Parochial and Plain Sermons

" This is the B'ead which cometh down from heave,, that a man may eat thereof ad hot die.'"

TIIE quarter «,f the ycar flore Ash-Vednesda'" to _ S'àera- Trinity Sunday may fitting'ly be ealled the mental Season, as the Season preeeding it is the Season of graee; and as we are speeially ealled in the Christmas Season to sineerity of purpose, so now we are ealled to thith. God does good fo those who are g,-,od and true of heart; and I[e reveals IIis mvsteries fo the believing. Ïhe earnest heart is the good ground in whieh thith takes roof, and the truths of the Gospel are like the dew, the sunshine, and the sort tain, whieh make that heavenlr seed fo grow. The text speaks of the greatest and higqwst of all the Sacramental mysteries, whieh thith has been vouchsat)d, that of Iloly Communion. Christ, who died and rose again for us, is in if sl)iritually present, in the Nlness of IIis death and of His resurreetion. We eall His presenee in this Holy Saerament a spiritual presence, not as if "spiritual" were but a. naine or mode of speech, and IIe werc rcally al»sent, but by way of expressing that I[e who is l»re.cnt there can neither be seen nor heard; that IIc cannot be proached or aseertained by.qny «f thc senses; that He is not present in l»|.qee, that l[e is hot present carnally, though tic is really prcsent. And how this is, course is a mystel T. Al| that we know or need km»w is that He is given to us, and that in the Sacramcnt Holy Comm union. Now, with rcfercnce fo the text,qnd thc chaptcr from which if is takc, I beg'in bv observing, what at first sight one would think no one eould d«.ubt, that this ehapter of St. John docs treat of the Lord's Supper, and is, in fact,  comlncnt upon the account of it, g'iven by the other three Evang'elists. We know if is St. John's way to supply what his brethren omit,,qnd that espeeially in matters of doctrine; and in like m,qnner fo omit what they record. Ilence, while ail three g'ivc an account of the institution of Iloly Communion af thc last Supper, St. John omits if;,qnd, beeausc they omit fo enlarge upon the great gift contained in if, he enters upon it. This, I say, is his rule: thus, for instance, St. Matthew and St. Mark give an account of the ccusation brought aga.inst out Lord at His trial, that He had said He could destroy and build ag'aiu the Temple of God in three days. They do hot inform us when He so said; according'ly, St. J,,hn supplies thc omission; and, while he passes over the charge at the rime of I[is trial, he relates in his second ehapter the circumstanies some years before out of which if was fi'mned. The

Jews had corne fo Ilim and asked/Iim fir  sign; thel said He, retbrring in IIis mind to His resurreetion whieh w:s t.} be, " Dest.roy this 'çemple, and in three days I will raise i up;" meauin by l'emplc tlis ow l,ody, and by IIis raising if up IIis resurreetion, after lle had been pu t. death. A':in; St. 3[at/hew aud St. Mark also ive an aceout oflIis instituting the Saeram¢.nt or" Baptism. Chris instituted if «« IIis aseendin on big'h, but He did hot explaiu thc meauiu least, lht.re is ne» record ot" ]Ils doing" so in St. Matthew and St. Marl« lhtt St. John» while I[e omits mention «f" the institutiot of that Saerament after the Resurrection, does teach us ifs doetrinal meauing, by meails.f a previous discourse ofout Lovd's wih Nieodemus._n the subject, . diseourse which he aloue ot" the Evanelists introduces. And in like malmer, I sy, in the elmpter beibre us he explains as a doctrine, what the ot.her Evan'clists deliver as an ordinance. And, firther, if is remarkable that il our Lord's diseourse with'Nieodemus, no express mention is ruade of Bal»- tism, though Baptism is evidently the subjee of tlmt diseourse. Our Lord speaks and the Spirit;" I[e d«es u«t say, « of Baptism aud the Spirit," yet uone of us meanL. In like manner, in the passage befre us, He does hot. say definitely thaL bread and wine are.His Body and Blood; but He speaks only ofbread, and, agaiu, ot" His flesh and blood; words, however, whieh as evidently refer to the SaeramenL of His Supper, as His discourse fo Nieodemus refrs fo Baptism, in spire of tIis nol naming" Baptism in express words. Of course if, would ho ve T unreasonable fo say that. when He spoke of " vater and the Spirit," Ile did nog allude fo Baptism; and i is as unreasonnble, surely, fo say that in the ehapter befre us I[e does nog refer fo Ilis Holy Supper. OEhe bearing', thon, of out Lord's saered words would seem to be as fidlows, if one lmW venture fo investigate if. kt Cal)ernaum, in ihe eh;q»ter nov betbre us, fie solemnly deelares to ]ris Apostlcs that. nonc shall live for evcr, but such as car and drink [[is flesh and ldood; and then afterwards, just befi»re IIe was erueificd, as rclated in the other three Gospcls, IIe points out fo them the way in whieh this anyste U of grace was to be fulfilled iii thenl. I[e assigns the conseerated Bread as fhaf. Body of whi«h I[e had spoken, and fhe eonseerafed Wine as His Blood; and in partakingof the Bread and lae Cup, fhey were partakers of His Body and Blood. It is remarkable, too, eonsidering" that our Lord's insttution of His Supper took place just betbre His betrayal by Judas, and tha Judas had jus parfaken of if, ha in the discourse before us He alludes to Judas. " Have I no ehosen you fwelve, and Olle of you i:r devil?" as if He had betbre IIis mind, in His tlivine prescience, whag was fo take place when I[e insfifufed fhe Sacranlent formallv. Observe, foo, at fhe time of tllag last Supper, IIe recurs o the idea of ckoo«in fhem. " I speak hot of vou all; I know x'hom I have chosen a." When, then, Christ used fhe words of the fex and of  John xiii. 18.

