now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vines, and the smell of thy nose like apples; and the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

I noticed that the outer court was filled with a mixed multitude of all kindred, tongues and peoples, all turning a reverend eye to the temple; and a few, a very few having a suppressed sneer at the pantomime before them. There was slaying of sheep and oxen. It was a solemn day, and I counted, or rather calculated, the number of lambs, and computed them to be 256,500, all to be sacrificed for the sins of the people. Surely, said I, if blood can wash away guilt, this must be a holy nation. I observed also that there were money changers with their tables before them, and they not only accommodated those that bought sheep and oxen for sacrifice, but also were kind of bankers, where the prudent invested their stock. In short, the whole place seemed to be full as much a market and exchange as well as a temple. They sung their hymns, but in a sort of whisper, with their heads together; even while the high altar was smoking, they would ask each other the price of cattle or stock. "That is the largest ox I ever saw; how much will he weigh?" "What is beef a pound?" "Do tell me is that a Merino sheep-I never saw finer wool!" While this discourse was going on, I saw a man enter, neither Priest nor officerdressed in a very simple habit, with gray eyes-his hair parted on the top of his head, with a sweet, but rather melancholy countenance, with a little whip of small cord in his handnot large enough to frighten a child. He walked up to the sellers and buyers, and very civilly requested them to take these things hence. None of them obeyed, and he then took his whip of cords and drove them all out-overturning their tables, scattering their money, and driving their sheep and oxen before him. I heard him say in a voice of thunder which shook the temple to its foundation-My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. I awoke, saying:

Two principles o'er human nature move

And have excited us, since life began;
The power of Conscience, our inherent love
Of flesh-the meanness of unhappy man;

O in this inward battle, if you can,

Yield to the softest, yet the strongest power

Adopt the high, the everlasting plan ;

To wisdom give each delegated hour,

And storms shall never rise to shake your mental bower.

Here endeth the First Vision of the wretched Andover Student.

16

ART. VI. CHRIST'S RULE FOR ALMS-GIVING, BETTER THAN OUR MODERN METHODS.

THE systematic contribution of money for the causes of public Christian benevolence, has now become so universal in our churches as to constitute of itself an interest of very great magnitude; not only in reference to the world, which is to be acted upon by this instrumentality, but in respect also to the reflex influence of this habit upon the churches-upon the growth of Christian character, and the development of the resources and energies of these religious bodies. Indeed, in all ages of the church, both Jewish and Christian, it has been a part of God's plan to train his people, to bestow of the substance which he has given them, with a cheerful heart, for the promotion of his cause in the earth. And there have been many periods in the world's history when the amount thus bestowed, on the part of the people of God, has doubtless been far more in proportion to their worldly means, than in these latter days. Though we are very much accustomed to think that the grace of benevolence belongs peculiarly to modern Christians, it requires but a glance into the records of the Jewish and the early Christian Churches to perceive, that there have been times, when the sacrifices made have been far greater than any to which we are now subjected; or, in other words, to which we subject ourselves.

And yet, there are certain peculiarities in connection with our modern systems of benevolence, which make them stand out with peculiar prominence. The world has at length been brought into such a condition through the providence of God, and the church has been made to stand in such a relation to the world, that the great enterprise of evangelizing the nations seems now to be fairly under way; and there is to be no more a going back, until the work is done. There is everywhere a marshaling of the forces, which belong to Christ, and which move in obedience to his commands, for the last great contest with the kingdoms of darkness. There seems to be no longer any apprehension among the people of God, that all this stir will prove only a brief and spasmodic effort, to be followed again by ages of sloth and inactivity. It is one of the most striking characteristics of this whole movement, that the heart of the Christian world cherishes a feeling, which amounts almost to an absolute assurance of ultimate success. While Mohammedanism, which was once so mighty and aggressive a

power in the earth, has at length come to a state of utter deadness and inactivity, and seems not to indulge the faintest dream, that it is any longer to go forth as a conquering faith-yea more, while it appears to have lost all hope of even preserving its own, and sits, as with a doom upon it, looking grimly forward to that inevitable destruction, which is stealing on, noiseless but sure as the steps of fate-while those vast systems of the East, Brahminism and Budhism, (which as religious systems are older than Christianity, and which hold within their embrace a majority of the human family,) seem as uttely dead, in reference to any general action upon the world beyond their own limit, as though they were but huge masses of inorganic matter-there is in a pure Christianity everywhere, an exultant hope—a reaching forth boldly toward the future—a settled expectation of progress and ultimate triumph. This is a divinely implanted earnest of success. The mind and heart within are thus made to be in harmony, with the mighty energies which God has stored up in the Christian system, and it cannot be doubted that the church has applied herself to an enterprise which shall never go back. It may experience many varieties of prosperity and adversity-it may gain its triumphs slowly and after long struggling-ages may pass away before the conquest is complete-but sure as God sits upon the throne, the world shall be redeemed, and Christ shall reign "from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth." This is the kingdom which the God of heaven has set up, which "shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and shall stand forever."

