first religious impressions. But there is no more evi dence that such has been the case with any particular child, than there is evidence that holy affectious and holiness of life is manifested.

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The sum of our fourth division may be given in the apostle's language. There are diversities of operations by the same Spirit." Sometimes these operations are sudden and powerful; at other times they are more gradual and gentle. They produce different degrees of conviction of sin, and self-loathing,-of hungerings and thirstings after righteousness, of delight in the character and government of God,-of trust and joy in Christ, -of gratitude for temporal mercies and spiritual blessings, of inward and outward conformity to the holy requirements of God. In our judgment of ourselves and of others, we must therefore estimate the evidence of the Holy Spirit's operations by the correct and scriptural views which are possessed and the measure of sanctification which is manifested. In whatever measure his sacred influences are felt, they uniformly tend to disclose truth and produce holiness. Whatever pretences are made of being under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in embracing error or practising iniquity, must be rejected with a holy disdain.. Such impressions are not from above; for they are exceedingly pernicious in the moral world. And we shall

FIFTHLY, Observe, that both the wind and the Spirit

are HIGHLY SALUTARY IN THEIR INFLUENCES.

Though our knowledge of the genial influences of the wind in the natural world is very limited, yet who does not know that its effects are highly beneficial. It is the wind which purifies the air from a thousand noxious exhalations unfavourable to vegétable and animal life. Indeed, stagnant air, like stagnant water, would diffuse sterility and death wherever its baneful influence was long felt. The mighty wind, the gentle gale, and the soft breeze, are all the breathings of Infinite Goodness, diffusing blessings wherever they are felt. Have not all our readers known, by their own experience, the refreshing influence of a rising breeze, when they were oppressed, either with sultry heat, or the chilling damps of midnight stillness. In a word, wind in the kingdom of nature is indispensably necessary to vegetable and ani

mal life, health, and vigour. How manifestly analogous to this is the agency of the Holy Spirit in the moral universe. As ignorant as fallen man is of the extent of the benefits which result from the operations of the Holy Spirit, yet enough may be known to excite lively grati tude and holy joy in every pious heart. All the moral purity in our fallen world must be attributed to his benign agency. As the Spirit brooded dove-like upon the waters at the birth of creation, generating order from chaos, and producing fertility and beauty from inert matter; so his regenerating influences in our fallen world produce moral order, spiritual life, and fruitfulnesswherever they are found. All the suggestions which tend to moral goodness in sinners' hearts, are to be attributed to his sacred influence. They have an important salutary influence in the kingdom of grace, even where they do not prove saving to the soul. They restrain and suppress the active energies of desperately wicked hearts, and prevent much out-breaking of sin, where they do not really cleanse. Though they do not actually impel in a right moral direction, they may much retard the progress of sinners in rushing from God. This may be the case, whether these influences are more sudden and powerful, or more gradual and imperceptible. His influences are therefore incalculably great in the moral atmosphere, counteracting the morbid principles of spiritual contagion and death with which our world abounds.

This restraining influence of the divine Spirit is sometimes connected with the religious instructions, the godly examples or the devout prayers of pious parents, guardians, or instructors of schools. Often it is connected with the ministrations of God's word and the ordinances of religion. The labours of ministers, may therefore be instrumental, through the agency of the Spirit, of preventing an immense amount of evil where but little good is manifest. Here the pious in every relation and station should never be weary in well-doing. The command to them is," In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand, for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, this or that, or whether they shall be alike good." This would be important if none but the restraining influences of the Holy Spitit were ever connect

ed with these things. But we must further observe that his renovating, sanctifying, and comforting influences, in the kingdom of grace are usually connected in a similar manner to his restraining operations. Hence the motives to piety and Christian obedience assume an incalculable importance, and ought never to be overlooked. Contemplate the salutary influence of the Holy Spirit on the soul of the Christian, dispeling darkness from the understanding, stupidity from the conscience, impenitence, unbelief, ingratitude, and other sinful affections from the heart, and subjecting the will of the creature to that of the Creator. Behold him removing the polluted rags of self-righteousness and clothing the believer in the spotless robe of the Saviour's righteousness, and gradually bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. In a word, behold the loathsome sinner, through the Spirit's agency becoming a new creature, elevated to the moral image of his heavenly Father, and prepared to shine as the brightness of the sun in the firmament of glory. The sacred influences of the Holy Spirit are energetic in promoting the moral beauty and fruitfulness of Christ's spiritual_garden. On this account the Church has often breathed out the prayer,"Awake, O north wind; and come thou south, blow upon the garden of my Beloved, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my Beloved come into his garden and eat his pleasant fruits." Yes, Christians you are ready to acknowledge that all your spiritual life and beauty, your moral fragrance and holy fruits are to be attributed exclusively to the agency of the eternal Spirit. While you discover that the world, the flesh, and satan, like so many strong currents, are uniting their power to impel you in a wrong direction, it becomes you habitually to pour out fervent prayers to God that the gales of Heavenly influence, strong or gentle as seemeth good in his sight, may safely waft you over an ocean of corruptions, temptations, and troubles, to the unpolluted, peaceful shores of eternal rest. This Essay will be closed with a few reflections.