other parts scribing prospectively that girl, whieh, in due season, the consecrated brcad and wine were to convev fo IIis Chureh tbr ever. Speakin' with retbrenee to wha was tobe, tle says, " I ara tha ]read of Lire. Your ththers did ea mamm in the wilderness, and are dead. 'girls is the Bre;d which eometh down ri-oto heaveu, Ihat a mm mav eat thereof md hot die. I ara the living ]read which came d,,wn from heavcn: if man eat of this re:d he shall lire for ever: and the Bread tiret I vill give is 3Iv tlesh, whieh I will give for the lire of the world." In comd»oration I wouhl observe, that. our Lord had l,een just then working the miracle of the loaves, whieh I[c lmd actuallv blessed nnd broken the Bread; • qot this, IIe goes o t, sv as t,llows, "I lmve wrought a miracle on the bread and fed Sou, but the rime shall corne when I will give you the true Eucharistie Bread, whieh is hot. like these perishable barley loaves, but such, that l,y it vou shall lire flesh." When, theu, before IIe was taken away, He take bread, and blessed, and brake, using just the saine action as I[e had used in the instance of the miracle of the loaves, and even eal&d it Ilis body, how eould the Apostles doubt tlmt b 3" tlmt signifieant action He intended to reeall to thcir lninds IIis discom'se reeorded in the sixth chapter of St. ohn, and tlmt thev wcre to reeognize in that action the interpretation of Ilis diseourse? He lmd said He vould ive them a hread whieh shouhl be IIis flesh and should bave litb, and surely th%v reeollected this well. Who anaong us, had he been present, would hot unde- such circumsfances, have recognized in IIis institution of His Supper the fulfilnwnt of fhat previous promise? Surely, theu, we canuot doul,t lhat lhis announcement in St. Johu does look on towards, and is accomplished in, fle consecrated Bread and Wine of IIoly Communion. If this be so, it requires no proof af all how great is the gift in that Sacrament. If this chaptcr does allude to if, then the very words " Flesh and Blood" show if. Nor do they show it af all ihe less, if we do hot know what they precisely mean; fi»r (,u the face of thc malter they evidently mean somethiu" very high, so high that. lere-.]bre we eannot eolnprehend if. Nothing ean show more elearly how high the blessing is, than to observe that the Chnreh's tendeney has been, hot fo detraet ri'oto its marvellousness, but to inerease it. The Chnreh has never thought little of the gi/'t; so far ri'oto it, we know that one very larg'e portion of Christendom holds more than we hold. That beliet) whieh goes beyond ours, shows how great he gift is really. I allude fo the doctrine of what is ealled Tmnsubsantiation, whieh we do hot adroit; or that the bread and wine eease fo be, and that Christ's saered Body and Blood are direetly seen, touehed, and handled, under the aflfleara,ees of Bread and Vine. This our Chureh eonsiders there is no gïound for saying, aml our Lord's own words eontain marvel enough, even without adding any t.hin to them by way of explanation. Let us, then, noxv eonsider them in themselves, apart ri'oto additions whieh ealne afterwards. He says, then, "Except ye eat the flesh of tlle Son of Man and drink His blood, ye have no lire in you.

lVhoso eateth ]ly Flesh and drinketh 3[y Blood, hath eternal lift,, and I will raise him up af the last day. l"or Iy Flesh is meat indeed, and)ly lood is drink iudeed." 1. About these words I observe, first, that they evidently declare on the face of them some verv great mystery, llow ean they be otherwise taken? If they do hot, they nlust l»e a tig'urative way of deelaring somcthing" which is hot mysterious, but plain and iutellig.ihle. But is if conceivable that He who is the Truth nud Love itself, should have used dieult words when plaiu words would do? Vhy should l Ie have used words, the sole eflbct of whieh, in thaL case, would be to perplex, to startle us needlessly? Does Ilis mercy delight in creaLin difficdties? Does He put stumblingblocks in our way without cause? Does I[e excite hopes, and then disappoint them? Itis possible; He may ha.ve some dcep purpose in so doin: but whieh is more likely, that His meaning is beyond us, or His words beyond tlis meaning? Ail who read such awfitl words as those in question will be led by the first inapression of them, either with the disciples to go baek, as af a hm'd sayin, or with St. Peter fo wclcome what is promised: they will be exeited in one way or the other, with incredul«us surprise or with believing hope? And are the tbelings of these opposite witnesses, discordan indeed, jre ail of them deep, after all unfounded? Are they fo go for nothing? Are they no token of out Saviour's real meanlng? This desire, and again this aversion, so naurally raised, are they without a real object, and the mere consequence of a general mistake on all hands, of what Christ meant as image13", literal truth? Snrely this is vcry improbal»le. g. Next, considcr out Lord's:llusion fo lhc Ialma. Persons there arc who expl:in out e«ting" Christ's flesh and blood, as merely me:ming out receiving a ï)le@e ot" thc «:ëet« of the ï)a««io of His Body and Blood; that is, in other words, of the fi««ozr+" «.f Almighty (od: bnt how can Christ's giving us lIis B.»dy and Blood mean merely IIis x<,'" "'nt,," us a pledge oI' llis tivour? Surelv these awfitl woMs are fir too elear and preeise fo thns earelessly treated. Christ, ns 1 have said, surely wonld hot use sneh denite terres, did fie intend fo eonvev an ide so fir removcd ri'oto their mennin and so easy of expression in simple lannage. Now ig inereases the tbree of this eonsideration to observe tha whieh He compares llis git, was hot a fi'ure of speeeh, bu a something definite and partieular, really given, really reeeived. The nmnna was hot simply health, or lire, or God's fax'out, but a eertain somethin whieh eaused health, eontinued litb, and betokened G.d's favour. ]'he manna was a gif external to the Israelites, and external also fo God's own jndgmen¢ of them and resolve eoneerningt.hem, a gift, ereated by Him and partaken by His people. And Christ, in like ruminer, says, tlmt tic Himself is fo us the li'tte [anlm, the ti'zte Bread tlmt eame down ri'oto heaven; hot like thag manna whieh eould nog save ifs partakers fi'om death, but a lifeimpartin manna. Wha therefore the nmnna was in he wilderness, thag surely is the spirittml manna in the Christian Chureh; the manna in the wilderness was a real ift., taken and eaten; so is the manna in the Chureh. If is hot God's mercy, or favour, or imputation; if is hot a state of grace, or the promise of eternal litb, or the pEvi]ees of thc Gospcl, or the new covenant; if is hot, much lcss, the doctrine ,f the Gospel, or fifith in that doctrine; but itis what out Lord says itis, the gift of Ilis own precious Body and Blood, really given, taken, ami eateu as the m:mna might be (th«,ugh in a way unknown), af a certain particular rime, and a certain partieular spot; mmely, as  have alreadv ruade it crident, at le rime and spot wl:cn and where the IIo]y Communion is eelebrated. 3. Next, I observe, that our Lord reproves the multitude, ibr hot dwelling on thc miracle of the loaves as  miracle, but onlv as a means of gaining fod for the body. Now observe, this is eontrargfo what Ite e]sewhere says, with t view of discountenancing the Jews' desire after sig'us and wonders. It would seem then as if there must be something peculiar and singular in what He is here setting belote them. IIe generally represses their desire for signs, but here He stimulates it. IIe finds fault here, because they did hot dwell upon the iracle. "Ye seek Me," He says, "hot because ve saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled." Now supposing the Eucharistie Gift is a speeia.l Sign, the Sign which I[c meant fo give them for ever of His Divine poxver, this will account for the difference between His conduct on this occasion and on oflmrs, it being as unbelieving fo overlook signs when given, as to ask for flem when withheld. It wi]l account for His bidding them marvel, when about to promise them Bread from heaven. They vere but irai- tating" their anccstors in tbe wilderness. Their ancestors, on the seventh day, went out. fo gather mann:l in spire of Moses' tclling them they wouhl hot find if. What was this but fo look for more food, and fo forger that if was miïaculously given, and as such immediatel)" dependent on thc Giver? Let me ask, is their conduct in this age ver)" diffcrent, who corne fo thc Lord's Table vithout awe, admiration, hope; without that assemblage of feelings which the expectation of so transcendent a marvcl should raise in s? Let us fcar, lest a rcal, though invisible work of power bcing" vouchsatd fo us, greater fir than that of the loaves, which related only fo this lifc's sustenanee, we losc the benefit of it by disbelieving if. 2"his reftection is strcng'thened by finding tlmt St. Paul cxpressly warns thc Corintlfians of tbe grcat peril of" hot discerti»g the Lord's Body." -. In what has lecn said, if has been iml)lied that the miracle of the Loves was a type of IIoly Comlnunionl this if is ail but declared fo bc in the chapter beforc us, and much follovs from if. For let it bc considered, if the type be a miracle, whicb itis, how great must the fulfilment be, unless the shadow be greater thtm thc reality? unless indeed we are willing fo argue in the spirit of those who deny the Atonement, on thc ground that thoug'h thc Jewish Priests werc types of Christ, the Antitype. need hot be  Priest Himsclf. Moreover, the incomprehensible natnre of the miracle of thc loaves is a kind of protection of the mystery of the Eucharist ag;inst objections witb whieh men are wont to assail if.; as, for instance, that if is impossible.:For to speak of rive thousand persons bcing" fed with rive [w]  loaves, may be speeionsly represented to be ahnost a contradiction hl terres, tIow eould i be? did the substance of the l)read 'row? or vas iL the saine bread here and there md every where, tbr this man and for tlmt, af one and the saine rime? Or was if ereated in the shape of lwead, in that ultimate condition into whieh the grain is redueed by the lab«mr of man, and this ereated aaiu and ag'ain out ot' nothing, till the whole rive thousand were satisficd. What, in short, is mea»g by nmltiplying the loaves? As fo Christ's other miracles, thev are, it may lw said, intellig'ible thoug'h snperuatuml. We do hot know ov, t blind man's eyes m-e opened, or the dead raised; but we know whaL i, mea»t by saying that the blind saw, or the dead arose: bnt what;. »e«»t by saying" that the loaves fed rive thousand persous 9 Sueh then is the objection which may be broughL ag'ainst the miracle of the loaves; and leg iL be observed, if is just sueh as this whieh is urged ngainst the mystery of Christ's Presenee in Holy Cmlnunion. If the nmrvellousness of the miracle of the loaves is no rem objection fo its truth, neither is the marveliousness of the Euelmristic presenee any real diffienlty in out believing" that gift. And as if still more elosely fo eomeet this Holy Saerament with the miracle of the Goaves, and to make the latter interpret the former, ur Lord, as I have observed, wrought the miracle of the loaves by means of the saine outward aets, whieh He observed in t.he mystery of tIis Supper, nd whieh IIis Apostles ha.ve earefilly reeorded as the appointed means of eonseeraing" if. St. John says, He look the loaves, and

