answer to the important question, What is the right use of reason in matters of religion?

CONSCIENCE.

THE existence of a principle within the human breast, by which every individual feels certain actions to be right and others wrong, and which in the one case bestows approval, and in the other administers reproof, is a fact which forces itself upon the conviction of every reflecting mind.

This internal principle, called conscience, is the mental lever which, under the workings of the Holy Spirit, raises man once more to that station from which he has fallen by sin; and reduces in an infinite degree the distance between the creature and the Creator, occasioned by depravity, rebellion, and unbelief. Conscience may be considered as the sentinel set by the Almighty to watch over the feelings and affections of the mind; and, ever vigilant, guards the soul from the entrance of evil; or if by any means it do enter, wages constant warfare against it, and, aided by strength from on high, prevails and expels the intruder. Let me not here be understood to infer that this principle is always victorious over its numerous and powerful enemies. Although like a faithful watchman it instantly gives the alarm at the approach of some fresh temptation or insinuation of the evil one, alas, it is too true, that its voice is frequently disregarded, and the destroyer is admitted. But, on that account, its vigilance is no more to be called in question, or itself deemed accountable for the injury sustained, than the nocturnal guard is to be blamed, if his loud and urgent alarm of fire, or - attempt at robbery, fails to arouse the sleepy occupant of the house in such

danger. The penalty for such negligence is loss of property in the one case, and loss of peace in the other.

If the common saying that "What every man says must be true," be allowed to carry any weight with it, surely what every man feels must be allowed to convey a more, nay a most irresistible conviction of truth. This principle, when duly exercised, is the regulator of a man's desires and pursuits, carrying his views beyond present feelings and inclinations; and when its voice is calmly and dispassionately heard, leads him from them to consider future results and consequences of action. It compels, or rather induces him, to remember his relation to his Maker, and his duty to himself and his fellow-creatures. is thus taught to submit his conduct and pursuits, not to the influence of present and transient feelings, but is enabled to take a survey of his entire interests as a moral and intellectual being." "It works by no fixed or external laws," but by a rule which it carries within itself; and conveys to each individual a certain and irresistible conviction of what is right or wrong, in particular cases and circumstances.

He

God never created a being capable of reflection, and possessing reasoning powers, without an inward witness that he ought to reverence and obey his Creator. It tells him when he fails in his obedience, if it is not sufficiently enlightened to direct him aright. Even the Heathen possess, if I may so speak, the light of conscience in a degree sufficient to render "their darkness visible; " and having this inward monitor "they showed," without any previously acquired knowledge, "the work of the law written in their hearts,their conscience meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another."

Conscience is developed with the

first dawnings of reason; and the his Maker, himself, and his fellowtendencies of the heart to perceive creatures having been early instilled and evade it are exhibited equally into his youthful mind, which was early. No sooner does the infantine then tender and easily susceptible of mind begin to expand, than this con- impression, exert an influence which test between the conscience and the he in vain endeavours to eradicate, heart commences. The one admo- and which affords material aid to his nishes and reproves; the other uses conscience, and contributes in no all its efforts to quiet the reprover, small measure to keep its spark alive. and drown its remonstrances; and And although in after life he may often, alas, is it that the heart, which stray far from the paths of truth, the is" deceitful above all things," pre- checks of conscience, and some revails even at this early age. Its maining principles of his religious salutary warnings are first procras- education, will break in as a restraint tinated, then neglected, and then al- even in his most licentious hours.* most entirely silenced. The "still It is of the utmost importance that small voice" dwindles into a stifled its flame, like the candle in the temple, whisper, scarcely audible amid the be kept continually burning, though wily arguments and artful evasions of its light will indeed be but feeble, a corrupt and degenerate nature. unless the Holy Spirit, pour out its Similar feelings characterize the invigorating influence, which like the unregenerate individual as he grows oil poured on the altar by the High in years, and knowledge. The same Priest, will cause it to revive, and inward monitor is ready with its burn vigorously. Conscience, like timely warnings; the same evil heart all other parts of the human constimeets them, as formerly, with eva- tution, has felt the direful effects of sions, doubts, and self-deception. This difference however is perceived, (if that may be called a difference which exists in degree only,) that the juvenile mind less callous to impression, and less hardened in sin, did not betray so determined a disposition to renounce the governance of this principle, as it exhibits in riper years. The child, influenced by feelings of affection for those to whom it owes its existence is restrained from running into a path of open opposition to their wishes and desires; or, if blessed with pious parents, whose anxious endeavour and constant study it was, to bring up their child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord," is held in check by the principles so frequently and earnestly inculcated. The effect indeed of a religious education is felt for many years after he has renounced obedience to his parents. His duties both to

