cally manifest; and there is no warrant to attribute to the Spirit any thing in the consciousness, except the legiti mate fruits ascribed to it in the word of God. He who thus holds, can never be a fanatic on this subject. And we need not give up to the scorner this blessed doctrine of an immediate influence of God in our souls, because it has been unwarrantably abused by the fanatic, any more than we need give it up to the skeptic, the rationalist, and the Pelagian, because we cannot explain the mode in which it is exerted. Happily, there is one sure word of testimony upon which every heart that seeks truth and repose, can fall back, as a safe ground of rest amidst the dangers of skepticism on the one hand, and of formality or fanaticism on the other. "If any one will do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine." To impartial and earnest study of the sources of sacred truth, let there be joined fervent prayer, and a humble, hearty giving up of the will to God. Let the seeker of truth and peace adopt the sacred poet's prayer: "Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me in thy paths; lead me in thy truth and teach me; unveil mine eyes, that I may behold the wondrous things of thy law." Let him make practical trial of Christianity and of its promise. There is abundant motive for this trial, if the childlike spirit be not entirely wanting. It is found in the sense of want, of guilt, corruption, bondage and inward contradiction, which he must find, if he truly looks within himself; in the attitude of the Gospel, as coming to meet those wants, and promising to bring forgiveness, holiness, freedom, and harmony to his soul; in the high and holy character of the Saviour, and the pure and elevated spirit of his moral teaching; in the outward tokens of his divinity; in the positive testimony of thousands in every age who have tried Christianity, and found its promise fulfilled in them, while not one has tried and found it fail. With such motives as these, he cannot without guilt reject the trial. Let him then turn to CHRIST, the REDEEMER, even as the little child turns to its mother's arms for refuge and repose, as the sick man casts himself on his physician's faithfulness and skill. Thus shall he be kept from all fatal errour. Thus shall he be led into the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, shall give him the spirit of wisdom, and revelation in a sound mind, to the acknowledgement of him. He shall be brought into the living knowledge of those high and holy truths which 1 are open only to the pure in heart. He shall in this way comprehend, with all saints, the height and depth and length and breadth of the love of God in Christ, which passeth any other kind of knowledge. Endeavour thus to live; these rules regard; Doubts shall be quelled, and trouble chased away; ART. IX.-CONVERSION OF JOHN VON MUELLER. Translated by Rev. JOHN PROUDFIT, Prof. of the Latin Lan. and Lit. in N. Y. City University. INTRODUCTORY NOTE. THE annexed correspondence between Von Mueller, the German historian, and Bonnet, the French philosopher, possesses peculiar interest from the high reputation of the writers, the remarkable conversion to which it relates, and the affecting simplicity with which this event is narrated. John Von Mueller was born at Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in 1752. He was early instructed by his father, who was a Swiss pastor, in the history of his native country, and thus imbibed that taste which determined his future course. At the age of nine years, he wrote a history of his native city. When afterwards it became necessary for him to choose a profession, he selected the Christian ministry, and began his studies for the church at the age of seventeen, with Michaelis at Gottingen. As yet, however, he had no personal experience of the transforming power of the Gospel, which alone could constitute his vocation to the holy office, or enable him to discharge its duties happily to himself, or acceptably to God. His mind appears, at that time, to have been infected with the rationalism which was beginning to pervade all classes of society in every country of Europe; and he was not likely to be cured of this by studying with such a teacher as Michaelis. Still his preaching secured approbation, and was attended with just that kind of success, which his worldly ambition led him to desire. It was not long, however, before he abandoned this. profession, for what reasons we are not informed, and devoted himself to literary pursuits, following chiefly the bent of his mind for historical studies. In 1778 he published a history of Switzerland, and lectured with great applause, on Universal History. In 1781 he was appointed Professor at Cassel, and it was while he was pursuing his historical studies here, that the light of divine truth broke in upon his mind, in the remarkable manner recorded by himself in his letters to Bonnet, whom he had before visited at Geneva, and knew to be sincerely pious. The frank and unaffected account which Von Mueller here gives to his friend of his conversion, suggests a multitude of the most interesting reflections. It is true, indeed, that the power and glory of divine grace is displayed in the conversion of persons in the most obscure condition of life, and of the most imbecile and unenlightened minds. But when we see a man endued with uncommon powers, and possessed of great learning, made the subject of this grace, we are apt to be more impressed with the glory of the work. How wonderful must be the power of that Spirit, which could thus, in an instant, arrest a mind like Von Mueller's, rebuke its pride and ambition, dissipate all its prejudices, disclose