has retired from the bufy walks of life, and come to this place of folitude, to give vent to his feelings. His groans break the furrounding filence; they return in soft, but melancholy echoes to his ears. Above his head are seen defcending particles of heavenly light; a little in the rear ftands the plough, imbedded in the opening earth.

This is an emblem of Repentance. The man bowed on his knees represents the true penitent, whose foul is humbled under the mighty hand of God. He withdraws from the vanities of the world; he is fick of fin; he breaks the filence of folitude with his inquiries of, "O that I knew where I might find him!" He does not, in the pride of felf-righteousness, exclaim, "God, I thank thee that I am not as other men," &c. O no! too deeply he feels the plague of his own heart.

As the plough enters the hard foil, and lays bare furrow after furrow; even so has conviction penetrated the heart of the true penitent, and laid bare its deceitful folds, and discovered its once hidden depths of pollution and guilt. He abhors himself in duft and in afhes; he can only fay, God be merciful to me a finner. The ploughfhare of God's convicting spirit has entered and broken up the fallow ground of his heart; hence he brings the facrifice with which God is well pleafed that is "a broken and contrite heart;" and the light of Jehovah's countenance falls full upon his foul, as a token of divine acceptance.

Repentance confifts in a change of mind or purpose, wherein the penitent "ceafes to do evil,"

L

and learns to do well." The prodigal repented when he faid, "I will arife and go to my father," and departed. The farmer's fon, who, when he had refused to go and work in the vineyard, and afterwards altered his purpose and went, repented. Saul of Tarfus, when he refused any longer to obey the mandates of the chief priests and scribes, and inquired, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" repented. Thus we fee it confifts in actually doing the will of God. It is not mere anxiety: Simon Magus had this; nevertheless he was fill in the "bonds of iniquity." Nor mere trembling Felix trembled, yet retained his fins. Nor remorfe Judas had this, and died in despair; and Dives alfo, though in the regions of the loft. Repentance is the gate of heaven. It is the condition, upon the fulfilment of which depends eternal life. "You repent, and I will forgive." Hence the ambaffadors of Heaven have invariably directed the attention of finners to this as a first ftep towards obtaining the favour of God, and every promised bleffing. The prophets, in their denunciatious, John of the Defert, in his fiery exhortations, the Saviour, in his divine inftructions, and the apostles, in their warm appeals, enjoined upon every foul" repentance toward God."

Through this gate all have paffed who have at any time been recognized by the Almighty as his fervants. The children of Ifrael paffed through it, typically, when they ate the bitter herbsbefore they beheld the pillars of cloud and of fire in the wilderness; Ifaiah, ere he touched the

facred harp of prophecy; Elijah, ere he ascended in the chariot of ethereal fire; Ezekiel, before he gazed upon the vifions of the Eternal; Daniel, before the Angel of God pronounced him "Bleffed;" Paul, ere he was caught up to the third heaven;" and John of Patmos, before the glorious revelations of "Alpha and Omega" filled him with wonder and aftonishment; and "the hundred and forty-four thoufand," ere they fung the fong of Mofes and of the Lamb. Repentance is a facred duty. God "now commands all men everywhere to repent." Why? Because all have finned, and come fhort of the glory of God;" and, "Except ye repent, ye thall all likewise perish."

"The wicked flee when no man purfueth, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."-PROV. xxviii. I.

FEARFUL AND FEARLESS.

Here is depicted plainly to the eye,
The wicked fleeing when no foe is nigh.
The thunder echoing in its deep-toned peals,
Alarms his confcience, and awakes his heels.
The wind low whistling through the hollow tree,
A call from juftice is, from which they flee;
The rolling torrent, in its murmurs loud,
Appears the fhout of the pursuing crowd;
Each object looming through the gloom of night,
His fear increafes, and augments his flight.
Not fo the Righteous; fee him walk along,
Bold as a lion, as a mountain strong.
Courageous heart, he fears no rude furprise,
He trufts in Jefus, and all elfe defies.

THIS engraving fhows a man running as it were for his life. On the other hand is feen one

who walks fteadily and boldly forward. The former is Fearful; he is alarmed at every thing he fees and hears; he is afraid of his own shadow. The distant echo of reverberating thunder ftrikes terror into his heart; the autumnal breeze, rustling through the falling leaves, makes him afraid; the neighbouring torrent, as it tumbles down the mountain ravine, caufes him to fear. He cannot endure darkness, neither can he bear the light. He is afraid of company, yet he fears to be left alone. Now he is fleeing when there is none pursuing.

How different the fearless man! See how boldly he walks along. The gloom of night is nothing to him: he appears to fear no evil. While others are running, he stands his ground; while they are afraid, his heart is strong.

This emblem is defcriptive of two characters: of the Righteous and of the Wicked. It is the wicked who flee when none purfue. Their guilty conscience transforms every object into an enemy; therefore they are in fear where no fear is, and flee away in terror.

A Christian king of Hungary, talking one day with his brother, who was a gay, thoughtless courtier, upon the subject of a future judgment, was laughed at by his brother for indulging in "melancholy thoughts." The king made no reply. There was a custom in that country that if the executioner founded a trumpet before any man's door, that man was led instantly to death. The king ordered the trumpet to be founded that night