Cecil's Remains, I have met with the folSince writing the above, in reading lowing remarks, which ably enforce the importance of cultivating the mind, and impressing the conscience of children. “It is," says that admirable writer and able divine, "of incalculable importance to obtain a hold upon the conscience. Children have a conscience, and it is not seared, though it is evil. Bringing the eternal world into their view, planning and acting with that world before us, this gains at length such a hold upon them, that with all the infidel poison which they may afterwards imbibe, there are few children who at night, in their chamber, in the dark, in a storm of thunder, will not feel. They cannot cheat like other men; they are obliged after all to compound the matter with conscience, if they cannot be prevailed upon to return to God without delay." Its power upon himself he states thus: "When I was sunk in the depths of infidelity I was afraid to read any author who treated of infidelity in a dispassionate, wise, and searching manner. He made me He would recall early instructions and imuneasy. Conscience would gather strength. pressions, while my happiness could only consist in their obliteration.".

will then be right within, and conse quently all will be right without. For from the corrupt "heart proceed the things which defile a man," and from the heart renewed and sanctified, proceed holy thoughts, words, and actions.

the fall: it is, in its unregenerate" purified from dead works," holy, state, corrupt and depraved. For watchful, and tender, ever ready either "unto them that are defiled and unbe- to advise, approve, or censure; all lieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled." (Titus i. 15.) It may be argued by some, that it is useless for an individual who has not received that radical change, essential to salvation, to cultivate a conscience little better than that possessed by the Heathen, or to Were we left to perform this task practise duties, the importance of by ourselves, without aid from above, which he does not duly feel. I would well might we exclaim, "How can a reply, That the manslayer, when feeble helpless worm perform a task approaching the city of Refuge, so hard!"* though far from safe, was in less danger than when at a greater distance from it : so with regard to religious duties, and the restraints of conscience. Although the prayers of an unrenewed individual, if such they may be called, do not proceed from real piety or affection to God; from a sense of unworthiness, and an earnest desire for a reconciliation through Christ, and a communion with him: although in his heart there dwell no holy fear, gratitude, and adoration of his Crea

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tor; no warm and ardent love for a crucified Saviour; no genial influence of the Holy Spirit is felt there; the one thing" is still needed; still the soul is in less danger, than one not under the influence of these checks and restraints. Satan knows this, and uses all his endeavours to remove them. He is well aware, that while their influence is exerted on the mind, he can never obtain possession of it

J. C. W.

BUNHILL FIELDS.

TREAD lightly, Fancy, dirge becomes thee!

Here is the sepulchre
Of hallow'd greatness; here sleep Truth's
fav'rite sons,
To whom, when thirsty, none gave drink;
Who, in their day, had no abiding place;
When hungry as the wolf, none brought them

food;

Or sick, few poured the oils of sympathy
Into their festering hearts. These, when the
Had spoken lies so long as to believe them

world

truth,

Reigns: when all tongues sing his praise; And every brow is branded with his servicemark.

While all the pleasures, in one choral band, Blow the seven silver keys of soft temptation,

To wile decision down from the heart's throne.

There are some mighty souls, who out of

due

As if the remotest things of faith, or the last
Drops dregged from the well of truth. Such,
I mean,

Who have a prophet's eye, and over the
bleating

Herds of men, tower in their mountain stature,

And ken the fair face of truth, long ere she
Becomes visible upon the morning hills;
and on whose

Brow her far-off beams quiver in calm
Sublimity; and into whose all-hearing ear
Her voice predictive pours the clear histories

These

the means are involved in it.
therefore are the proper subjects of
thought before beginning; and if
these are clearly and satisfactorily
seen, the beginning wants no thought,
but should be instantly set about in
an active manner, with careful use of
the means, and a steady eye upon the
end all the time.

There is in human nature, in its early stages, and before the parts of it which are comparatively good are spoiled by the example of a procrastinating world, a very strong propensity to begin, and that without any thought about the matter. This propensity,

Of things to come; and in whose fancies
From their green mossy hoods do virtue's-you may call it an instinct if you

roses

Bloom.