its poverty and guilt, shed through it a divine illumination, implant in it a new principle, and bring it to give itself and all its stores, in humble faith and grateful love, to the Divine Redeemer! How admirably, too, is displayed, in such a case as this, both the wisdom and the condescension of the Divine Spirit, in adapting the means which he employs to the character and tastes of the chosen objects of his mercy! It is beautifully said by Jeremy Taylor, that when God would bring the Eastern Astronomers to the feet of Christ, he sent a star to attract their gaze and guide their steps. Thus was the New Testament, as a historical document, placed in the way of our historian, as he was blindly groping through the inexplicable confusion of human history; and while it furnished to him the desired clue to the mazes of this labyrinth of events, it at the same time conveyed into his heart the unexpected light of the knowledge of the glory of God, as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ. How different were the views which he now entertained of the Gospel, from those which he had when he preached it to others, without himself understanding its nature! How different were the motives with which he now pursued his studies, from those by which he was formerly actuated! How little did he now esteem all other learning, in comparison with the excellency of the knowledge of Christ! What new energy and clearness did religion impart to his mind, what new warmth and tenderness to his affections! And how superiour did he find the supports of religion, as his health began to decline, to the failing props on which he had before relied! Such substantially are the genuine fruits of conversion, in all the various circumstances and characters in which it takes place. And it is but little to say, that the most prosperous turns of worldly fortune, the highest distinctions which literary or political ambition can covet, are as nothing in comparison with the greatness of that change, by which a sinful and dying man becomes a fellow citizen with the saints of the heavenly kingdom, a member of the family of God. A word further as to Von Mueller's life, subsequently to this event. After passing alternately from the civil duties to which he was called, as baron of the empire, and secretary of state in the kingdom of Westphalia, to his favourite literary occupations, as professor in different universities, all of which he discharged in a manner becoming his Christian professions, he completed his useful and illustrious course in 1809. His works are published in twenty-seven volumes. They are generally characterized by clearness and method of thought, and elegance of diction,--by a deep love of liberty, and moral grandeur of sentiment. Those written subsequently to his conversion breathe also that Christian spirit, and display those more expanded views, the promise of which is given in the letters now offered to our readers.-EDITOR. LETTER FROM JOHN VON MUELLER TO BONNET. CASSEL, May 27, 1782. You love me, my dear and venerable friend; but will you not love me still better, when I resemble you more,when you are assured that nothing shall ever separate us? You congratulate me on being a citizen of a well regulated community; but if you dwelt in a country, enjoying the most perfect of legislations, and entirely free from troubles, you would desire me to become your fellow citizen; well! it is so, and still more; as you shall now learn. During my residence at Cassel, I have been reading all the ancient historians in the order of time in which they lived, and I pass over no remarkable fact without recording it. My object has been, to form a just idea of the condition of all nations down to the moment when the ancient world was, as it were, annihilated by the irruption of the barbarians. I know not how it occurred to me, about two months since, to cast my eyes on the New Testament, before I had quite reached, in my course of reading, the period at which it was written. How shall I express to you what I have found in it? I had not opened it for many years, and when I began it, was prejudiced against it. The light which blinded St. Paul in his journey to Damascus, was not more supernatural or more astonishing to him, than that was to me, which I now suddenly discovered;-the accomplishment of all hopes, the point of perfection of all philosophy, the explanation of all revolutions, the key of all the apparent contradictions of the physical and moral world, life and immortality! I saw the most astonishing results accomplished by the simplest means. I saw the relation of all the revolutions of Asia and Europe to that miserable people who preserved the deposit of the promises; just as we prefer intrusting manuscripts to one, who, not knowing how to write, would be incapable of falsifying them. I saw the Christian religion appear at the moment most favourable to its establishment, and in the form least fitted to ensure its adoption. Miracles were wrought to awaken those who were contemporary with its publication. A still greater miracle was reserved for our day;-the spectacle of all human affairs linked together in such a manner, as to be subservient to the foundation and the preservation of this doctrine. The world appearing to be arranged solely to favour the religion of the Saviour, I cannot resist the conclusion, that this religion is from God. I have read no book on the subject, but in reflecting on all that took place before this era, I have always found, that something was wanting; and since I have known the Saviour, all is clear to my view. With him, there is nothing which I cannot resolve. He appeared at a moment, when VOL. I. 60 |