Thc 'uch«ri«Nc Prc«c¢«c«.  47 when I£« h«d i«eu. thakx, fie di«lrih«led to the disciples." Compre ghis with St. Imke's aceount of the institugion of the Lovd's Sulper. " lle look bread, and gat'e tfiauk, and bvake il, tnd gat'e lllltO them." gain,  fifller aeeoun of the eonseeration of the loaves is g'iven by the other Ewmgelists thus:" IIe... look the rive loaves and the tw«» tishes," sa3"s St. Iatthew, " md looking" ni» fo heaven, I Ie bh,..ed, and bra]'e, and gave the loaves fo Ilis disciples." And what, on the ot.her hand, is told us by the saine Evangelist, in his aeeoun o[" the institution of the lloly Communion? " Jesus look breul and b#.s'«ed il, nnd brake il, and i fo the disciples." _kgaiu, in the second miracle the seven loaves, fie ohserved the saine ferre:—" IIe took the seven loaves and lhe tishes, aad gave and brake them, and ga«e to tlis disciples." çnd the fornt is the sante iu he aeeouu of out Lord's eelebration of the 8aeramen nfter His resurreetion:" As tle a meat wiCh them, tic took bread nd ble.',ed i, and brake, ttud gaee to them." _knd of St. P;tul we read, "he look bread and gaee lhauk, fo Goal in the 1,ïesenee of them all, and when he had bro]'e it, he beg'n One eannot doubt, then, tha¢ the tking bread, blessing- or iving" lmnks, and breaking- is a neeessaa 3- form in he Lord's 8upper, sinee it is so mueh insisted on in these narratives; and it evidently betokens Solnething" e:traordinary,else why,ou[d i¢ be insisted on?—and wha tha¢ is, the miracle oi" the Loaves  John ri, 11. Luke xxil. 1O. Iatt. xiv. 1. Itt. xxvi. . Mat. xv. 6. Luke xxlv. 0..çets xxvii. 35.

 48 ï/c Enc/arislic Prcselcc. tells us. For there the saine form is observed, and there if was ChrisUs outward iustrumeng in working  'ret "worl of God." The feedinghen of mltihxde witl the loaves, interprets the Lord's 8upper; and as the one is a SUlernatural work, sois the other also. 5. One more obscrvatiou I will make besides. At firs sight;, au olection mav bc brough aaiast wha has been s:id ff'oto a. circumstance, which, when examined, will be round rather fo tell lhe other way. The Jews objected fo our Lord, that IIc had said what was ineredihle, when 11, spolie of ¢ivin us IIis flesh. They " s/fore mnong" ihemselves, saying, IIov can this mn give us Itis flesh o eat?" Out Saviour in a.nswer, instead of rctraeting what IIc had said, spoke still more Sl'On,y Exeept ye cat the ttesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no lire in you." But when they still murmured at if, and snid, "This is a hard saying, who tan hear it?"then He did in appearance withdrav tIis vords. tic said, " It is lhe Spirit tlmt quickeneth, the flesh 1)rofiteth nothing." If would take us oo long fo enter now into he meaning of this de- (.laration; but let us, for argument's sake, allow that fie secms had used at first; what ibllows froln such an admission? This:that out Lord acted according o His usual course gracious announcements, hot urging and insisting on them, but as if withdrawing them, nd thus in one sense aiding those persons even in rejectiug what (hev ought fo have accepted without hesitation. This rul« of God's dealings with unbelief, we fhld most exemplified in the instance of ]»h:u'aoh, whose God hardened beeause he himsclt" hardened if.

