we may eat it and die." In her expectation, it was likely to be the last meal, yet fhe complies with the bold request of the prophet, believing the promife of God by him, "The "meal fhall not wafte, nor the oil fail, till the Lord fend "rain on the earth," O for the widow's faith in Elijah's God!

Take courage then, poor believer; poor in fpirit, and preffed with want. "Truft in the Lord, and do good, fo "Thalt thou dwell in the land; and verily thou shalt be fed,' or, "fed by faith." Look over thefe precious promises adapted to the present time. Pfalm xxxiii. 18, "Behold "the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him; upon "them that hope in his mercy. To deliver their fouls from "death, and to keep them alive in famine." Pfalm xxxiv. 9, 10, "O fear the Lord, ye his faints; for there is no want แ to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and "fuffer hunger, but they that feek the Lord fhall not want "any good thing." And again, Pfalm xxxvii. 19, "They "fhall not be afhamed in the evil time, and in the days of "famine they fhall be fatisfied."

Say not, defponding chriftian, with the unbelieving peer at the gate of Samaria, "Behold, if the Lord would make "windows in heaven, might this thing be?" Unless corn were rained down from heaven, as manna once was, he thought the promise could not be fulfilled. But by the unexpected raifing of the fiege, corn became fo plenty, that "a measure of fine flower was fold for a fhekel." God is never at a lofs for means, whereby to effect his purposes, and fulfil his promises. Thefe we muft leave to him. To us belong humble confidence, and cheerful expectation.

G. B.

MEDITATION ON JOHN xix. 5.

Behold the Man!

HUS faid Pilate, when he expofed the degraded Jefus to the infulting crowd; and while we hear him exclaim, "Behold the Man!" we might enquire into the motive which led him to call the attention of the Jews to VOL. II.

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Jefus, furrounded as he was with circumftances of fhame and diftrefs. Was it pride? Was it pride? Ah! fuch is the naughtiness of the human heart, as to conceit the promotion or fuppref fion of Chrifl's kingdom is in the power of man.

Was it enmity? The carnal mind is enmity against God. Was it pity? A pagan, for humanity and compaffion, may put many profeffors of religion to the blush.

But we withdraw our attention from Pilate and fix it upon Jefus. Will the reader permit me to conduct him where he fhall have an opportunity of beholding this man in a fituation truly interefting? I do not mean to exhibit the Saviour in his circumftances of exaltation, otherwife I would lead him to the garden; take our flanding hard by the fepulchre, and behold him rifing from the dead. From thence I would accompany him to Mount Olivet, and with the gazing difciples fee him afcend on high, amidst the acclamations of the heavenly world, and fitting down on the right hand of the Majefty on high. Or I would anticipate his fecond coming, in the glory of his Father, and of all his holy Angels, to judge the quick and dead. I might then fay with peculiar emphafis, "Behold the Man! Behold "the man, whom God delights to honour!" But this is not the fcene for cur prefent contemplation.

Neither do I mean we fhould be the fpectators of all the circumftances of his humiliation. We might view him indeed in the ftable, and in the manger-In the wilderness, for forty days and nights, denying himself the neceffaries of life, and conflicting with all the powers of darknefs-In the garden of Gethfemane, fweating great drops of blood, under the preffure of Almighty wrath-On Mount Calvary, a fpectacle of blood and mifery, which aftonished angels. But let us "behold the Man," as he appeared when Pilate led him forth to the people. "Then Pilate therefore took "Jefus and fcourged him; and the foldiers plaited a crown "of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a "purple robe, and faid, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' and they "fmote him with their hands. Pilate therefore went forth "again, and faith unto them, 'Behold I bring him forth to "you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.' Then

came Jefus forth wearing the crown of thorns, and the pur"ple robe. And Pilate faith unto them, 'Behold the Man!" Here then our attention is arrested. Here let us gaze. Here we behold innocence and purity itself; "a man of "forrows, and acquainted with grief." This is the man of whom Mofes and the prophets wrote as the Meffiah; a man more than human; a man united to divinity. In this

man behold him who has created all things, and upholds all things by the word of his power; he whofe will is univerf al law; he who is the fovereign Judge of all.

In this Man behold a union of the greatest contrasts. He who is crowned with glory wears the plaiting of thorns. He who is clothed with majefty is arrayed in a foldier's robe. He who fways a fceptre over all worlds, holds in his hands. an infignificant reed. He whofe countenance is as the fun fhining in its ftrength, is disfigured with vile fpittle, and with blood. He who is the object of angelic adoration is the fport of fools, and infulted by a mob.