It is in view of considerations like these, that this system of public contributions in our churches, for the great work of extending the Redeemer's kingdom and evangelizing the nations, can hardly be over rated. Everything which tends, even in a slight degree, to promote or retard this most sacred interest, assumes an importance, which would not otherwise attach to it. It is of vital interest to the churches that this whole subject should be put upon the right basis-that those rules and methods should be adopted, which are in the most exact agreement to truth and nature-that no element should, if possible, be allowed to come in, which is not exactly conformable to the strictest Christian propriety-that everything should go forward according to those laws which Christ hims It has instituted for the guidance of his people. It is only in this way that we can hope to build up and consolidate a system, which shall have an abiding and growing influence,

which shall be flexible and elastic, standing ever ready to meet the great developments of God's providence in the future. We must seek to relieve the whole system from what is merely transient and artificial, and bring it where it will rest upon the solid foundations of nature, where life and energy can be supplied from deep and never-failing fountains. Nature is exhaustless in her resources, and her supplies are steadily and surely furnished, as by an unvarying law. But man's processes are rude and clumsy, and liable to perpetual interruption, through ignorance, weariness and neglect.

There is one law, which our Saviour has laid down, with reference to this work of benevolence, which is sadly overlooked, and which almost all our public systems seem especially designed to ignore and set aside, as if it could not be trusted, as if it were not safe, in the present imperfect state of the world, to recognize it and rely upon it. This law is embodied in the 6th chapter of Matthew, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th

verses:

"When thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; That thy alms may be in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly."

This rule, which is most clearly and definitely expressed, and which is in exact accordance with other passages in the New Testament having reference to this general subject, we have been very slow to recognize and apply. We have adopted a timid and hesitating policy, as if a rule like this might be a very beautiful thing to contemplate theoretically, but would be found altogether too perfect to be put in practice among men who are in the mass so selfish and vain-glorious. We have acted to a great extent, upon the principle, that our reliance for the means to carry on God's work upon earth, must, after all, be in making an adroit appeal to man's love of praise and notoriety, and we have without doubt hitherto secured our resources for this work, to a very considerable degree, by playing upon what is merely selfish and earthly in the human heart, instead of resting upon a sense of what is due to God, and what the constraining love of Christ would lead his followers to do and suffer in his behalf. We have so constructed and managed our systems for raising funds, as to bring quite as prominently before the mind, the question, what men will think and say about the amount we give, as how God, the great searcher of hearts, will regard the act.

A brief glance at some of the methods adopted in our churches, for raising money for the various objects of public Christian benevolence, will reveal this matter in a clearer light, and prepare us afterward, for the fuller consideration of the subject. These methods, especially in our New England churches, are quite numerous and diversified, as might naturally be expected, since the freedom of our congregational pulpits allows and encourages each church to form its own plans, and pursue its own measures in this as in other things. It may serve a useful purpose, to sketch briefly some of the more prominent of these plans, as they are acted upon in our churches. We do not intend to exhaust the subject. Doubtless many schemes have been adopted and put in practice, which are unknown to the writer, and which, if known, would serve a useful purpose in this enumeration.

According to one mode, which is very common, a church adopts a certain number of objects to which it will contribute during the year, and then selects two, usually the Foreign and Home Missionary causes, for which subscription papers shall be circulated, while the rest shall receive the offerings of the people, by passing the boxes in the church. The result naturally is, that the amount contributed to either one of the causes, for which subscription papers are circulated will be several times greater, than that which is given to any one of the objects for which a collection is taken in the church. It is true, these two causes are selected for the public subscription, because they are regarded, as they should be, of special importance, and it is because they are held to be of such importance, that there is a fear to entrust them to the simple Christian principle of the church, but the adventitious aid of publicity must be sought, in order to ensure them an adequate contribution. Meanwhile, the liberality of the church, having thus been pushed forward by this artificial process relapses, and under cover of the darkness, makes its other contributions unnaturally small.

Many churches have adopted the system of taking subscriptions on the spot, for all the public causes of benevolence. When the time arrives, at which the church is accustomed to make its annual contribution to the Bible, Tract or Education cause, as the case may be, slips of paper are circulated through the congregation, (or what is better, little paper slates prepared for the purpose, each one furnished with a pencil of its own,) and the amount which each one will give is inscribed thereon, which is afterwards to be called for by some one appointed for the purpose, or else is to be paid in by each individual to the