and as miraculous interpositions are no longer to be expected, the aid of the physician must be sought.

SUPERSTITION is at times an occasion of religious dejection in those pious persons, who are in situations unfavourable for acquiring knowledge. An over-scrupulous conscience administers food to such a disposition. There is nothing so trifling which a superstitious and scrupulous mind may not magnify into an affair of vital importance. The conscience has not a healthy sensibility, but is irritable. They can say, or do nothing without exciting an unnatural alarm, an alarm for which no reasonable account can be given. Reliance on dreams, sudden impressions, illusive voices, imaginary warnings of the death of distant friends, casting lots, the opening of the Bible and fixing on the first verse which presents itself, is altogether vain, superstitious, and unlawful; and the exercise of any such unfounded reliance cannot fail to produce dangerous fancies and extraordinary gloom of mind. Vows rashly made, and apprehensions of having committed the sin against the Holy Ghost, have the same tendency. It is surprising that, in the present age and in a Protestant country, cases of this kind should so frequently occur; and that so many persons should be inapprehensive, or ignorant, of the folly and sinA. A 4

fulness of what is so explicitly rebuked and condemned in the Holy Scriptures.

A more common cause of this dejection is

a MISAPPREHENSION OF THE DOCTRINE OF REMISSION OF SINS. The former causes are easily understood. This may be less obvious and accessible. The distress of the awakened and contrite heart is relieved by a persuasion of the grace of Christ in freely forgiving sin. When the penitent is led simply to credit this cheering truth and to act upon it, his extreme alarm subsides; for peace of conscience is the natural fruit of faith in the blood of the Redeemer. Being justified by faith, he has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; and he begins to walk in the ways of holy obedience with consistency, and with increasing spirituality and delight. But if he errs as to this scriptural course, if he mistakes the entire plan of the Gospel as a plan of salvation by grace, and continues to trust to himself, and to endeavour to establish his own righteousness, instead of submitting himself to the righteousness of Christ, his distress of mind. is likely to increase, and if other things concur, to plunge him at last into a settled melancholy. Though he is truly penitent, yet he dares not believe that he is. Though he is invited freely to the cross of the Saviour, yet he ignorantly excludes himself from its benefits. Though all of every character who feel and acknowledge

their sins are urged to believe the Gospel, yet he conceives he is too great a sinner to venture to apply. Though he is instructed in the nature of the covenant of works and that of grace, yet he still cleaves confusedly to the law which can only condemn him. In the mean time, he la bours and strives and watches and prays, but with little apparent success. Nay, he appears to himself to become worse. He mistakes the important doctrine of the necessity of evidences of his being in a state of salvation, for the necessity of his attaining certain previous qualifications to entitle him to come to Christ an error of great magnitude. Thus he gradually sinks into despondency. Like the stricken deer, he wanders here and there for relief, but in vain, unconscious that he carries about with him the instrument of his malady. His mistake is, that he thinks he must make himself better before he comes to Christ, instead of first approaching him with the humility of a helpless sinner, that he may obtain the pardon of his sins and be sanctified by his Saviour's grace. Instead of this, he hopes to merit pardon and acceptance by his works. Hence he is filled with terror. His attempts fail, his performances are defective, and condemn him. Every discovery of the evil of his own heart and of the purity of God increases his perturbation and apprehension, and adds to his alarm. He comes at

last to a settled dejection of mind, approaching to despair.

But a still more frequent cause of this malady is SOME WILFUL SIN SECRETLY CHERISHED

IN THE HEART OR PRACTISED IN THE LIFE.

Like the accursed thing in the camp of Israel, this must be cast out, before a scriptural peace can be enjoyed. I speak not of sins of ignorance or infirmity, nor of the effects of sudden temptation, nor of the disallowed imperfections which, through the defilement of indwelling sin, cleave to our purest thoughts and most righteous actions: these ought not to occasion religious depression. The humble Christian, daily examining his conscience and confessing and forsaking his sins, is cleansed by the blood of Christ from all unrighteousness. But if some course of habitual sin, whether secret or open, be entered upon, some palpable inconsistency admitted, something which lays waste the conscience or grieves the Holy Spirit, the consequence frequently is, and ought to be, religious depression. It is not necessary in order to this, that a man should be altogether insincere or hypocritical, much less that he should, openly renounce the truth of the Gospel. But if an allowed habit of evil has gained upon him, his serenity of mind must and will be proportionably disturbed. In a day of extensive religious profession like the present, such cases are not

uncommon, Christians are betrayed into a conformity to the vanities or pleasures of the world. They indulge themselves in things which, if not grossly sinful, are yet inexpedient. They maintain no proper self-govern ment over themselves. A haughty temper toward their inferiors, an envious disposition toward their equals, or a spirit of insubordination with regard to those placed in authority over them, steals in a certain measure upon their minds. Covetousness secretly set up as an idol in the heart, to use the expression of the Prophet, is a sin which eats as doth a canker. Five times only is lucre mentioned in the New Testament, and in each case the epithet filthy is added to it, to note the peculiar danger of this idolatry. Sins of impurity, again, secretly indulged, and perhaps justified by specious sophisms, have been, and are, the ruin of many.

Whatever be the particular transgression, the effect of it is speedily seen in private devotional duties. These are either wholly neglected, or at least become heartless and languish. The circumspection is relaxed, and the simplicity of the soul is corrupted. Domestic cares leading men into unjustifiable methods of adding to their wealth, or the concerns of a trade or profession, conspire to deaden the heart. The Holy Spirit is quenched, and withdraws his influences. The mind, in which reli

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