which produce the peace and happiness of a member of society, must necessarily produce the peace and happiness of that body of which he forms a constituent part. The virtues and vices, indeed, of the individual are left to receive their final and adequate recompense of bliss or misery at the solemn hour of a judgment to come; but all history affords ample proof, that nations have flourished or decayed in proportion to the virtues or vices, the integrity or corruption, the piety or profaneness, the love or contempt of decency and order, which prevailed among the people: and whenever a nation becomes so sinful, that comparatively only a few good men remain in it, to proclaim their testimony against the general iniquity, then let that nation beware, 'for its destruction draweth nigh.' We have in Scripture a remarkable phrase, applied to the destruction of a sinful people, Fill ye up the measure of your iniquity:' which teaches us, that the probability of a nation's ruin increases in proportion as vices multiply; and that consequently every wicked man, who turneth away from his wickedness to do that which is lawful and right, merits the applause due to a true lover of his country, because his conduct tends to establish its security, and delay the period of its destruction: while it is, on the contrary, a most awful reflection, and a very necessary one for every wilful sinner, that his single sin, as an individual, may be that by which the measure of his nation's iniquity may be filled up. We draw from hence a most important inference, that we shall not only be answerable for our conduct, as it may affect ourselves, but as it may be beneficial or hurtful to the society of which we are members, and tend to the glory or dishonour of that all-wise, all-gracious, and almighty God, whose supreme will it is, that we should confess that He is the Lord.

"As general assertions tend not much to conviction, it may be useful to descend to particulars: and let us do so, in the first place, by considering the consequence with respect to the public, not of the commission of sin in our family circle, but the omission of an acknowledged duty. That duty is prayer. Too many heads of families omit it themselves, and require it not of their children and domestics; these of course grow up without much knowledge of it; and enjoying, perhaps, day by day, the unmerited bounty of their Creator, who is kind even to the unthankful, they live devoid of any idea that what they possess is his gift, and ascribe their prosperity to what they call their good fortune: hence, if ever the scene changes, and the day of adversity arrives, they become murmurers and complainers, and have no object to whom they can look for aid. Discontented individuals first envy and then hate those whom they imagine to be more comfortably situated than themselves; they soon, as constant experience shows, become disturbers of the public peace, and in the language of the Psalmist, being without understanding, work wickedness: And why? Because they have not called upon God."

REPETITIONS IN THE LITURGY.

THE most popular theme of declamation with the opponents of our Liturgy, is perhaps the pretended "vain repetitions" with which it is said to abound. Our Saviour, indeed, in his Sermon on the Mount, cautions his hearers against vain repetitions in imitation of the heathen, who thought they should be heard for their much speaking, like the priests of Baal, who, we are informed, in the Book of Kings, called on their God from morning until evening. That all repetitions, however, are not vain, is evident from the very precept of our Saviour himself. How, then, are vain repetitions to be distinguished from such as are useful and edifying? I answer, those repetitions which proceed from unworthy conceptions of the Deity, as though he were altogether such a one as ourselves, and capable of being influenced by the mere importunities of his worshippers, independent of any internal qualifications on their part, seem to be condemned by our Saviour. But no censure can attach to such as proceed from the fervour of our religious affections, and are suggested by the importance of the subject. Nothing can be more natural than such repetitions. Our Lord himself, in his agony in the garden, prayed, we are informed, three times," saying the same words;" and in the 136th Psalm, the words "his mercy endureth for ever," occur not less than twenty-six times.

Surely these will not be termed vain or unscriptural repetitions! Let those, whose attention is never diverted, whose affections never wander, complain of vain repetitions. We, my brethren, pretend not to be exempted from human infirmities. The soul may be languid at one moment, and more easily excited at another. Happy are they, whose devotion is kept alive even by these aids,-who leave not the house of prayer without at least one aspiration to the God who made them,— and who, like the Jewish patriarch, will not let him go, until he bless him. From the Gospel Advocate, Boston, North America.

ON THE DUTY OF PRAISE.

It is the undoubted duty of every Christian, to offer up to God thanksgiving and praise in his sanctuary.

This duty He claims from us, as our Maker and Preserver, and more especially as our Redeemer.

He has engraven upon our hearts those feelings from which its performance ought to spring, and he has strictly enjoined it upon us in his holy word. The neglect of this duty is a neglect of our duty to Him, and we cannot refuse to perform it without incurring the guilt of disobedience to his commands.

