should not perish but have everlasting life." As the mediator was the person whose business it was to reconcile contending parties, hence Suidas explains soins, mediator, by sinnvorcios, a peace-maker. God was justly offended with the crimes of men; to restore them to his peace Jesus became Mediator. And that Christ might appear to be in every sense proper for this office, the apostle adds, "The man Christ Jesus," as it was necessary he should be incarnated; and thus he, who was in the form of God, took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.

But we are not to suppose that the mediatorial office of Christ did not begin till after his ascension to heaven. Those appearances under the patriarchal dispensation, and also under the Mosaic, of a glorious personage sometimes called the "angel of the Lord," the "angel of the covenant," and the "captain of the Lord's hosts," who assumes the name Jehovah, and performs acts practicable only by him whose power is unlimited, and whose judgments are just, have been supposed by the wisest of men to have been appearances of him, "in the likeness of man," who, in the fulness of time took upon him the form of a man, by being incarnated of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the virgin Mary. Had man been left just as he was when he fell from God, he, in all probability, had been utterly unsalvable; as he appears to have lost all his spiritual light and understanding, and even his moral feeling. We have no mean proof of this in his endeavouring to "hide himself," among the trees of the garden, from the presence and eye of Him, whom, previously to his transgression, he knew to be "every where present ;" to whose eye the darkness and the light are both alike, and who discerns the most secret thoughts of the heart of man. Add to this, it appears as if he had neither self-abasement nor contrition, and therefore he charged his crime upon the woman, and indirectly upon God; while the woman, on her side, charged her delinquency upon the serpent. As they were, so would have been all their posterity, had not some gracious principle been supernaturally restored to enlighten their minds, to give them some knowledge of good and evil, of right and wrong, of virtue and vice; and thus bring them into a salvable state. Now, the gracious mediator is expressly said to be that "true light which lightens every man that cometh into the world." (John i. 9.) And it is from this light that we have conscience: for conseience is neither a principle of light, nor a power of discernment; but a recipient subject which is capable of receiving light and transmitting it to the judg ment, in order to enable it to form a proper estimate of the moral conduct of its owner. It is precisely to the soul, what the eye is to the body: the eye is not light, nor a principle of light, nor can it of itself discern any thing; but it is a proper recipient of

light, without which there is no vision: as the sun, or in his absence, borrowed or artificial light, shines upon and through the different humours of the eye; so objects within the range of vision are discerned and as Jesus, the true light, by his Spirit shines upon conscience, so a man is capable of forming a just estimate of his spiritual state. This light is both directive and convicting, and affords to every fallen soul a grand antagonist power by which men may resist evil: by the proper use of which, those who are brought to God receive more grace; and for the abuse of which, every man shall be judged in the great day. This light Jesus, as mediator, has imparted to all men, in all ages, and in all countries. It is this saving principle that has ever remonstrated against evil, showed man his transgression, shone upon his guilt, and convinced him of his own helpless

ness.

After his ascension this mediator appeared, and ever appears in the presence of God for us: and thus before and after his incarnation he was the "one mediator between God and men." As there can be but ONE God, so there can be but ONE mediator. For he who must be mediator between God and man must partake of both natures. Who else could appear in the presence of God to negotiate the concerns of a whole world? We have already seen that Jesus the mediator has all the essential attributes of that God, of whose glory he is the brightness, and of whose person he is the express image: and his incarnation proves that he was made man and his manner of life, passion, and death, manifest that his human nature was precisely the same as that of all other men. Thus we find two distinct persons in one being; for in the man Christ Jesus dwelt all the fulness of the godhead bodily.

This subject is considered by many pious men to be one of the greatest mysteries of the Christian religion, which should be adored and implicitly received, but is no subject for rational investigation. On such subjects as these, we perhaps concede too much to those, who, pretending to believe nothing but what they can rationally account for, in fact, believe nothing at all. Every attribute of God may be, in some sense, a subject for reaReason can even look into his eternity; and, when comparing that with all the characteristics and affections of time, can at once conceive that it had no beginning, can have no end, and is, in all considerations, illimitable and incomprehensible. And he who inhabiteth eternity must be necessarily without beginning of days and end of time, infinite, unlimited, independent, and self-existent.

son.

Thus far reason can acquire a satisfactory view of eternity, by comparing it with time. Time is duration, which had a beginning, and will have an end. Eternity is duration, but differs

from time as being without beginning and without end. Reason, in reference to the incarnation, can at least proceed thus:-I have an immortal spirit, it dwells in and actuates my mortal body. As then, my soul can dwell in my body, so could the DEITY dwell in the man Christ Jesus. He who can believe that Isaiah, or any of the prophets, spoke by inspiration, i. e. "as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," must believe the possibility of the incarnation of Christ. And he who can believe it possible that Christ can dwell in the hearts of his followers, can as easily believe that the Messiah or Logos, which was in the beginning with God, "was made flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth." (John i. 14.) Reason says, if the one was possible so is the other; and as one is fact, so may the other be also. The possibility of the thing is evident. God says the fact has taken place; that, therefore, which faith saw before to be possible and probable, it sees now to be certain; for God's testimony added, puts all doubts to flight. The Lord Jesus, the Almighty's fellow, was incarnated of the Holy Ghost, and was made man: and by being God and man was every way qualified to be mediator "between God and men," as the text declares him to be. God and man met in the same person of Jesus Christ: and God was in this Christ reconciling the world to himself. In both these cases, reason, without going out of its proper province by meddling with things inconceivable, may arrive at such unimpeachable evidence as may satisfy honest inquiry, and silence doubt.

