ments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven:" not merely in the age ready to expire; but in the gospel dispensation! Surely there is enough here to impress an antisabbatarian with most solemn awe; and to afford the highest encouragement to those who inculcate the fourth commandment of the decalogue, not in the oldness of the letter, but in the newness of the spirit. Blessed are they who live in a spirit of filial obedience! Their path, instead of being perplexed with diffi. culties, will be cheered by the light of God's countenance; although its limits may not be defined in every part with equal clearness. Nay, they will see multiplied reasons to adore the wisdom and goodness of this arrangement. The enlightened conscience will rejoice in discovering those obligations of paternal authority and love, which are rich in blessings, but denounce no curses. Such are the sanctions of the Sabbath contained in the chapters of Isaiah, I have already referred to. But let me not be mistaken-I am persuaded, that every wilful violation of the Sabbath is accursed, on general principles; and, if not repented of, it will carry an 'awful responsibility to the day of judgment. Even the transgressions and omissions of ignorance must be attended by necessary consequence with incalculable loss, and much positive evil: yet after all, it is worthy of our most grateful attention, that the explicit sanctions of the Christian Sabbath (for I here suppose its authority to have been established)—are all exclusively blessings! It is a moral law; but in some respects, it is not equally so with those which command us to love God with all our hearts, and our neighbour as ourselves. It is not totally incapable of admitting any change or modification whatsoever. "The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." permitted the Lord's day to run parallel for a season with the ancient Sabbath; and thus no shock was given to Jewish prejudices, nor were the claims of Heathen masters to the labour of their Christian slaves disturbed. These are examples which seem to exhibit the wisdom of the divine condescension, in permitting absence of union in the weekly commemoration of the creation of the world and the resurrection of our Lord; but the fulness of time for their perfect coalescence has long since arrived.

He

With regard to such circumstantials as the commencement of a day, the New Testament has surely not left us under bondage. The laws and usages of every Christian state are competent to regulate these. "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, and peace, and joy, in the Holy Ghost." The Lord will make darkness light before the man that in these things serveth him. But such a man, while he earnestly contends for what he firmly believes to be essentially connected with the glory of God and the prosperity of the Church, will not uncharitably judge him whom he considers as his erring brother. The admitted absence of express command from the New Testament will (it is hoped) mitigate whatever degree of sinfulness attaches to his error; although it may deprive him of many rich and pro

mised blessings. May the good Shepherd restore every wanderer from his wholesome pastures-may all his ordinances be more and more prized, and abundantly blessed-and to his name be glory in the Church throughout all ages.

W. N.

ON THE SABBATH,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER, SIR-Suffer me to offer a Millennarian argument to your readers in defence of the Sabbath. Regard for the individual, and a full persuasion of the truth of the sentiments attributed to him relating to the ultimate expectations of the Christian Church, contributed greatly to increase the pain I felt on reading your review of Mr. Burgh's pamphlet. A desire to prevent an increased prejudice against what I conceive to be the truth of prophecy, which appears likely to arise out of the part taken by one of its uncompromising advocates, and which seems to have biassed some of the remarks in the leading article of your last Number; together, with a desire to caution some of my Millennarian brethren, induces me now to intrude on you.

An important argument in favour of Sabbath observance, as a duty still incumbent on the Christian Church, may be derived from Isaiah lvi. 1-8. I imagine that, at least, the majority of those, who agree with me in the doctrine of Christ's personal millennian reign, will readily acquiesce in the conclusions I draw from this important passage. I give Lowth's version ;

1. Thus saith JEHOVAH :

Keep ye judgment, and practise righteousness;
For my salvation is near, just ready to come;
And my righteousness, to be revealed.

2. Blessed is the mortal that doeth this;
And the son of man that holdeth it fast;

That keepeth the Sabbath, and profaneth it not;
And restraineth his hand from doing evil,

3. And let not the son of the stranger speak,

That cleaveth unto JEHOVAH, saying;

Jehovah hath utterly separated me from his people.
Neither let the eunuch say;

Behold I am a dry tree.

4. For thus saith JEHOVAH to the eunuchs;

Whoever of them shall have kept my Sabbaths,
And shall have chosen that in which I delight,
And shall have stedfastly maintained my covenant,

5. To them I will give in my house,

And within my walls, a memorial and a name,
Better than that of sons and daughters ;
An everlasting name will I give them,

Which shall never be cut off.

6. And the sons of the strangers, who cleave unto JEHOVAH ; To minister unto him, and to love the name of JEHOVAH,

And to become his servants;

Every one that keepeth the Sabbath, and profaneth it not;

And that stedfastly maintaineth my covenant;

7. Them will I bring unto my holy mountain;

And I will make them rejoice in my house of prayer:

Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted on my altar;
For my house shall be called the House of Prayer for all the peoples.

8. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah,

Who gathereth together the outcasts of Israel;

Yet will I gather others unto him, besides those that are already gathered. To my mind it appears manifest, that these promises to the Gentile observers of the Sabbath, have no reference to any period under the Levitical economy, but exclusively relate to the period connected with Israel's restoration. In the preceding context, which closes the fifty-fifth chapter, we are presented with a sublime description of the joy with which they shall be led onward under the conduct of that "leader," who is to be the "lawgiver to the nations" to their destined habitation. Mute nature shall find a voice to welcome them with rapturous gratulations to their promised rest; and, as an imperishable memorial of Jehovah's dealings with them on the glad occasion, the thorny bushes and the bramble shall yield to the sudden and luxuriant up-springing of the myrtle and fir-tree, by which the renovated earth shall be adorned. The description is then suddenly interrupted, that the Prophet may comfort the Gentile Church by conveying to them in the passage before us, the assurances of God's equal love and tenderness for them. The true worshippers of Jehovah shall partake abundantly of Israel's blessings at that glorious season.

