of mind which, in its real nature, can be found only in those who know the joyful sound of that divine word which publishes salvation to the lost, bringing righteousness to the most guilty, and proclaims the name of the Lord God as the just God and the Saviour, just and justifying the ungodly. But this, like every other exhortation of the Apostles, is wholely misunderstood by the religious world, and (taken in the false meaning which they put upon it) becomes a part of that system of lies by which many of them are very earnest to regulate their hearts and conduct. One of these, for instance, devoutly thanking God (with the very religious character described by the Lord) that he is not as other men are, imagines that he abhors that which is evil, and cleaves to that which is good, while he looks with abhorrence at those gross forms of iniquity (extortion, adultery, drunkenness, &c.) from which he conceives himself exempt, and steadfastly adheres to that course of seriousness, and strictness, and piety, which he regards in himself, as the good work of, what he calls, the grace of God: looking with complacency at the characters in himself, which he conceives favourably distinguishing him from others his fellow sinners, he is filled with this (as he thinks) holy indignation against evil, and zealously affected (as he thinks) in a good thing. But all the time, so far from being of the sentiment to which the Apostle exhorts disciples, he is really cleaving to that which is evil, and abhorring that which is good; he hates and despises that one good thing in which Jehovah declares Himself alone well pleased, which He sets forth in his divine word as the propitiation for sin, in which the most wicked and ungodly, discovering it, find peace, righteousness, and salvation;-he cleaves to that which is evil, in maintaining that system of Antichristian religion and religious hope, which proceeds on the denial of the truth and holiness of God. On the other hand, the chief of publicans, having his eyes mercifully opened to discern the propitiation for sin, which God has set forth, clings to that as all that is excellent, and glorious, and needed by a sinner-as divinely perfect: and so far as the word of truth abides in him, it will keep him cleaving to that which is good; it will discover to him the evil of all that is opposed to it, and therefore of all that is in himself, as well as of all the most specious forms in which the religious of the world would invade the sanctity, or obscure the glory, of the divine truth. But this abhorrence of evil, and this cleaving to that which is good, like every other part of the mind of faith in its genuine nature, is reckoned and must ever be reckoned by the world, a most evil and satanic mind. Their religion they think, of course, a good thing, and if we only were of another religion, but kept fair terms with theirs, they would naturally bear with us and judge that, among a variety of good things, we and they but differed in the taste of selection: and indeed there could not then be any essential difference between their religion and ours. But when they find that, which they reckon best, viewed by us with abhorrence as most evil and ungodly, we need not wonder if that be the natural expression of their feelings.-Away with such fellows from the earth-it is not fit that they should live! But let us remember that the servant is not above his Lord; if they have called the master

of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call those of his household? The more we see of the genuine nature of the Gospel, the more we must be convinced that the friendship of the world is enmity with God.

V.

"In like manner also that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broidered hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works." 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10.

"Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel. But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."-1 Pet. iii. 3, 4.

THESE two passages are of such perfectly similar import that what is said of one will immediately apply to the other. They both certainly enjoin on Christian females that sobriety and modesty of dress which corresponds with the heavenly mind: and in opposition to that fondness for finery of apparel, to which the sex have perhaps a natural tendency, the Apostles call them to have for their ornament "a meek and quiet spirit," with "good works," or works of kindness and beneficence, rather than any adorning of their persons-to recommend themselves by the former rather than by the latter. That the language "whose adorning let it be a meek and quiet spirit," not such and such outward ornaments, is really equivalent with, let it be the one rather than the other, might be shewn from various other passages: but one may suffice. In Hosea vi. 6, the clause "I desired mercy and not sacrifice" is immediately followed by-" and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." Now, the phraseology of the two clauses might be interchanged-("mercy more than sacrifice"-the knowledge of God and not burnt offerings,)-without making any alteration in their meaning. Certainly, sacrifices and burnt offerings were at that time enjoined under the law: and thus I think it appears that it is not any particular articles of dress or modes of dress which the Apostles forbid-but that they call the Christian female not to place her ornament in those, even in the finest of them. There is here something much higher than any regulation of the toilette.

A pretty Quaker, in all the nice simplicity of her apparel, may be in a mind directly opposed to that enjoined; and a Christian lady going in a court dress to the drawing-room at St. James's may be in a mind according with it. If it shall be said-But does not the Apostle forbid the Christian female to "plait her hair or wear gold?” I reply certainly not, for if the words of Peter were so to be interpreted, it would follow that he forbids her to put on apparel; for the

former words are immediately followed by "or of putting on of apparel." Now we can be at no loss to interpret the words, "whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of the putting on of apparel." We are quite sure that the meaning is-not, that she should not wear some apparel, but that she should not make any apparel she wears her adorning in comparison of that which is inward. Must not then the preceding words be similarly interpreted?

VI.

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized unto his death? Therefore we are buried with him," &c.-Rom. iii. 3, 4. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism.”—Eph. iv. 5.

In the former of these passages the apostle is simply shewing how inconsistent it would be for any who profess the faith of Christ to continue in sin; seeing that those who have professed to believe in him profess to have fellowship with him in his death, so as to be dead to sin, or to have their old man crucified with him; and to have fellowship with him in his resurrection, so as to be risen to newness of life in him. He expresses their conversion to the faith of Christ by the word baptism, in as much as, that was the stated rite by which men, who had not before professed to believe what the Apostles taught, took upon them that profession. The Baptists often insist on the literal translation of the Greek word Baptize-namely, to immerse. Let them introduce it into this and similar passages; and to speak of, as many as were immersed into Jesus Christ being immersed into his death, will be something very like nonsense.

As to the latter passage, they take indeed a narrow view of the one baptism spoken of, who think it means one immersion in water. The words of the same Apostle in another passage are a sufficient comment on this-"By one spirit are all baptized into one body— and have been all made to drink into one spirit." 1 Cor. xii. 13.

VII.

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory—then shall he sit on the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all nations, &c."-Mat xxv. 31–46.

THERE is in man a natural passion for prying into futurity: his vain mind is anxious for information which it cannot get, and which, if it could, would be unprofitable, if not pernicious; while he is at the same time neglectful of the information that is given about what shall happen, and what is most important: credulous and superstitiously prone to give in to foolish or uncertain predictions and vain prognostics, but incredulous of that declaration concerning futurity which rests upon the most indubitable authority, the authority of the God of truth.

These words contain what may be emphatically called "The great prediction." When every thing in this world, that now appears most great, shall sink into insignificance; when all that now most excites the hopes and fears, the joys and regrets of the children of the world, shall have passed away as a dream, then shall be known the great reality of the things set before us in this prophecy; then their enduring importance shall be acknowledged and felt by all. But we are assured in another part of Scripture, 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4. that previous to the appearance of "this great day of the Lord"-" there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts and saying, where is the promise of his coming?" and this declaration is at present progressively verified: increasing numbers openly throw off the profession of Christianity, and mock at its prediction of a coming judgment. Yet an event has taken place already, near two thousand years ago, that is a pledge of this, and that is as truly wonderful.-He, who shall come the second time, has come already the first: "God was manifest in the flesh." He came at first a man of sorrows, because he came to bear the sin of many-but he shall come the second time in his glory, because he shall come without sin. He shall then "appear"-be manifested-to be that which his disciples, whose eyes were opened, knew and testified him to be, even in the days of his flesh; what He, witnessing to the truth, declared himself to be a king. Then every eye shall see him; for all nations shall be gathered before Him, the king of nations, the king of kings, the Creator and Judge of all, seated on the throne of his glory. A separation will be made, and made by Him, who knoweth those that are His, who cannot err; and there shall be but two classes, into one or other of which every individual shall be distributed. Numerous distinctions appear at present among men, civil, moral, and religious; but these cannot be of importance, for they shall not last; all shall be at that great day absorbed in this two-fold classification, which will be but bringing out to view the only great and important distinction which at present subsists among men, those who are the sheep of

Christ, and those who are not. He shall place the one at his right hand, separated from the rest, as his sheep. This is not any natural distinction: all are alike by nature sinners, children of wrath: that any should be acknowledged as his, and placed at his right hand, is of his redeeming work, not of themselves or their works; they were by nature even as others. The characters and marks of his sheep by which they come to be distinguished here are, that they hear his voice and they follow him; he brings them into his fold, brings them unto God: he speaks indeed of them as his sheep, even while they are dead in sins, other sheep I have," &c.; but till he gathers them in, they are undistinguishable by men from those who perish, though they are known to Him. He laid down his life for them, and he has given to them eternal life. He addresses them, therefore, as the blessed of His Father, "Blessed art thou, Simon," &c. "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound," "Happy art thou, O Israel," &c. they are taught here to know and acknowledge the author and source of all their blessedness; they are taught to glory in the Lord, and to begin that song which they shall sing through eternity. He addresses them as heirs of the kingdom prepared for them. Who is an heir, but the son; and who among men are sons of God, but those "who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God?" John i. 13. "If children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ." Rom. viii. 17.

But because many profess themselves to be Christians who are not, the Lord will produce the decisive evidence that proves those, whom he addresses as His, to be his disciples indeed; their works of love, shewed to his name; love to his brethren, for his name's sake; love not in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. These prove that they loved the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, that they believed from the heart the record of his love; "for we love him, because He loved us ;" and "this is His commandment that ye love one another." These prove that they are what they are afterwards denominated, the righteous-justified in Him the Lord their righteousness; "created unto good works which God hath before ordained, that they should walk in them."

He addresses all others as wicked and accursed, and pronounces on them the awful sentence, "depart." Their hearts had long said that to Him. He addresses them as in their sins, and therefore vessels of wrath consigned to the same doom of the angels that sinned. And he produces the evidence of this in proving that they are none of his; and he proves that they are none of His-by what evidence? There are now appearing various evidences of this; all the works of the flesh, murder, adultery, &c. : "he that committeth sin is the servant of sin:" but then those outward fruits do not appear in many of the unbelieving world; many are sober, chaste, and religious. The Lord, therefore, omits all these, and produces one evidence comprehending all unbelievers within its application-their want of love to Him, and this evidenced by their want of love to his disciples, and this by their not having performed the acts of love.