Some of the ancients appear to have thought that the word av gwros, man, in the last clause of the verse, was a needless repetition; and therefore read the verse thus: "There is one mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus." But, that the term is here repeated with manifest design, and that it not only strengthens, but explains the sense, will be evident when the 5th verse is considered. Christ Jesus, who was from the beginning, who appeared to the patriarchs, and who spake by the prophets, really became man that he might be qualified to redeem man. Man must always mediate between man and man. Angels would be utterly incapable of such an office, as they could not enter into the feelings, because destitute of the sympathies of human beings. Hence they have never been employed in this work, nor are they employed in preaching the gospel, for the very same reason. They cannot apprehend as men; they cannot feel as men; therefore they would be inappropriate, and even the highest of them, useless preachers. God therefore preaches to man by man: and when Jesus undertook to save men he took upon him the He had also the true nature of God: and as he nature of man. could, in consequence, properly estimate the requisitions of divine justice, and feel to the uttermost that the law was holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good; so, in becoming man,

he could feel for the miseries of his brethren; and thus stand a proper, and in every way a duly qualified mediator between God and man; of GoD, to represent his justice to the sinner; of MAN, to represent his miseries to the divine mercy.

[To be continued.]

BIOGRAPHY.

MEMOIR OF MISS CHARLOTTE SINGLETON,

OF NOTTINGHAM:

BY THE REV. JOHN HANNAH.

MISS CHARLOTTE SINGLETON was born at Nottingham, March 7th, 1778. When she was nearly fourteen years of age, she was seized with a violent attack of sciatica, which disabled her from walking for three years, occasioned a considerable degree of lameness for life, and, by preventing her from using proper exercise, seriously injured her constitution. Some time before this she had occasionally attended the Methodist ministry, though her father was much opposed to it. It was under this affliction, however, that she became decidedly serious, and began to make her spiritual and eternal happiness the grand concern of her life. It seems to have been some months, if not years, before she obtained a satisfactory and abiding evidence of her acceptance with God; but on this point her experience was afterward very clear, consistent, and scriptural. From the period of her finding redemption through the blood of Jesus, the forgiveness of sins," her growth in grace was rapid, and her religious attainments of no ordinary description. She was severely tutored in the school of affliction, and happily proved that "tribulation," when sanctified by the blessing of God, and improved by the exercise of faith, in an eminent degree "worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope."

By degrees her health and strength were partially restored; and, when about thirty years of age, she began to engage more publicly and extensively in the service of the church. For several years she was actively employed as a class-leader, a visiter of the sick, an assistant at prayer meetings, and a diligent supporter of the weekly band; in each of which exercises her valuable services will long be remembered. She was remarkable as a leader, for her affectionate and unwearied attention to every member of her class, for the spirituality of her views, for the variety and suitableness of her counsels, and for her truly Christian fidelity. As a visiter of the sick, she was ready to attend every call, was uncommonly skilful in ascertaining the spiritual state of the persons she visited, and well knew, for she had herself suffered,

how to temper the occasional severity of reproof and admonition with the most tender and engaging sympathy. In her conduct as an assistant at prayer-meetings she was never forward and assuming, never censorious, but eminently distinguished by her humility, her consistency, her chastened and holy fervour. At the weekly band, she almost invariably found herself in her proper element; and by the rich and copious statement of her religious experience, by the encouraging directions which she sometimes ventured to give, and by the spirit of devotion which glowed with intense ardour in her own bosom, she was often rendered highly useful to her Christian associates. Many who yet survive can recall to mind the refreshing communications which they enjoyed at such seasons with their departed friend, when they seemed conducted in spirit to the "holy mount," and were permitted by faith to behold the "glory" of their "transfigured" Lord, to "hear him" as the great teacher to whom "Moses and Elias" willingly resign their office, and to realize the benefits of the "decease" which he has "accomplished at Jerusalem," until they unitedly exclaimed, well knowing also "what they said," "Lord, it is good for us to be here!" In her, as in the disciples at Antioch, the "grace of God" was seen, and in her the triumphs of that grace were eminent and glorious.

Under the influence of a modesty, which her friends cannot but think in this instance, excessive and indiscreet, she almost entirely destroyed her diary, and other papers, a short time before her death. The loss of these renders it difficult to take' any thing more than a general survey of her character. Among the particular excellencies which, by divine grace, she possessed, may be noticed the following:

Her command of temper. She was "adorned" with the "ornament of a meek and quiet spirit." It was a rule with her in the most provoking and irritating circumstances, to observe a profound silence; nor do her most intimate relatives and acquaintance remember ever to have known her indulge an angry or passionate temper from the time of her conversion to God.

Her dislike of human praise.-She endeavoured to seek the "honour that cometh from God only," and never loved to receive commendation from man. It was a remark which she frequently made, that she thought praise, in any shape, was exceedingly dangerous to young converts, and had often proved equally destructive to their piety and their usefulness.

Her sincere regard for the ordinances of religion.-Notwithstanding her afflictions and infirmities, she was remarkable, when at all able to go abroad, for her punctual attendance at the house of the Lord. In sitting under the ministry of the gospel she did indeed hear "uncritically and devoutly ;" and though, to her spiritual and experienced mind, the preaching of some was un