of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;" "concerning zeal, persecuting the Church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." Could Mr. Gibbon have enlightened the world with one specious reason of an ordinary nature, to explain, how this rigid zealot came to consider all these things as of no intrinsic value; as mere "loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord?" What single worldly reason can be assigned, why this devotee to the law of Moses, should have suddenly lent all his energies, to throw down the gorgeous ceremonial fabric of his national religion, to dive, as it were, into the inmost cavity of its foundation-stone, which had rested unnoticed for two thousand years, and to take thereout the ancient sterling coin, which God had caused to be placed in it, by his servant Abraham? How came he to decypher this forgotten legend on that coin, "Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law; but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God, by faith?"

How came Paul to decypher this legend through the rust of two thousand years; to abandon the congregation of Moses, and to join himself to the real and true primitive Church of his forefather Abraham? How came he to consider the possession of this foundation coin to be a gain, for which he was content "to suffer the loss of all things, and

to count them but dung?" How came he to be, (not only willing but) anxious to relinquish all the satisfactions and pleasures of the world; all its ease, all its temporal enjoyments and comforts; that he might encounter "the fellowship of the sufferings, and be made conformable to the death" of Jesus-the despised carpenter's son, whom he had persecuted? St. Paul has himself furnished an answer to these questions. The great end, which he proposed to himself for all these sacrifices was this-"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” (Phil. iii. 4—11.)

Does he then come under the second head of Mr. Gibbon's secondary causes? Had he studied the philosophy of Socrates and Plato? was this the hope by which he was so strongly influenced? what connection had these speculations with "Christ crucified?” He might have indulged reveries on the immortality of the soul, on Pharisaical or Pagan principles; and yet have continued to persecute, with all his power, that resurrection of Christ, which he had been firmly persuaded was a mere imposture. What then was it which made Paul suddenly "know Him and the power of His resurrection?" (Phil. iii. 10.)

Can we cull from Mr. Gibbon's five causes a single one, which will answer this question?

We see in St. Paul, a Pharisee; we see in St. Peter, a Jew, both living in the last times when Judæa was a Roman province; we see in these men,

and we read in their writings, the Christianity of Abraham accomplished. For the universal propagation of this faith, Paul was an apostle specially commissioned to the Gentiles. To this end he was selected from the tribe of Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, for whom the stick of Ephraim was marked as distinct from that of Judah, and who inherited the birth-right from Reuben. Paul, the Benjamite, proclaimed to the Gentiles the promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-"In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed."

But to return to Abraham. The last and crowning test of Abraham's faith, (after the long-delayed promise of a son by Sarai had been, at length, accomplished,) was the offering that very son, by God's command, as a burnt-sacrifice, on mount Moriah. On this most trying occasion, there was no infirmity, or human weakness displayed. The faith of Abraham was now confident and triumphant. It received its reward by a new and still more emphatic promise of the blessing. "Because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; "— "in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies," (the children of the Promise shall supersede the children of the Law,) and thus-" in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice." (Gen. xxii. 16-18.)

The protracted period, to which the birth of the promised son was postponed, seems to have had another intent, besides that of a test to Abraham's faith. It had possibly a typical reference to the long interval, no less than 2000 years, which was to elapse, before "He should come in the flesh," whose day Abraham had rejoiced to see, and was glad." As the long-deferred birth had been a test to the constancy of Abraham's faith,-so might this lapse of ages have been a test to the faith of his children's children.

But how different was the result! They mistook the sign for the object itself;-the token for the reality. They "believed not the report; " and saw

not "the arm of the Lord revealed." Like the " evil servant," they "said in their heart, our Lord delayeth his coming." Therefore they began to smite their fellow-servants; and to eat and drink and be drunken, with their heathen neighbours. Thus, the advent of Shiloh grew up before them " as a tender plant" (of the slowest growth,)" as a root out of a dry ground." And when at length their Lord did come, "it was in a day when they looked not for him; and in an hour that they were not aware of." (Matt. xxiv. 48.) Then," he was despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. They hid, as it were, their faces from him he was despised, and they esteemed him not." They saw in him no "comeliness; nor beauty that they should desire him." (Is. liii. 1—3.)

As it was with the Jews of old-so, even in these times, it is to be feared that there are many, who, in the expectation of our Lord's second advent, are disposed to say "Where is the promise of his coming ?-for, since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." (2 Peter iii. 4.)

May Almighty God, of his infinite mercy and goodness, grant, that, by the grace of his Holy Spirit, we may be enabled to "walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham, which he had, being yet uncircumcised." "Who, against hope, believed in hope;"" and, being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, now dead, when he was about an hundred years old; neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb." "He staggered not at the promise of God, through unbelief; but, was strong in faith, giving glory to God;"" and, being fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to perform." Now, it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed unto him;" but, for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him, that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;""who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Rom. iv. 12-25.) Thus, "being justified by faith, we shall have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. v. 1.)