friend may be removed to a distance, oceans may roll between, but God is a "present help in every time of trouble." Then it is possible for an earthly friend to change in disposition towards us: many things may occasion this. Even Paul and Barnabas separated because opinions differed. Abraham and Lot, Saul and David, Ziba, and Mephibosheth, prove that when interests clash, frequently earthly friends change; but with God there is "no variableness, neither shadow of turning." "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my lovingkindness shall not depart:" and thus those who share in divine friendship are authorized to depend on and expect every requisite blessing. In the gospel we have the pledge: "He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things?" Neither were the words of the apostle to be confined in their adaptation to the Philippian christians: "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." There are many things too great to be asked of man, but no gift is too great to be asked of God, if conducive to his glory and man's salvation. No, every true friend of God is assured that in heaven or earth there is no blessing too valuable to bestow on those from whom he hath not withheld "his unspeakable gift.”

Is not then friendship with God man's highest honor and chief happiness? What distinguished men were Enoch, Abraham, and Moses; and why should not all who read these pages be possessed of this invaluable privilege? The offer has been made to all mankind, but compared to the mass, how few accept it, and choose God as their only satisfying portion. Dear reader, art thou the friend of God? This is a question of no trifling import, for as all the race of mortals may be divided into two classes, if not his friend, thou art his enemy; and for one moment consider the results of such a condition. Everything is against the man who is against God; everything around him seems to speak the language of Balaam-"How can I bless whom God hath not blessed?" But making the inquiry personal, Are we the friends of God? let us see what results should be manifest-should it not be our habitual study to resemble him in all his imitable perfections? How trite is the remark that intimate friends resemble one another in their dispositions, habits, and frequently in their turn of thought and

mode of speech; aud with the greatest reverence we assert, that just in proportion to the degree of intimacy we maintain with our benignant parent, shall we resemble him in mind, in character, in temper. Do we suitably value this friendship? then it will give a tincture, a coloring, to all our intercourse with one another, and all our deportment will constrain observers to "take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus:" and perceiving human friendship is eclipsed when compared with the friendship of God, let us not make man our rock; remembering he has no stability, but what is derived, dependent, and uncertain; let us rest on God alone, assured that of his friendship (if once ours) we cannot be bereft; even amongst the distractions of a dissolving universe this treasure will be secure, for its stamp is perpetuity.

14th June, 1843.

CANDIDUS.

ON PREJUDICE.

By prejudice we mean the indulgence of opinions prematurely formed by a biassed judgment. In all ages of the world its influence has been great. It hovers about human nature as mists of various degrees of density and darkness hover about the surface of the globe: here and there it settles down very thickly; and though it may not thoroughly exclude the rays of truth, it checks their progress and diffusion.

Prejudice, exerting various degrees of influence, has become blended more or less with social feelings-religious views and distinctions-literary taste-political theories-and national peculiarities; and in these various combinations it has been injurious.

We invite the attention of our readers to a few remarks upon its principal sources in the human mind. Many prejudices originate in self-love. There are various modifications of selflove, such as the love of ease the love of pleasure—the love of power-the love of possessions and the love of distinction; and in each of these modifications self-love is a fruitful source of prejudice. For an illustration of prejudice springing out of the love of distinction, we may refer you to the history of the Jews. The powerful evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah,

of whom Moses and the prophets spake, had an effect upon the general current of national feeling only like that of a powerful breeze ruffling and agitating the surface of a mighty tide, without giving a thorough turn to its course. Controlled by the feeling that prompted the language, "is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?" they said, "we will not have this man to rule over us." Far from being the result of a noble exercise of judgment, that determination was the effect of prejudice springing out of self-love, under the form of the love of distinction.

We may here notice one peculiar modification of self-love, as the source of prejudice. People love themselves in their systems: those systems reflecting their own views. Some do this to such a degree that they remind one of Narcissus, whom Ovid, a Roman poet, represents as having been so enamoured with the reflection of himself, as to remain stationary, gazing upon his shadow in a stream until he became fixed to the spot. Under the influence of this kind of self-love, persons are likely to overrate champions of systems which they themselves have openly approved: and vice versa. Were two individuals of very equal powers of discrimination-the one an ultra-conservative, the other an ultra-reformer-to enter into conversation upon a candid estimate of the comparative qualities of leading statesmen, it would be curious to notice the shades of difference in their real opinions. It is highly probable, that, in the comparison of the two classes, each, though unintentionally, would rather overrate those with whom they respectively sided.