"Behold the Man," and then, believer, learn to expect affiction and perfecution. What patience! what fubmiffion! what conflancy! did he evince amidst the fharpest pain, and the greatest fhame. Go thou and learn to do likewife. What friking proofs have we here, that the carnal mind is enmity againft God! Every office the Saviour fuftains renders him an object of implacable hatred. See him infulted as a prophet, when they hoodwinked him, fmote him on the face, and faid to him, "Prophecy unto us, who "fmiteth thee." See him infulted as a priest, when they nailed him to the cross, and faid to him, with a fneer, "Thou that faveft others, fave thyfelf." See him infulted as a king. They put thorns on his head for a crown: a reed in his hand for a fceptre; a wretched rag on him for a robe. They place him on a crofs for a throne. They bow the knee before him in folemn mockery: fmite him on the head, and cry, “Hail, King of the Jews!"

I fee this wonderful Man in all the fcene of his diftrefs. I hear him fay, "Is it nothing to you all ye that pafs by? Behold, and fee if there be any forrow like unto my forrow." I enquire what is the caufe? Say, Pilate, Herod, Judas, and all ye men of Ifrael, what accufation do you bring against him for which he ought to fuffer? I receive no answer, but the clamour of a multitude. I hear one, indeed, who fuffered with him bear teftimony, "This man "hath done nothing amifs." Another who betrayed him, "I have betrayed innocent blood." The Judge who condemned him, "I find no fault in him;" while he himself demands of his enemies to their face, "Which of you "convinceth me of fin ?"-Revelation alone can explain this mystery. I learn from the mouth of Ifaiah, "He was "wounded for our tranfgreffions; he was bruifed for our "iniquities, the chaftifement of our peace was upon him, "and with his fripes we are healed." Convincing proof this, that his fufferings were vicarious.

Here let me read the nature and extent of his love in the magnitude of his affliction, the dignity of his perfon, and the character of thofe for whom he was afflicted; and then exclaim, with John, "Behold, what manner of love!" and with Paul, "The love of Chrift paffeth knowledge."

Come then, my foul, direct thine eyes to Jefus. From day to day behold him, until thou art changed into the fame image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord; until all created good has loft its excellency in thine esteem, and Chrift become all in all. Oh, be it thy privilege to behold this man on earth, and to be favoured with unclouded vision, and everlasting enjoyment of him in heaven! Wilton.

J. E.

SIR,

TH

A WARNING TO SCOFFERS,

To the Editor.

HE following recent fact will fufficiently evidence how awful a thing it is to make a mock of fin, and openly deride the Gofpel.

The laft Sabbath fortnight I went in the evening to preach at S, I had no fooner begun the worship of God, than I perceived four or five young men enter the room where I was preaching. As foon as they had fixed themfelves in the moft obfcure part of the houfe, they fmiled one at another, and from fmiles advanced to laughing and talking. One of them, more hardened than the reft, made himself very confpicuous, by unbecoming geftures, &c. and I endeavoured to make him more fo, by the following method of reproof: At first, I made a full ftop for about a minute; but this not anfwering, I then fixed my eyes upon him, fuppofing a ftern look would put him to filence; but this not fucceeding, I was compelled to have recourfe to verbal reproof. I firft begged him, as an act of friendship to his immortal foul, to confider the awful confequences attending thofe who rebel against God, defpife the gofpel of Jefus, and deride the inftitutions of religious worshipI then intreated him to remember the tremendous judgments denounced by the prophet, and quoted by the apoftle Paul, "Beware, therefore, left that come upon you which "is fpoken of in the prophets: behold, ye defpifers, and

"wonder, and perifh; for I work a work in your day, a "work which you will in no wife believe, though a man de"clare it unto you."-And, lastly, I informed him, that though he might efcape punishment from the laws of his country, to which he had rendered himself obnoxious; and that notwithstanding he might escape the present judgments of the Almighty; yet a reprieve was not pardon, and there was a time haftening on when all impenitent oppofers of God's word, would feel the indignation of a fin-avenging God. I therefore recommended him truly to confider (before it was too late) the words of Job. "He is wife in "heart, and mighty in ftrength; who hath hardened him"felf against him, and profpered?"

This admonition evidently filled him with confusion of face, and prevented him from again confronting me during the rest of the fervice; but I do not know that he manifefted any marks of contrition for the offence. I difmiffed the affembly, the young man returned to his habitation; but awful to relate, his race was nearly run, and but a few days after, death approached, with circumftances that should operate as a warning to all fuch fcoffers.

He was no fooner feized than his fenfes departed, and a delirium came upon him. Soon after he became outrageous, his relations were obliged to call in three or four men to hold him in the bed, and he died in the greatest agonies imaginable! Thus terminated the existence of one, who had, in his life, openly vilified the ordinances of the Lord, and was taken almoft immediately from the reproofs of man, to appear before the King eternal, immortal and invifible! Rendham, March 7, 1800. PLACABILIS.

ON ENVY.

By the late Rev. William Nimmo, of Roberton.

OOD men, while in the prefent world, are often drawn.

Goo

into fnares by liftening to the depraved paffions which lodge within their breafts, and efpecially to the paffion of envy. This is a vice of so hateful an afpect, and fo black a character, that every rational creature abhors it, when appearing in its own colour; and whoever is impeached there with, renounces the charge with indignation. But