The period is distinctly marked, "my salvation is near, just ready to come, and my righteousness to be revealed." The salvation thus said to be approaching, I would identify with that which is ultimately to be received as the end of our faith-with 'the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our souls. The righteousness to be manifested, can denote nothing more than the public vindicatory exhibition of divine equity in the administration of human affairs. This, I think is manifest, inasmuch, as the promise has reference to a time, when those who practically obey the divine will, Gentiles and Eunuchs, as well as the most favoured sons of Israel, shall obtain a better name than that of sons or daughters, be brought to the holy mountain; and rejoice in that house of prayer, which shall be called THE HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS. The temple of Jerusalem was neither so called, esteemed, or honored at the first advent-nay, it was no better than a den of thieves. The Church general and visible, may be so called in the charitable and self-complimentary parlance of professing Christendom, but it would require little penetration to discover, and little argumentative skill to prove, that it is also far, very far from being entitled to the commendation. To pass over the reprehensible features presented by every professing Church,

it will suffice to observe, that all nations are not yet the genuine worshippers of Jehovah; Zion has not yet become the joy of the whole earth; nor has the holy mountain, exalted above all hills, become the centre of unity and attraction to all peoples. Neither the outcasts of Israel nor yet those others, who love to wander in the devious and forbidden paths have yet been gathered. It remains only, therefore, that we should interpret the prediction in connection with the second advent.

Now the observance of the Lord's Sabbath, is made the most striking feature in the character of those happy sons of men, who shall partake in the felicity of that day of triumph. I argue from hence the inviolable sanctity of the Sabbath. Were the Sabbath previously abrogated, the religious consecration of it would not be expected of, nor commended in those, who stedfastly maintain the new covenant of Jehovah. If there were no command enjoining a strict attention to the hebdomedal rest, an utter disregard of it on the one hand would be no breach of duty, and on the other, a scrupulous reverence for it could not be rendered an essential accomplishment of the man of God. Let those, who dishonour the Sabbath beware, lest they attain not to that rest, which remaineth for the people of God. A similar reference to the Sabbath, and in the same connection, occurs in the fifty-eighth of Isaiah. It is not necessary that I should enter into an analysis of it. If my view of the former passage be acquiesced in, the latter will also be conceded.

I will not enter on the question of the particular day, which we are bound to observe as the Sabbath. This has already been fully discussed in your pages, and if further satisfaction be required by any of your readers, I think they will find it very satisfactorily handled in an able sermon by the late Dean Milner. With him I fully concur, that it is the seventh portion of our time the decalogue demands for such peculiar sanctification. The peace of the Church should not be disturbed for the sake of days and years.

I am aware that the reference to burnt offerings in Isaiah lvi. 7, may be considered an objection to my interpretation. But it will present no difficulty in the way of those for whom I write; who contend, and justly too as I imagine, for the literal interpretation of Ezekiel's temple, and who agree with the general sentiments of Ben Ezra and of Fry, upon the subject.

J. D. S.

MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER.

Sir,-On looking over the article in your Number for October, 1827, entituled, Education in Ireland;" my attention was arrested by the passage, we are not sufficiently acquainted with the Diocesan Schools, to say whether any or what number of boys receive a cheap or eleemosynary education; but we have little doubt, that it was so intended in the original plan: the Commissioners, so far as we recollect, do not seem to have noticed the subject." From the respect I entertain for the Patrons of the Derry Diocesan School, as also for the Very Rev. the Dean and Chapter, the Trustees, I am induced to point to what the Commissioners, in their Fifth Report, do state with regard to that School, and thus to rescue it from the impression which the above-quoted sentence might leave on the minds of your readers. They say, that "at the time of their examination in October, 1825, there were twenty-three free scholars on the books" of that Establishment. And here, though it may be painful to the excellent head of that Seminary, to hear of any public testimony to his merits; yet it is but justice to state, that, feelingly alive to every case of distress, he has, wherever incompetent circumstances prevented a child of promising capacity from obtaining the benefits of a classical education, anxiously encouraged the parents to embrace the advantages which his School, to a certain extent, freely offered; while his kind and affectionate manner removed every unpleasant sensation that might arise from the sense of gratuitous assistance. Nor would I omit a particular excellence in his method of instruction, his inculcating and enforcing religious feelings, by the attractions of the classical writings, shewing the many excellent sentiments they contain to be but faint delineations of Scripture truths, and contrasting their numerous erroneous and deceitful principles with the pure and sublime lessons of God's excellent word. This is a particularly pleasing circumstance to reflect upon, when we consider, that of his pupils, nearly forty have entered the sacred ministry. All of these, and all who have been under his instruction, feel how much they owe to his example and precepts; and will attest the warmth of that friendship, which watches their progress through life, and is ever ready to aid their efforts, and give them counsel in time of difficulty. I beg to be excused for troubling you at such length; but I am confident you will deem it but proper to notice this exception, occurring in a School, which the Commissioners style "one of the best conducted and most useful in Ireland."

With best wishes for the encreased success of your valuable and important undertaking, I remain Sir, your obedient servant,

DERENSIS ALUMNUS.