true light now shineth. Through Chrift's coming, iniquity has been leffened, even among unbelievers; for the real Chriftans, though few, have held up to view the nature of true goodnefs, and even bad men have, in fome measure, been constrained to imitate them; they have alfo grown more afhamed than they otherwife would have been of their vices.

But who can calculate the bleffing which Christianity hath been to thousands of true believers? How many lives have been made holy here on earth; how many hearts have been cheered and comforted by it; how many deaths, which would otherwife have been moft gloomy, have been rendered joyful and triumphant; and above all, how many immortal fouls have been faved, and made happy to all eternity, through faith in this bleffed Redeemer! "My fheep," fays Chrift, "hear my voice, and they follow me, and I give unto my fheep eternal life; and they fhall never perifh, neither fhall any pluck them out of my hands."-" I go to prepare a place for them, that where I am they may be

alfo."

And now, reader, what are your thoughts on the fubject of our Saviour's appearance on this earth of ours? If you are a true Christian, your language will be fuch as the following: "It is through the coming of Chrift into the world, that I have learned to know myfelf, and to know the God who made me. I am by nature blind and ignorant; I am alfo finful and un

done; I am utterly without hope, except through the mercy of my Saviour; and even though I have been born in a Chriftian land, I can trace back, in my recollection, many proofs of this my natural ignorance, and corruption, and hardness of heart. I was once like a sheep going aftray, but I am now returned to the fhepherd of my foul. I followed the bent of my own foolish will, but the grace of God in Jefus Chrift hath changed my finful heart; the knowledge of my corruption has humbled me; the thought of my Saviour's dying for me has stirred up divine gratitude within me, and that acquaintance with his gospel which I have gained, hath changed my whole views of life. Chrift's character delights me; I read the hiftory of his humble birth, his painful death, and his glorious refurrection, as it is recorded in fcripture, with hope and joy, and with holy confidence and truft. How fhall I fufficiently blefs God for Jefus Chrift! Whatever change has been wrought in me, I trace to Chrift's coming into the world. If Chrift had never come, how corrupt fhould I at this mo ment have been, how blind, how dark, how ignorant, how different from what, through the grace of God, I now am! How miferable, in comparison of my present happiness! I am engaged, indeed, in a fharp conflict with my fins; but through my Saviour's help, I hope to gain ground against them. I have occafionally, doubts and fears, but, in general, I feel confident that the promises of God are fure and cer

tain in Chrift Jefus; for I know in whom I have believed, and I am perfuaded that he is able to keep that foul which I have committed to him till the great day."

P

1

A CHRISTMAS HYMN.

JOY to the world, the Lord is come,
Let earth receive her king;
him room,

Let every heart prepare

And heav'n and nature fing.

Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns,
Let men their fongs employ,
While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains,
Repeat the founding joy.

No more let fins and forrows grow,
Nor thorns infeft the ground;
He comes to make his bleffings flow
Far as the curfe is found.

Our father ate forbidden fruit,
And from his glory fell,

And we, his children, thus were brought
To death, and near to hell.

Bleft be the Lord who fent his Son
To take our flesh and blood,
He for our lives gave up his own,
To make our peace with God.

He honor'd all his Father's laws,
Which we have difobey'd;
He bore our fins upon the crofs,
And our full ranfom paid.

Behold him rifing from the grave;
Behold him rais'd on high:
He pleads his merit there, to fave
Tranfgreffors, doom'd to die.

Soon fhall the Lord to judgment come,
And with a fovereign voice
Shall call, and break up every tomb,
And bid his faints rejoice.

may I then with joy appear
Before the judge's face

And with the blefs'd affembly there
Sing his redeeming grace,

N

PAUL

THE

CONVERSION

OF

ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE.

AUL was one of the chief apofles. The greater part of the epiftles of the New Teftament were written by him, and it is therefore well worth the while of every Chriftian, to beflow fome pains in confidering both his character and his wonderful history.

In order, properly, to introduce the prefent fubject of Paul's Converfion, it is neceffary firft to fay fomething of the ancient prophecies concerning Chrift, by which means we fhall fhew the good reafon which Paul had for believing in him at the time when he appeared.

The Old Teftament prophecies of our Saviour are many; for his appearance on earth was an event of vast importance; and it is no wonder, therefore, that early notice of it was given in the facred writings. In the beginning of the world, when our first parents had finned, the fentence of death immediately paffed upon them, but no fooner was this curfe pronounced, than the merciful promife was alfo given, that "the feed of the woman fhould bruife the ferpent's head;" a promise which related to Chrift, though as yet dark and myfterious, and which was in