so in this ver 3- chai)ter, as il" in ailusion t,) solne sllcll great law, IIe says, "[urlnur llot alnOng" yourselves; No man ean corne fo Me, exeept, the Father which hath sent Me draw him;" as it' l[e said, " It is bv a. livine gift that ye 1)elicvc; bevare, lest bv oljections you provoke God fo take ff,»m vou llis ai(l, l lis prevcnting and enlighteniug grace." And lhen, aller they had eomplained, I Ic did in eonsequen«e withdraw t'fore them lhat gracious lig'ht hich ]Ic had iven, aud spoke the words in qnestion about the flesh aud spirit, which wonld seem fo carnal minds t,» nnsay, or cxplain away, what l Ic had said. But observe, lh' ad,ls, "There are s,>me ofyou that believe hot.... 7er«ybre said I unto you, that no man ean corne unie» 3[e, ex«ept if wcro g'iven unto Ilim of 3Iy Father." AI1 this is parallel, let if l)e observed, to llis dealing's with the Jews in the tenth chai>ter of the saine Gospel. tle tlere dcclarcs, " 1 and My Father are One." Ïhe Jews, instead of cmbra(.ing, stumble at the truth, aml accuse Him of l>lasphemy, as if IIe l»eing a man ruade IIimscl[" God. This was thcir inference ri'oto Ilis words, and a correct intbrence, just as in the othcr case they rightly understood tIim fo promise that IIe would give us tlis flesh fo eat. But when they, instead of embracing" the truth which they had eorreetly inferred, instead of humblinff themselves befi»re the Mystery, repel i ri-oto them, IIe does hot force i upon them. He does no tell them, that it is a eorl'eet conclusion whieh tht.y had drawn, but tIe recedcs (as if wcrc) md explins twn" His words, tte asks them whethcr thc rulers and pr«,l,lcts spokcn of in the Old Testament were hot c,lle«l gods figuratively; if so, ranch more mig'ht. IIc eall tlimselt" (;od, and the Sot of G,d, being the Christ. lle does hot tell them that l[e i« Gad, flmug'h Ilc is; but. [le argucs with thcm as if ii(, «(hnittcd as lrue thc g'round ot' thcir «,hjceti,,n. In judg'mcnt, Ile reduees llis erced fo nmnes md figures. As then lit is re:llr God, though lit secmcd on one aceasim t« sn- that I[c was but. «alled so flgurativ«ly, s« lle g'ives us verilr and indeed Ilis Bç, dy and Blood in ihlv Cmnmmiau, thoug'h, on:mather occasion, M'ter saving" so, lIe seemingly went on to explain th,se words m(,re]r into u strong" savm; and as none but hereties tke advantage,t' llis apparent denial tlm fie is (iod, so mme, ]mi ther «mffht lo make use «,I" IIi pparent deni:l tlmt. lle rmu'hsati's to us tIis flesh, and tlm£ the [[«,ly ('mmnunion is a hih and heavenlv means «,f g'ivin it. Sneh refleetions as the tl,regoing' lead us fo tlis eonclusion,to undêrst:md that it is out duIv to nmke mueh of Christ's miracles of love; and instead of denying or feeling' eald towm'ds them, fo desire to possess out hearts with them. Ïhere is indeed a mere carnal euritsity,a hig-l-lnildM, irreverent prying into thing's snered; but there is also a holr and devout eul'iositr which all who lofe God will in their meagnre feel. The firmer is eXelnplified in the instance of the men of Beghshemesh, when they looked into/he ark; the latter in the case of the Holy Anels, who (as St. Peter tells us) "desire fo look into" the grace of God in the Gospcl. Under the Gospel sm'ely there are wondcrs performed, such as "eye bath not seen, nc)r car hcard, ncithcr bave entercd into the heart of man." Let us fi, cl interest and awful expcctation at thc news of them; let us pnt ourselves in the way of theln; let. us wait. upon God day by day fir the treasures of g'raee, whieh are hid in Christ, whi«h ll'e g'reat l»eyond words or thoug'ht. Above ail, let us pray IIim fo draw us fo Him, and fo give us fifith. Yhen we tbel that Ilis mvsteries are too severe for us, alld occasion us fo doubt, let us earnestly wait on Ilim fi,r the 'ift of humility and love. Those who loe and who are hmnb]e will;pl, rchelld them;carnal milds do no se«k them, and proud lninds are ottnded af them;but while love desires them, humilitv sustains them. Let us pray lIim then fo give us sueh; real aud living ilsig'ht into the blessed doctrine of the Incarnation of the Son of God, of birt.h of  Yirgin, IIis atoning" death, and resnrreet.ion, t.ha we may desire that the Holv Comlmmion may be the effcetual type of that raeious Economv. o one realizes the Mystery of the Incarnation but must feel disposed towards tlmt. of tIoly Communion. Let us pray IIim fo ive us an carncst long'ing after Him—a. thirst tbr IIis presencean anxietv fo find Hima joy on hearing that Itc is fo be found, even now, nnder the veil of sensible things,and a god hope that ««'e shall find Itim there. Blessed indccd re thcy who have ni scen, and yet bave belicvcd. Thcy havc iheir reward believing; fley enjoy the contemplation of a mysterious blessing, which does not even enter into the thoughts of other men; and while they are more blessed han others, in thc gift vouchsafcd fo hem, they have the additional privih, gc of kaowing 1bat they are vout.hsafed it.

IAT. viii. 11. ".Ma»j shall corne ri'oto the east and west, and shall sit dou, n witk.ibraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the Mnydom of heaven.'"

UR Lord here says, what Ile fl'equently says elsewhere, that the Gentiles, who were heretofore thought reprobate, should inherit the thvonr of God with Abraham and Ihe oIher patl'iards. Ioreover, He says, that they would gain that great privih'e Jàitk; for the words immediately 1,re«eding the text are, " Verily I sav unto you, I have hot round so great thiflb" that is, as that of the Centurion, " no, hot Israel;" then IIe adds, "and I say unto you, That many shall eome ri'oto the east and west, and shall sit dowu with Abraham, atd Isaae, and Jacob, in ]e kingdom of heaven." St. Paul, it is seareely neeessarv fo ohserve, declares the saine thing most emphatieally; so that he may be ealled the Apostle, as of/he Gentiles, so of fifith:as for instance, "the Seripture, foreseeing that God would justify the henthen lrouya faita, preaehed befm'e tle Gospel unto A1)ra}am, saying, In lhee shall «ll nations be llessed. So then flev whieh be o1' thith are b]essed with faithfid Abraham 1.,, 111 the history of Cm'nelius's ]»ap/ism, the saine great h'uth is deelared by St.. Peter, with some aeeidental variey of expression. " lu eve D- mtim he /hat fe=u'eth Him, and workt.t] rig.hteousness, is a«eep{t'd with Ilim =." ow here tle question mny ]e nsked, and bas been asked,lf nll flutt, is neeessnry t»r aeeepan¢'e with God l,e faith in Christ, how is Chnreh Commmim, lmw are 8aerammd% neeesarv? If. is {aught in Çhureh, thn/ lle gra¢'e of ('ln'is is hot a mere fawmrable regard  ith whieh ] le views us, a mere s{nte of aceeplnee and exernal impuafi,,n ot" 1Ils merits given o thith, bu lhat it is a real and slùritual prineiple residing in the Church, and eommunieated ri'oto fle Chm'eh into the heart of individuals, and extendcd far and wide, aeeording s thev eome tbr i fo the Chureh, and diffused all over {le earfl l»v (lei" joinin the Chnreh. This is wh:t{ is {anR'ht. ]»y the Chureh i{selt' oi'i{s own gift; and le question is, I[ow is this consistent with the impression leg'itimaely prodneed on /he mind ]v sueh pnssngs of Serip/ure as he ext nd others such as I lmve cited  « s, if lhe ren. g'if or..ccni fo spenk;is.. Christ were Ilis fvoural>le «OOilli{ oç IlS, raid {lie llleallS oi" i{ wel-e failh; wherens l«e seeill {o slelk ot'i{ as being illl inward l'ellewal in ilS, and of the llleallS ot' it being 11 mdon with the Clmreh. Ïhey seem to speak of if as whaL any one may gin for himsel% and liave by himself; we speak of iL as a eel'tain benefit, one and tle 1 Gal. iii. 8, 9. i Aets x. 35.

saine for all,.e,'ained by comin. to it and for if. They seem o speak of the wav of litb as being somehing individual and solitmT; we speak of if as  social and united enterprise, nnd a.jom'ney in eoml»any. Wo fhis if may be replied, that if is unthir and dang'erous {o insist on certain {ex{s {o {he exclusion of others; tha, truc thouh it 1»% tha some {exfs speak of faith and nthing else, still othm's speak of Chureh communion and nothing else, as bein R' the wav.i" salvation; and if so, bolh, l,th fi, ith nnd Cureh communion, arc nceessary, nnd hat one will hot save wilh«m* he«{her; tha out duty is {o cmne o Chris{ i thith, 13ron the Church,and if we do {his, we shall observe the rule given us both in the one set, of exts, and in the other, and tha they deal with Seriphre as violently, who ihink o bc saved by faith witlmut Chureh t,llowship, as those who think o bc saved hv Church tç.ll,wship without fai{h. For ins{ance, if our Lord sa)s, "All hings are possible fo him {la{ belicveth," ver IIe elsewhere says, "If he neg'lee {a hear lhe Chnreh, le{ him be unto thee as a hcathcn man and a publiean." ]f I[e says, "Believe, and ve shall have," ver, elsewherc, "' xeep{. a man be born of wa{er and of the Spiri{, he eanno en{er into the kingdom of (od." If Si.. Paul says, that, we arejustified by faith withou{ {le works of the ],aw, siill he expressly assures us, tha{ Christ saves us "by the laver of regenerafion," " tha{ as many as have been baptized int«, Christ havc put m Christ," and t, here is " one baptism, one body, one spirit," as well as " one faiflb" and that {he Church is "{he pillar and round of fixe {ruth." Fur{her, if Si. Pe{er says, {ha{

 56 ]«il] 1]c Till«or usti_alion. every one is aeeepted with God who ffars IIiln and works righteousness, yet he elsewhere says that "bapt, ism saves us," and exhm'ts his he:rers fo be baptized, in order fo the remissi«m of their sins, and the gift of the IIoly (lhost. And tirthcr, if may be shown, that nothing" ean be more natural than this uniolt of rafiots distinct means, in ordcr fo g'ain sonle particular benefit, and that there is nolhing" tbrccd in tlms interpreting the one set of expressims in harlnony with the other; and nothing in the impression c,mveyed 1,y the one ineonsistent, with lhe impression e,,nveved l»v the other. We have cases «»ç this kind evel T day, and we use sinilar forms of" speeeh every day. For instance, were a person fo say that ho would ive some benctit, food or ehthing, to any poor person who wanted if, wonld any one say that he broke his promise, if he appoinIed some partieular place where the [bod or the elothing was to be g'ot, and where those who desired it must go for it? And would ig be tlmught reasonable, if a l>oor person aceosted him abruptly in the puhlie way, and insisted on his giving ig directly ri-oto himself, without, his havin lo go to the place appointed?:nd why, fOl'ooIh?on the ground thag the other had said that he would g'ive fo any one who askcd of him. As then a charitable person might say, "Ask, and ve shall bave," and ver might hot mean to excuse those who asked ri'oto the neeessity of going fo some place, and at some bout, when and where he dispensed his charitv; so in like manner Christ may say by IIimself or IIis Apostles, "Ask, and ye shall reeeive." " Believe, and ye shall be saved," and yef. may mean fo enjoin upon lS eertain rules, and fo appoin a certain treasure-house, for out gailfing tha iff to which our aslilg and our fifith are sueient fo entitle us. This is so pl«in, that if is hardly neeessarv fo say so mueh about it; but it may be objeeted, that it is more truc in itse]f, than fo the pl'eselff irai'pose: fi»r there arc passaR'es of Seripture, it may be said, whit.h speal¢ so largely and absohttely, that fo SUpl»ose anv eoditios implied in them whieh are hot speeified, any other means of gaiuiug God's fitvour besides simple thith, is doing" vio]eee fo their lag'uage. For instance, suppose a rieh man prolnised an altos fo his poor neighbour, and then, when the lat.ter came for if, said, "I prolnised you indeed nl altos, and as a ff'ce g'iffand I mean fo R'ive il younevertheless, I shall exact o,e condition, whieh ] did hot then nention, but whieh I meant nevertheless, and whieh is hot ineonsistent in se terres with w]mt I said, atd this one condition is, that -ou should wal some rive hundred toiles for my bounty, fo some place where I lmve stored if, or tha you should first learn a foreign language, and petition ne in it;"every one would feel that sueh eondue was u moelery h the rieh man, and a. eruelty fo he poor one. Now, it is eontended by the persons I speak of, that. fifith is so prominently spoken of in certain passages of Seripture, as?e means of g'ainin the benefits of Christ's death, that if. »t be mean fo be the o«l 5 means; the silence observed in sueh pussages eoneerning other means bein equivalent fo a denial of any offset; and therefore, tha in very ruh we mus be jstified by faith only in a full and absolute and real sense (if the word of Scripture be sure), hot ht a certain sense merely, or in a certain point of vîew, bu in  sense peeuliar and proper, by a prerogative which no other means possesses, whether rite, or work, or retaper of mind. For example, if is said by St,. Paul without restriet.ion, "There is no ditlbrenee between the aew ami the Greek: fin" the saine Lord over nll is rieh un{o ail that cal/upon l lira. l"or «ao*oe,'er shall eall upon {he ame of the [tord hall l»e saved, lI,»w hen shall they eall on tlim in whom /hev bave hot believed? and how shall they believe in l lira ot" whom they have hot heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" And flmn the Apostle eoneludes; " So then thith comelh by hearing, and hearing" by the word of God." 8urely, it may be said, these words plainly do hnply that {he l'nov'lede of the trufl is all that is neeessnry for nny person's application of if fo himselE Give him a book, {he Bible; give him the revealed doctrine, or what St. Paul ealls he word of God; give him n preaeher;he requires nothing more. He may at will seize, daim, appropriate, use the promise, l[e has but h) eall, and he will be answered; he has but t» believe, and he is justified. " For with {le heart man believefl unto righeousness, and with tle mouth eontbssion is ruade unto salva{ion ." Again; how wide, if may be said, how eomprehensive, hmv simple are the words, "Ask, and it shnll be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knoek, nnd it shall be opened tmto :ou; tr eve W one that nsketh reeeiveth,

F«iNe the TiN« for.ï:usNfcatk, n. x 59 md he tha.8 seeketh findeth, and fo him tha knoeketh iL shall be opened '." Is Seripture, plain men or noL?does i8 speak fo he arSless, uileless, and simple-minded, or does if require a refined and eultiva.ted intcllee to uuderstand i? If to the poor the Gospel is preaehed, ean we doub that if. is lnean fo convey that meaning"  hich af first sig'ht it has?that all t.o w}loln the sound of lhe Gospel cornes have but call on (lod, to ask, fo lway, to hclicve, and aeeording fo their faith so shall if be done mto thcln And sueh, too, if lllly be added, was St.. Paul's lanuae to the jailor ag Philippi; he said, «« Bclieve on the ord Jesus Christ, and fhou shal be saved, and thy honse There is eertainly mueh in sueh eonsideratimls, and they are by no means lihtly fo be lmt aside. They do seeln, with smne explanation, fo be truc. I mean, if does seem as if everv one fo whom the message of lire came, had an ?r of if; had, if he chose fo avail himself of if, an interesg in if., a rig'hg fo take if fo himself; thag his hearing is hls warrant, his knowlede is his edenee, thag his believing is his power. This would seem fo be a broad truth, whatever else is true and in the preseng mosf miserable state of Christendom there is eomforg in believing" if. I proeeed, then, fo explain in whag sense ig is true, wha if. implies, and wha if does nof involve, and wha follows froln I say, then, ghag hearing" and believing,—thag is, knowing', eonfessing, and asking,—give us nnder the eovenan o rnee  title, ny, m'e the soie neeessm'y rgh nnd ttle to reee{'e the çts purehoed or us by out ord çsus on the Cross. nd nmv observe, first, wha this des ot imply. 1. If does no imply any thln bou the rime or mode of out justification, laith is ont right and title t he justificd, he sole right md title necessary; but has a pcrson forthwith that, fo whieh he has a rig'ht? is nothing" more neccssary for the possession and enjoyment «,f thing-s than a just. titlc to thcm? Is it so in human mattcrs? is n,t « right the first thing indeed, but is if all tlmt is ncccssary fir lmving, holding', and using? Are thcrc ne) forms fo ho gonc throngh, no nccessary instruments of possession? Or, take again the case of the children of Christian parents. The infimt ehildren «»f Christians havc a right to bc ruade Christians; but are they ruade Christians merely  the right to be so ruade? if so, why do we baptize them? Faith, then, in the gcneral sehcme of the G,)spel, is what their very birth and origin is in the partieular case of the children of Christians. It eonstitutes a claire in out ease that we shonld be mme Christians it is an evidenee, an inward spiritual token ri'oto God that He means us fo be ruade Christians; if is a promise ri'oto IIim who is the Author and Finisher of out faith, that tic means us, that He wills us, fo be Christians. To him that hath, more shall be iven. IIim whom God g'ifts with faith, will tic also in due time gift with evangelieal, justifing graee: but the first gift does hot give the second gift., it does hot involve if; it does but prepare for it, it does but eonstitute, title fo it.

Ag'ain: good works firm out title tbr heavel; buI does a person who is fruifful in good works and prcpared the next world at once die? or rather, I should ask, is he witho,l death translt, tcd al once l»oth so**l and body into heaven? is there uothin to wait fir? nothi**g to go thro**g.h, even in the case of those who are rcady for death? are there no persons dctaincd in the tlesh, who, il' they died yesterday or:, year sinee, would go to heaven? are there no saints upon earth? Surely, then, fo have a title is hot the saine (hit as fo Le itt possession; and ail the texts whieh can be broug'ht, fo prove th thith is our title to be justitled, t'ail fo prove of themselves that it iuvolves in iI out justification, unless indeed childven are Christians without baptisln beeause their parents were Christians, and Saints are in heaven |)efore death because they are tit for heaven. It [ say, the texts in question do bu show tha fiith is out sole title to be jusfified, they prove uothing abou any thing" else. A title fo a certain benefiI is still a fitle, whether the benefit has been eonferred or hot. It does hot eease to Le the title because we have the benefit, nor is it less of a iii:le beeause we have not yet reeeived if. I is no at all bound fo past, present, or flture. It whieh we once reeeived, or by whieh we now hold, orabr whieh we are still elaiming' the benefit, as the case may be. If, then, the texts in question merely say that he who has faith has a rig-ht fo the benefiI of redemption, they merely say (whieh is indeed mueh, but is all they do say) that he who believes shall to a eertaint.y aI some rime and by some means be justified. And tha they say this, and no more, is plain from those texts fo whieh ref'erenee has already been ruade. For instance, "Whosoever shall call upon the Naine of the Iord shall be saved;" a lin,mise is gven, but the how, the when, thv wheve, he ly what., these part.iculars are bv the verv fbvm of the propasitimi let uncêrtail. Time is hot mentioned, nor mode;but a pro»ti.s.e given, that if ha{l be. But, tre the ather hand, if we sav that faith is the mode «r the time as well as the title, we mnv as well sny, too, that it is the lt[hor «,f' out àustitication. We mnv as well sav it supersedes Crist s At,nemeut as a meritm'itms cause, ns Baptism as an instvulnent. And so agniu of'the text; if says, that manv shall co»e fi'am the East nnd lVest,:md sit down in the kingdon of heaven. Is eoming the saine as sitting d,wn? eomin stands thith, sitting down for baptism; eoming is out title, sitting dmvn is possession. Cmning goes belote, leads to, sitting down; but if is hot sitting down. A title is one thing', and possession is nlmther. And the saint. might be slmwn t,t" the other texts whieh are eommonl 3- eited in the question. g. This beeomes still more elear, ou eonsidering that whereas.fi«i[h is in some pnssages ruade the means of aining aeeeptanee, y;'«ye," is, in other places, spoken of as the means; nlld, m,»reover, prayer is evidentlv the e.«2»'es;o, of faith, so that whatever is true of prayer is truc of fnith also. Now it is too plain to isist upon, thnt, though sueeess is eertainly promised fo prnser ia the ere[, yet the ti»e of sueeeeding is o[ promised, and so far from if being immediate, we are expressl S told fo pray again and again, to continue instaut in proEver, it order fo succeed. For instance, "Ask, and if shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shallbe opened unto you." I[ere salvation is, as were, put in oto" own power; o hear the invitation is our suffleient title for coming; fo 2»'«y for fle gift is He sure and certain means of receiving if. Most rue; but does the word seek imply one ae, and «)ne only? does it imply tiret we gain ai. once what we ask for Th(' eontrary: we are elsewhere old fo "sh'ire fo enter in af the strait gare, for manv will seek o enter in," that is, seek cilkout strivin,, " and shall hot be able ." Agait; " IIe spake a parable unh them o this end, that men ought always to pray, and hot fo faint ." is hot one act of prayer, then, or two, but a course and continuance of prayer, which cntitle us fo God's mercy; and therefore, in ]ike manner, if is hot one act of faith which justifies us, or two aets, but fo lire in faith and walk in faith is our title; and to t:qiu fo have faith to enter the road leading', infallibly ]eading, to justification, by, sertes of events or conditions, of which faitb is the first and sole ot our part. I say that the message "Believe, and thou shalt have," " Ca]l, and thou shalt be saved," as ]ittle imply that one act of faith, one call, is ail that is requisite, as " Ask, and it shall be given you," implies that we can gain answers fo prayer af the mere willing. Sometimes, doubtless, God mercifidly,nswers upon one prayer, and sometimes He justifies on one act of fi, ith; but I ara speaking of what we have right to gather from such passages; and I say, that all

164 Fai?h?ho Titl« for 7ztsti/i«a[ioz. they ean prove is this, that he who has thith bas  promi«e from God that he ch, aN, shall in God's own way, in God's own rime, shall eel'ainly and surely in lhe event, be justified; that., as he who be'ins fo pray wili sooner or later obtain, so he who believes shall, unless he "draw baek," be justified. 3. Bu this is ronde a matter of certainty l»y the i,slaees which we tlnd given us in the New Testament,fjustifieation by faith. We final that fifith was no thoug'ht enough, but was ruade fo lead on fo other conditions. A man was no thought fo have all, fo have obtained, on believin, but. lo have a title wherehy to tid and obtain. For instance, even in a case whieh adnfits of being otherwise interpreted in some respeets, so mueh as this is certain. Cornelius was a speeial instance ofjài[h; but did this fifith suflice to make him  justified Christian? No; it did bu give him a. fille fo if. I moved the Goal of merey to work miracles for him. There was this eireumstanee, speeial and remarkable in his case, flm the firs spiritual g'iff was no g'iven throngh bal,tism, bu still i was hot given af once upon his fifith. So far ri-oto if, he had fo senti to an Apostle bbre if was given. Take again the instance of St. Paul himself. By fifith he obeyed the heavenlv vision, and went. into Damaseus, and waited. Bu he had fo vait, he was no justified. He waited three dayshe prayed; then Ananias was sen; and he said, " Arise, and be baptized, and wa« ata 5 th5 «i«, ealling on the Naine of the Lord ." To believe, to eonfess, to pray, to eall, .rets xxii. 16.

vere the sufl%ient tit[e for the girl; l:ut l,aptism was he instrument of reeeiving if. St. Paul havin faith, vas sure, in God's ffreat mercy, eventually of reeeivin" baptism, but hot af once. Ag'ain, consider the case of thc Ethiopian Eumwh. " Faith cometh by hcaring; ad llearing by the word of God." This was fldfilled in his case. tic read he Prophet ]saiah eom.erning ('hrist's atoning- suflbrins. He heard Philip preaehing on he saercd text. I[e had faith in Christ. I[e had a. litle fo justification; but he was baptized in order fo recei«e it. l[ear his owa words deelaring-if. " Sec, here is water; what doth hinder me fo be baptized ?" You sec, baptism was the great end whieh he was seeking'; vhy, exeept that if eouveyed the gift. of lire? Would if bave been rati,nal fo bave been so earnest for a dead ordinanee, for a mere outward rite? espeeially sinee uow he had heard, and had believed. Would he bave asked about "Ai&'awe«" fo a mere outwartl rite, when he had already obtained the inward gift? No, he sought baptism hecause if. was worth seeking. And Philip treats it as such: he says, "Thon mayest, /:" He purs a condition. Men do hot pnt conditions belote worthless thins. A condition is a priee;men do hot buv nothing" wflh something. The Eunuch was goin fo receit'e a gf[, else there had been no delay, no seruiny, no engagenent. Now what was le condition? "If thon $eliet'est with all thine heart, thon mavest." If thon believest. "And he answered and said, I be]ieve that

 66 Fait/ lhe 7"il/c for <ztsti_fic«t'ot,. Jesus Christ is tho Son of God." Faith, fhel b was the /ille, the sole lill«. "And he eolnmanded the chariot to s(and st.ill: and they weut down both in(o the war, l,)th l)hilip and the Eunueh; and he baptized him." A¢ leng'th if was tinished. The deed was donethe was g'ivenjustificati.u was aceomplishedalad theretbre, "whcn they were corne up out of the water, the Spirit..film Lord cau'h away l'hilip." IIedid no take him away betbre; Ile did hot think i enough for Philip to preach. Philip preaehed aad baptized; and then he was eaught awav. IIad he bu preaehed, and baptized, and the Eunueh s¢ill had had thith, then doubtless, in God's grea merey and g,od providence, another messenger ri-oto Ilim would have baptized him; the Eunueh would n.ç have gone without baptism; he would hot have been t}ustrated of the fruit of his thith; only he would hot bave had if so soon. IIe would still have had the title, the claire to baptism. But God " fiuished the work, and eu if short in righteousness 1 l[e justified the believing soul through water; and lhen Philip, his instrument, was eaught away, aud the Christian " went on his way rejoieing." One more instance: St. Paul said to the jailor, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,"and then he and Silas "spake unto hiln the word of the Lord, and to ail that were in his house Here, lhen, "faith came by henring, and hearing by the word of God." Aeeordinffly, the l»'omiae was unto him and his; and what next? Let St. Peter tell us whnt, cm the day of Pentecost. " The promise," he says, " unto you, ami to y«mr chihlren, and to ail that are afir ofl; even as many as the Lord out G,>d shall call;" and therefi>re, " ]c &qli.:e<l." This was thc issucbe l)aptized— why? "for thc rcmission of dus, aud ye dmll reccivc the 'ift of thc I[olv Ghost." What St. cter said to thc Jcws, lhat St. Paul did to lle jailm5 or raiher St. Silas did if; fir St. Paul savs of himselt that he was hot sent to baptize, lmt fo preach thc (OSl>cl. I[e did not baptize, lcause se) g'.at a git was l)al)tism, that. the Al)ostle  vished to avoid lhe chance of eemin- to baptize in their own nanle, and of seeming fo 1.e ring up taemsel«es for the meritorious means through whieh men are saved. St. Paul says, then, " 1 thank my God that I baptized.,w«e of you," exeept one or two whom he mentions, " lest any sh«mld say that I had baptized in mine own naine'." As wa{er is a tbeble element, so the lninister ehosen was the feeblest vessel in the Chureh, fo show that all was of God. Aeeorddingly, the Apostle generally had with him some friend, who, while a eolnpanion and emntbl't fo him, administered those offices whieh he did hot take upon himselE Philip was a. deaeon, aud baptized; St. Paul was an Apostle, and did hot baptize say, it is more likely, in the case betbre us, that Silas baptized the jailor, and hot 8. Paul. However, baptized he was and all Iris; and then, and hot betbre, took place in hiln the same inward change which happened to the Eunueh, " he rçoieed, believing in God with all his

168 Failh thc Title for ztstifcaliozz. house." IIe had heliered before b,qpism, but he did 'çoiee belote lmptism—he rejoieed affer baptism. Ien rejoiee wheu they havefit«»«/wlmt thev seek. Both the noble Ethiopian and the humble jailor rejoieed on their being baflli.:ed. Faith gave a title: baptism ave possession. Faith proeured them wlm noflfin else would proem, and baptism eonveyed it. Enoug'h has been aid fo exp]ain in what sense faith is what nothing else is, and d.es what nothing else ean do. lle who lins the means of hearing the Gospel, and believes in it heartily, has hot a metns of aining, hut a title fo reeeive justitlcation; he has within him a warrant., hot that G«,d bas justified him, but that IIe will justitv him. And this was so fullv understood and reeeived bv he earlv Chureh of Christ, that, supposing a person, who was candidate and under preparation for baptism, happened fo die belote ifs administration, it was believed that that person on his death was put bv God's merey into that sate of salvation, into whieh he would have entered bv lmptism. Or, aain, suppose a person was martvred for his çaith and hot l, aptized, then, too, his salvation was eonsidered fo be seeured in like manner without baptism. For where a man has true faith, Christ, we humblv trust, would ratiner work a miracle tbr his justification, than deprive him of that which He graeiously eonsiders as his riffht. IIe that hath beun a ood work in us, will perform if in SOlne way or other and brinff if o perfi:etion. He will, bv IIis providence, ereate Churehes and Ministers of Baptism round about the souls whom He visits; or IIe will lead them from Ethiopia fo Jerusalem, and senti Philip fo meet them;

or He will speak in dreams l»y IIis Angel, and send mto Joppa for Peter; or in a prison lle will even make a spring of water gush f,»rth miraculouslv from the rock at an Apostle's voice; or IIe will, if ail other means are suspended, reconcile the soul fo IIim withont the appointed ordinance af the moment of dissolution. some way or other, where IIe gives fi,ith, I[e will open a way for sving g'ra.ce. For xvhom IIe fi)relnows, tht.m He predestinates; and whom I[e prcdestina.tes, them calls; and whom lit calls, them lle justities; and whom IIe justifies, t.hem lIe gh»rifies. And noxv it is plain what  consolatory light these considertions throw upon the present disordered state of Christendom. I trust there is no presumption in thus interpreting Scripture, and in thus judging the state of thing's whieh we sec; and if hot, we may be thankful in being able fo do so. If is most truc, then, and never fo be explained away, that the grace of the Gospel is lodged in a divinely appointed body, and spreads ff'oto il. If ditthses itself like leaven over the world, according fo the parable, by a contimfity and progression; not found here, and found there, in a detached isolated way, but here, and there, and whereever if is, as portions of one whole. As well may the branches of a. tree be strewed on the earth, and the trunk be in the ground, and the leaves be whirled the air, and the fruit be at the bottom of the stream, and yet all be one whole living troc, as the Chnrch bc divided. Itis impossible. None who are externl fo if are ineluded in if; itis quite a truism to say this. 'either faith nor any thing else tan make that fo be, which is hot. Vishiug will n,)t serve instead of eoming', and thit.h e:mn«t serve in the place of laptism. Nonne «u'e jus[iticd lut lh«se wh«, are g'rafted into the juslitied bdy; and thith is n,,t an instrulnen of grafting, hug a title to Ie grafted. If. is b:ptism, "wherely, as an instrument, thev tha rcceive i rig'htly," that is, 1,y Eitl, "are g'r:t'ted into tbe Clmreh." And wilA the Church fro «dl ils l>l'ivile'es; and t}t evmmttuiv with dcpcnds (he i+(lo+r'i+g it[o thc soul of i(s lwivilecs. He who noyer has cntercd into lhe ('hurch has nul the pl'ivilc'cs; ho who has sccedcd t¥om it, or sinned gricv«)usly in it, «w is b«wn in a schismatical branch or hcvetical sect, le) him thc privih,ges are suspended. Thcrc are grcat numbers, thon, all al»out us, vast multitudcs, w]m, fol" (nc reason or othcv, thrcug'h their own thult or thc t)mlt c£ their fitthcrs, are in a. position which lhils of the cnjoyment of the privileg'es of reg'enerntion. The power of the Spirit, the cle;mness and lustre «f (hc new creature, thc intercturse with henven, the light «,t' God's countenancc, thc fitlness of justification, are hot participatcd by thesc masses of men, at least accordiug" (o thc provisions of the Gospel covenant. But in spite o[" this, wc mav humbly, yet confidently say, that whcrc thcre is (rue thilh, there justification shall Ic; therc iL is lwomiscd, iL is duc, if is comin, somehow, stmcwhile. Whcthcr, as the Saints of the Old Testamcnt wai/ed, and were hot gifted with Gospel justificafi,n till Christ's first coming, (hese faithful souls will be reccived into (he glory and grace of Church at His second coming; or whether they enter into the kingdom ulon death; or whcther, by an extra-

.,rdinary dispensation unknown fo us and to themselves, they reeeive the g'ifg here; or whether tu t.his world thcir cyes shall a leng'th bc opened, and the Chureh revcalcd to them, as the true treasm'c-housc of ffrace and hoirie af refuge fo all believcrs, and thev be led to seek if, and renounee the seet of their lirth or of their ehoice,any hmv, they have a. title; if thcy «all, they shall be msvered,if thcy knock, if shall be opened fo theln. 1t3o have this truc fifith we cannot %11,:mv more than vhe God rewards it; no, nor whal5 neasure of assistance, what power of spiritu:tl influence IIc ives to those, who lmvertheless, like thc Jews, have hot the peeuliar g.ifts nnd endowments of the Covelmnt of the Gospel. Ye if is .ffreat eomfor go believe ha God's favour is no lilnited to the bounds of IIis heritag'c, but that, in the Chureh «.r out. of the Chureh, every one that eallcth on the Naine of the Lord with a pure and perfecg hearg shall be saved. And thus the possession of the I[,ly Scriptures is n inesgimable gifg in a country, to those who use it l-ighfly, whether they belong fo the Chureh or llOt, and so far we may well rejoiee in their circulation; nog tha possession justifies, or readillg, or knowing; no$ tha the Bible is out reli#io, aeeordin to the strane phrase, vhieh however has, alas, too truc a mcanin iii the; bu the Bible is the lneans, through God's seere help, towards faith, and faiîh is the meus towards justification. And as reading does no involve faith, yet is the way fo it, so thith, thoug'h ig does nog involve jusgificat.ion, yet is a sure title fo ig. And thus by reading" Seripture, thousands, we may trust, who are hOt baptized, yet are virtuallv eateehumens, and in heart and spirit c««J«làl««tes for the eleansing Sacrament. Thousands who arc in unconscious heresy or tinwilling" schism, still are, tllrough faith, in thc sta.te «f Cornelius, when his prayers and altos went up lwfore God. Thou- SaldS W]lO arc obliged top, rIake of the clements of Holy Communioi unconsecratcd, or administered with doubtflfl rites, 3'et have tllat within lhem -llieh thc fault or ig'llOr:ncc of the minister cannot take away,— a prep«ration of heart. Thousands who are in branches of flic Cllurch whieh profiuc men llaVC stripped of holv ordinanees, lhoug.h the two Sacraments themselves remain fo if, may tllrough tlleir faith receive i the Saerament. tbose graces besicles, whieh were wont fo be given through those lost ordimmces. And thousands, who have been born and trained in separation, become, lhrough their fiith, divincly enlightened fo seek and fa join that One Holv and Catholic Body, in which God's presence abides. Such is thc power of faith, hot fo disparag'e ordinances, but fo secure grinces. Lastly, at the saine rime if is plain, and the face of Christendom shows if, hov mournflfl is that spiritual state, even thoug.h happy in lhe end, in which, eontrary fo Christ's will, fiitll is disjoined ff'oto juslification. Christ willed tllat justitieation should comc at once upon faith throug'h the Sacrament of Baptism. Satan llas sa disordered Christendom, that numbers perhaps have fiith without as yet having justification; an!nterval, hot of days, as in Cornelius's case, but of years, nay, perhaps of a life, lying between the two. XWe sec the consequence of such an anomalous state all around us.

ttow lniserable is the ineonsisteney of even our good lnen! how excellent in some points, how very faulty in others! IIow clear and edit)'ing' seems the faith of many who yet are very poorly adwmeed in sanctification! how is faith (strange to say) eombined with profaneness, or with pride, or with despondeney, os with headstrong blindness fo the truth! Vhat does all this show but, that (}od's 8pirit indeed is striving among us, but that the Chureh of the living (}»d is hardly here; tha beams of" His favour are shed on us, but that the 8nu of" Righteousness is hid; that I[e bas hid tIis face; that we have aids, bu nos (]ospel graees; signs aud evidenees of' merey, but hot justification; faith produeing sueh ffuit. as it bes may in the wide world, in a wild uneerain way, jus as swee plants might flower, and rieh trees heur, on the outside of Eden. But let «« bless and praise God, my brethren, if He has plaeed ««, as we trust, ««ithi the bounds of His kingdom; let us pray Him tha we may avail ourselves of this inestimable privilege; le us pray Him fo bring all others into it, to give light where He gives faith» and to join fo the eity of" the Iiving Cod all those whose fa.ces are turned thitherward.