestator of truth.

"Such a man was and is my beloved Borowsky; and for that reason is he so dear to me. He stood by me, and I by him, during the dark and oppressive time, when I had need of comfort, and verily felt a yearning for consolation; but he administered no calming palliatives-his were radical remedies, even when they were harsh and occasioned pain.

"The circumstances that led to the unfortunate times when I, my house and people, were struck down, he sought not to gloss with opiative excuses, but frankly laid bare the fundamental causes, and placed them in their true colours before my eyes, not sparing me.

"Whatever he said was not the so-called submissive advice; neither the well-intentioned counsel, where the adoption or non-adoption depended on my will and pleasure. No all he said was clothed in biblical sentences, having the power of the will and commands of God-and I valued what he said as such.

"He made me conversant with prophetic theology, of which I was wholly ignorant until then. He proved to me, from the world's history and its annalled transactions, illumined by the light of biblical prophecy, that, in conformity to the divine government of the world, a regenerated and improved people would always rise again, and that an immoral and arrogant people had ever been abased.

"With a serene and inspired confidence he announced to me better and more happy times; fully convinced that the heavy dispensation that had befallen our country, if well turned and bravely borne, would prove the means and way to greater national prosperity than ever.

"If, in those awful times, big with the fate of Prussia, when all appeared dark and gloomy, I doubted, and fretfully asked after the how, where, and when, the good man displayed, in the most amiable manner, his discontent; took hold of the button of my coat, patted me on the shoulder, shook me by the hand, and spoke with the earnestness and dignity of a Nathan: You must learn to believe It happens to man according to his faith.' All this was factly and personally new to me: so had I never been addressed before.

"His earnestness and severe frankness estranged me not on the contrary, they drew me nearer to him; for they were evidently the outflowing of purest sympathy. I must say that a certain pious, tender anxiety was so apparent in that original and excellent man, that his society became to me indispensable. Also the queen, in her noble and pure spirit, who had so active a sympathy for all that was true and exalting, delighted in him; and requested that he should be our daily evening guest at the tea-table, whether invited or not. He never came, however, unless especially requested; and too often he excused himself, saying frankly, 'I cannot spare the time.'