Another source of prejudice is constitutional peculiarity.—The constitutional peculiarity of some is a strong tenaciousness of mind. Such persons are very likely to be prejudiced against notions or plans that wear the aspect of novelty: and are in peculiar danger of failing to appreciate real improvements. Again: there is a constitutional peculiarity the very opposite of this, viz. a restless love of novelty. Persons of this cast of mind are continually in danger of prematurely adopting some new thing; and, by consequence, equally in danger of being easily induced by very insufficient reasons to abandon what is old. Another constitutional peculiarity of some minds is a strong love of the marvellous; and minds of this stamp are ever liable to be the creatures of prejudice against calm and sober views, however rational those views may be. We trust

we have said enough to illustrate and confirm the opinion that constitutional peculiarity is a distinct source of prejudice.

A third source of prejudice is the force of habit.—It has its old-established paths in the various districts of the human mind, along which familiar trains of thought and feeling frequently travel; and it frequently requires more time and labour to break up those old paths of habit, in obedience to the voice of reason, than it does to alter the highways of this country in obedience to the movements of the age.

A fourth source of prejudice is particular association.Particular associations in the mind with names, persons, places and occurrences, become the fruitful source of prejudice. We might offer numerous examples of what we mean by this assertion; but let one suffice. We shall suppose that a father, a mother, and their children have a summer seat in their garden under the shade of a tree: we shall suppose that the parents have watched the growth of that tree with interest, talked about it to their children, and sitting with them beneath its shades have often expressed admiration of its leaves and branches. We shall suppose that the parents die: that the children are left: that all their friends who visit them think it would be a great improvement to the garden to make alterations that would involve the removal of that tree. Is it not clear that the particular associations between that tree and the endeared memory of their parents, would powerfully tend to prejudice their minds against reasons for any such alteration? We need not dwell on the remark that it is precisely thus with many opinions, correct or false, which have grown up in the mind under the smile and approbation of parents.

Thus it appears that prejudice springs up in self-love-spreads its roots in the constitutional peculiarities of the mind-and is strengthened by the force of habit, and particular associations.

Deeply rooted as it often is, and seldom as it is utterly eradicated, its growth may be greatly checked, and its influence considerably counteracted; and to effect this it is of preeminent importance to cultivate such states of mind as the following:

1. A thorough love of truth.-That individual has reached a high intellectual and moral position who is emphatically characterized in the formation of all his opinions by a thorough love of truth. The very thought of a tone of character so noble,

P

tends to arouse and stimulate the mind; and nothing is more calculated to aid the mind in cultivating a love of truth than a frequent and solemn consideration of our responsibility to "the Father of spirits," for the proper employment of the intellectual and moral faculties with which we are endowed, and by which we hold a place so high in the scale of creation.

2. Humility. We have compared prejudice to mists that hover about the surface of the earth; and we recur to the comparison to add one remark-that as mist is seen easily in the distance, but scarcely detected immediately around us, so prejudice is much more easily seen in society than around our own minds. In considering the opinions of others, we are ready to make allowance for the influence of prejudice, but, in examining our own, we are prone to leave it out of the account. Now the cultivation of humility is calculated to correct this deficiency, and thereby tends to check prejudice and loosen its power over the judgment.

3. Intellectual activity.-It is quite possible to live a life of intellectual beggary-quietly adopting the opinions of others from indolence of mind, as some live purely upon the industry of others from indolence of body. No wonder if such minds become thoroughly overgrown with prejudice, as some dry and lifeless trees are almost completely wrapped in ivy. The mind was made for activity; and it becomes it, whilst paying deference to others, and ready to learn from all, to think for itself. In its movements, it may not burst all the entanglements of prejudice utterly asunder, as Sampson snapt the withes by which he was bound; yet it may so arise above the utter thraldom of prejudice as to descry-though dimly, the fair form of truth, and beckon and welcome her approach.

E.

A SENTENTIOUS DEFINITION.

"As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."-Prov. xxiii. 7.

Every attentive reader of the Word, must have observed that it contains a power and convincing clearness not to be found in any uninspired writings; whether the history of nations or private individuals be the subject for the inspired penmen, we