Its obligations rest upon the same grounds, and are no less binding upon us than those of public prayer. For if it be obligatory upon us to make our requests known to God in " our common supplications," it must be equally incumbent upon us to express our thankfulness for his mercies, in common thanksgiving and praise.

How is it, then, that a duty, the obligations of which are so clear,

and the commands to perform it so positive, should have fallen into such general neglect? It is really grievous to a Christian, who has a right feeling of the duty and service which he owes to God in his temple, to enter into some of our Churches and Chapels. The clerk and a few charity children, or, in fashionable places, a few hired singers, are all that are found to praise God for those mercies and blessings which have been bestowed upon the whole congregation. What a disheartening contrast is he compelled to make between such a congregation, and the congregations of those apostolic and primitive Churches, to the standard of which we profess our anxiety to approach!

They with one heart and one voice sang the praises of their Maker and Redeemer: whilst among us, in too many cases, the only voicesto say nothing of the heart-which are exalting his praise, are those which are paid.

And, strange to say, there are many persons who actually think, that because there are hired singers whose duty it is to do it, they themselves are not called upon to assist in praising the giver of all good. They even consider it to be beneath the dignity of a wellbred person to be found singing the Psalms with the congregation.

How it can really affect their dignity, they might perhaps find it difficult to explain. We have always been taught that the dignity of a Christian is never more conspicuous than when he is walking in the way of God's commandments.

These remarks have been made principally for the purpose of bringing the subject under the notice of those who have the direction of the public worship of God. The neglect of that part which relates to psalmody is an evil which requires correction. And it is much to be wished, that the Clergy generally would bestow their care more particularly upon this part of public service. A little seasonable exhortation would soon banish that air of coldness which too often prevails in it. They would soon find themselves amply repaid for their care in a great increase of attention and devotion in their congregations.-For when one part of the public service is performed with greater attention and care, it gives an impulse which is sensibly felt thoughout the whole.

ON THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

St. Luke xii. 54. Tǹv vεpéλny the cloud.' A few MSS. omit the article. Dr. Owen approves the omission; but in this, as in other instances, the article has its meaning. We read in 1 Kings xviii. 44, that the appearance of a certain cloud rising out of the sea was regarded as a prognostic of ruin. Now the sea lay westward of Palestine; and, therefore, the cloud, which rose out of the sea, might also be said to rise from the west. If, then, we put these circumstances together, there is good reason to suppose, that the cloud here spoken of was a well-known phenomenon, which would naturally and properly be adverted to as 'H vɛpéλn. Mr. Bruce, in his Travels, has noticed a similar

appearance attending the inundation of the Nile. Newcome, in his revision of the common version, has adopted this explanation, and yet he translates "a cloud." I cannot help thinking that a revision would be extremely imperfect, or indeed would be nearly useless, if it were to overlook minute circumstances, such as that before us. It is in niceties of this sort principally, that our English translation admits improvement: its general fidelity has never been questioned; and its style, notwithstanding the captious objections of Dr. Symonds, is incomparably superior to any thing, which might be expected from the finical and perverted taste of our own age. It is simple; it is harmonious; it is energetic; and, which is of no small importance, use has made it familiar, and time has rendered it sacred. Without the least predisposition to decry the labours of the writer to whom I have alluded, I may express the hope, that whenever our version shall be revised by authority, the points last attended to will be those which respect a pretended inelegance of language. A single instance of the suppression of a local custom or popular opinion, which can be shown to have existed among the Jews in the age of the Apostles, appears to me to be of infinitely higher importance, because, by concealing from the notice of the reader circumstances, which are beyond the reach of fabrication, we withhold from him perhaps the strongest evidence of the authenticity of the Scriptures, and, consequently, of the credibility of our religion.-Bishop Middleton on the Greek Article, p. 327.

THE INFANT'S HYMN.

THOU, God, who heardst my

Whose mercy gently smil❜d,

mother's prayer,

Vouchsaf'd the sufferer's life to spare,
And gave a living child;

Great Lord, whose throne eternal stands,
From age to age the same,

Teach me to clasp these infant hands,
And lisp thy holy name.

Thou Guardian God, at early day,

For all thy nightly care,

O teach my thankful heart to pray,
Its tributary prayer.

And when at eve beside my bed,
I bend my knees to pray,
Thy sacred influence o'er me shed,
And teach my lips the way.

From all unholy thoughts below,
Then, Lord, my spirit free;
And let thy little handmaid know,
She comes in prayer to thee.

[From the Gospel Advocate.]

MONTHLY REGISTER.

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE.

JERSEY DISTRICT COMMITTEE.

Extract from Report for 1825.