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much is implied in the expression found in Christ! Found in Christ as a refuge from the storm and tempest of God's wrath; found in Christ as the sweet ark of safety; found in Christ as the hope of immortal glory when the dark shadows of time have rolled away. Those who are so happy as to be in Christ are indeed "passed from death unto life." It is certain their own consciences have been awakened from the slumber of sin and carnal security, it is certain that an arrow of conviction has reached their hearts, and that the voice "flee from the wrath to come has been in their case a voice of power. All who are in Christ are interested in the merits of his blood and righteousness by faith; his blood for the full and free pardon of their sins, and his righteousness for the justification and acceptance of their persons before God. But to paint the blessedness of those who are in Christ as their Saviour from sin and wrath; O can any language describe the peace and joy in believing! What words may speak the comfort which springs from an assurance of pardon; the sense of adoption into the family of a reconciled Father and God; the sweetness of heavenly love shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost; and above all the kindling anticipation of future glory! Believers in Jesus can bear testimony from their own experience to the truth of what David says, "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity."

SACRED REFLECTIONS.

No. II.

THE SUBSERVIENCY OF ALL THINGS TO THE GOOD OF THE LORD'S PEOPLE. WHAT, all things! It is a wondrous announcement but yet it is the announcement of eternal truth. "We know (says St. Paul,) that all things work together for good to them that love God." There is no doubt, nor even the shadow of a doubt, on the subject. The language of the Apostle is expressive of certainty. He knew by revelation, and he knew by experience, the truth of what he uttered. "We know that all things," &c.

What a

And what a blessed assurance is this! resting-place for the soul! How fitted are the words to inspire the deep serenity of comfort under the most afflictive circumstances of mortal life!

"All things," however unpromising in appearance, shall yet work together,-shall be actively engaged, not separately, but together, in promoting the welfare of the Lord's beloved ones. In God's providential dealings with his people, there are many things mysterious to our limited views and apprehensions. But, in all our reasonings on the Divine procedure, we should never forget the important consideration that "God's thoughts are not as our thoughts, neither are his ways as our ways." We do not, we cannot see all the links in the chain of JEHOVAH'S Providence; if we could the risings of discontent at his dispensations would be instantly suppressed in our bosoms, and the voice of murmuring be hushed into silence. When we are admitted to the world of blessedness and glory

above, we shall have done with cloud and mystery for ever. Every thing will rise upon our view in the full radiance of heaven's light. All the Divine dispensations will be cleared up; it will then appear that the paths of the Lord are still mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.

O may I be in the number of those who love God! Then shall their privilege be mine. It shall be well with me in time, and it shall be well with me through. out the ages of Eternity!

THE IDOLS OF THE SAXONS.

WODEN.

ALTHOUGH the name of Woden is more celebrated than that of any other of the Saxon Idols we know of very little that can be set down with certainty respecting his real history. By some writers he is considered to have been a personage of very high antiquity, and connected with Buddha, the Indian deity; by others he is supposed to be the same person as the famous Odin of the Danes and Norwegians, in whose rude and ancient verses he makes a striking figure.

The tradition is, that Odin was a Scythian prince, who, about seventy years before the Christian period, conquered the Northern nations, made great changes in their government, manners, and religion; and after receiving much honour during life, was, at his death, placed among the gods. His praises, as sounded in the chronicles of the north, are marked with all the unbounded folly of idolatrous times. They speak of

him as the most eloquent and ingenious of men; they assign to him the introduction of the art of poetry among the Scandinavians, as well as the invention of the Runic characters.*

He was styled the father

of letters and the king of spells. He also made his followers believe, that he could run over the world in the twinkling of an eye; that he had the direction of the air and storms; that he could take all sorts of shapes, raise the dead, foretel things to come; deprive his enemies, by magic, of health and strength, and find at pleasure all the riches hidden in the earth. They add, that by his sweet musical strains, he could move the hills, and call up ghosts to stand motionless about him. He was equally awful in battle, changing himself, as it was pretended, into the form of a bear, a wild bull, a lion, or a snake, and thus making fearful havoc among his foes, without receiving a single wound himself.

Verstegan's description of the idol is as follows: The next was the idol Woden, who, as by his picture here set down, was made armed, and among our Saxon ancestors, esteemed and honoured for their god of battle, according as the Romans reputed and honoured their god Mars.' [The Romans, however, seem sometimes to have called him Mercury: and

* RUNIC is a term applied to the letters of the ancient northern nations. Some authors have derived it from an old Gothic word, RUNE, to cut; others from RYN, a furrow, or REN, a gutter or channel. As the Runic characters were first cut in wood or in roeks, this is a reasonable derivation. Again as they were supposed to convey magical effects, and were good or bad, expres sing weal or woe, as circumstances might be, the word has some. times been derived from RYNE, art or magic.

Wednesday is at this day

written in Latin, Dies But the character they

Mercurii, or Mercury's day.

give him, is like that of Mars, warlike and ferocious; and he may justly be compared to the Mars of the Romans.]

WODEN.

He was while he lived among them, a most val

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