Hail to such souls,
Ripe unto bursting with impassioned fruit,
At which the ephemerals gaze, through the
Outstanding eye of wonder; or sneer per-
chance

As at the too true satires of some miscalled
fool.

A BEGINNING.

will, as it comes before the exercise of what we usually call experience, but you must not confound it with the instincts of mindless animals ;this propensity is the love of novelty, which every child possesses in the highest degree from the earliest moment that it can exercise its infant senses; the substitute for experience at that tender age at which there can be none; and the cause, the only "FAIRLY begun, half finished," operating principle, which educates. says the adage; and the adage is and brings up the young faculties to more than true,—that is, there is more that state in which they begin to avail truth in it than appears at first sight. themselves of experience, and to reaIn all matters, whether of knowing son and judge from that store of or of doing, for one who fails after knowledge which it has enabled their having fairly begun, there are fifty, minds to treasure up. This treasur-nay, five hundred,-who fail from ing begins much sooner in life than not beginning at all, or not beginning we generally suppose; and the chafairly. "I think of beginning," is a racter of the child is very often fixed saying very frequently in the mouths for life by what it sees going on around of many people; but experience it, long before it is capable of comshows that they who are the most prehending the very simplest lesson constantly "thinking about" begin- that we can communicate to it in the ning, are not only the last to begin ordinary way of teaching. This ordi in reality, but those whose lives are nary way, considered as it is followed most completely wasted in attempts in the majority of cases, is bad; beat beginning, which never come to cause, instead of "the milk" of any useful maturity, and which may knowledge, for which alone its mentherefore be said not to be fair begin- tal digestion is qualified, we try to nings at all. A beginning is not feed it with scraps of adult food, bad worthy the name, unless the end and in their natural quality, and rendered

worse by the way in which we prepare them.

they hung yawning at the gates of the royal palaces.

The real or professional Swiss may of course think "as like himself" as ever he can; for thought is not included in the roster of his duties, and perhaps this is wisely done; for he might think "better than his betters," and thus be "out of place." With other people, however, the case is different; and whenever they are gazing without seeing, whether there is an object of sight before them or not,

This beginning of life is by far the most important of all beginnings; for it may be said to involve in it, or at all events principally to influence, all that is done throughout the whole term of life, and all that depends upon what is so done. To the individual it is the beginning of time, and by necessary consequence, of eternity; and if the individual is to play any part in society, which we may say is the wish and the hope of every parent there is one short but sharp admonithat thinks at all, it is the beginning tion to them all, "Mind your own of weal or of woe to that portion of business." society with which the individual But if this admonition applies to mixes, not only during the whole all cases of thinking, and of acting, term of life, but for some time after, a la Suisse, it applies in a manner longer or shorter, according to the influence of the individual.

peculiarly forcible to our attempted observation and direction of the very Such being the case, and that such early stages of the beginning of life. is the case every one who thinks on In these we should in an especial the subject must at once admit, it manner "mind our own business;" follows that this is the grand begin- and the force of the obligation lies in ning which, more than all others, this, that though we can contemplate claims the attention of every well- or lecture the infant only a la Suisse, wisher to the human race; and though it contemplates us and what we do in that may not, and does not in reality, a very different manner. We can, include the whole, or perhaps even without much difficulty, fix upon a the majority, yet we believe there are period anterior to which the infant very few who would be willing in so cannot possibly profit by our premany words to confess their exclusion from it.

cepts; and it is probable that our vain conceit in our powers of instrucBut notwithstanding its great and tion, makes us place the era of this paramount importance, it is a subject period much too early in life. But with which it is exceedingly difficult no ingenuity of ours can fix any peto deal. At the very commencement, riod before which the infant may not the longest experience and the most be affected by our example. We are mature judgment can do little more, sometimes in the habit of saying, and indeed nothing more, than stand by of acting upon the saying as if it were as mere spectators of it; and this, too, an established truth, that "It is of in the most humbling attitude in which little consequence what may be the they can be placed; spectators with- knowledge or the condition of those out a spectacle; looking from them, who have the care of little infants, so but seeing nothing; having eyes, but that their health and their limbs are not seeing; and ears, but not hearing. not injured.. Peusànt a la Suisse, as they used to This is a most important subject; say in Paris, from the proverbially and it is the more important and also vacant looks of the Swiss guards as the more difficult to understand and