FIRST; Our subject may teach us, that mysteries in the operations of the Holy Spirit in the religious world constitute no just grounds for the rejection of the important doctrine of his sacred influences. We are in a

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world where we are surrounded with mysteries on every hand. What can finite beings comprehend? Man's highest honour, consists in bowing humbly and submissively to the doctrines and precepts of divine revelation.

SECONDLY; Our subject should remind every individual reader capable of reflection on the truths which it has introduced to our view, of the impropriety and danger of refusing to yield to the least impulse to seri, ousness, piety, and godliness, as in doing this they may be, they are resisting, or quenching the mutions of the Holy Spirit, that divine agent without whom no sanctification can be possessed on earth, or preparation be made for heaven.

THIRDLY; Our subject may teach us to be habitually learning important lessons of instruction from the kingdom of providence. A thousand things in that may lead our minds to a profitable contemplation of spiritual things. Let us no longer be dull scholars in circum stances peculiarly favourable for uniting delight and edi. fication in the great things of religion.

may

FOURTHLY; Let our subject excite in us admiration of God's condescension in being more ready to give the Holy Spirit to those who sincerely ask him,than earthly parents are to grant the requests of their children. And shall not Christians feel the importance of being much engag ed in pleading with God to bestow the gracious influences of his Spirit on his visible Church, that false hopes may be detected and renounced that languid graces may be revived and multiplied, and that his professing people may more manifestly let their light shine before men, that others seeing their good works, may glorify their Father in heaven. Besides, if sinners need his awaken. ing and renovating energies to reclaim their feet from the ways of sin and death, shall not all pious hearts be united in earnestly imploring the influences of the Spirit to breathe on the souls that are ready to perish, and excite all ages and ranks, to attend to the one thing needful, be fore it is forever too late.

O thou life-giving Spirit we humbly and earnestly be seech thee, to vouchsafe thy heavenly influences to quicken, sanctify, and comfort thy people. We do beseech thee, mercifully breathe on souls dead in trespasses and sins, and cause them to live unto God, that they may have life everlasting.

SELECT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

STEPHEN.

THE leader of that " noble army of martyrs," who followed Christ even unto death, was St. Stephen. The Saered History gives us no particulars of his country or kindred. That he was a Jew, appears evident from the whole strain of his apology before the Sandhedrim. Some of the ancient writers number him among the sev enty disciples. This seems, however, to be little more than conjecture, although his thorough acquaintance with the Jewish and Christian dispensations, and their relation to each other, and the sacred learning and great ability with which he defends the Messiahship of Christ against its most subtle opposers, would seem to favour the opinion, and to indicate that he had enjoyed the advantage of our Saviour's personal instructions. As he united to these acquirements an undaunted boldness and fervent zeal, and as he also possessed a large measure of that spiritual influence which had been lately shed upon the Church; he was eminently fitted to defend the cause of his Master against his unbelieving countrymen, and to glorify him in the very agonies of death.

It is on the institution of a new order of officers in the Church, that we first hear of St. Stephen; who, in the enumeration given of the seven Deacons presented to the Apostles for their approbation, is distinguished above the rest by this strong attestation, that he was a man full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost." The seven Deacons were Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas; and as all these names are Grecian, it is probable that they were chosen from that part of the Church which had complained against the other. The ingenuous and liberal spirit, which appears to have been exercised on this occasion by the Hebrews, served to repress the first risings of dissension, and was made to conduce to the enlargement of the Church, Uni. ted again in the spirit of Christian charity," the Word of God increased; and the number of disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith."