nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, who, like the spangles of early dew, or the stars of the firmament, shall shine evermore by communications of his glory: for he has borne their iniquities, and done away their sins. Therefore, the multitudes of the nations are given him for the portion of his inheritance, and the strong and mighty kingdoms of the world, rescued from the tyranny of Satan, shall become his; because for them, though they knew him not, he hath poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with transgressors and malefactors, and bare the sin of Adam and all his posterity; and being hereby exalted to the throne of God, there continueth for ever to make intercession for you, and for me, and for all transgressors.-

This view of things so affected the nobleman, and the love of his Saviour thus dying for him took such entire possession of his soul, that when, by the direction of the same good Providence that superintended this whole affair, "they came," as they journeyed on, "to a certain water, he said," in transport, "See, "here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized". into the name of this JESUS whom thou preachest? "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine

heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, "I believe that JESUS is the Son of God. And he "commanded the chariot to stand still; and they went "down both into the water, both Philip and the eu"nuch, and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord

caught away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no

more." How careful ought we to be to snatch,

and improve to the utmost, every opportunity of making our calling and election sure! how watchful, lest the day of salvation pass unheeded away, and the Sun of Righteousness set upon our impenitence and unbelief! Philip had other work in great abundance to do, and one sermon had converted the nobleman. "He went on his way rejoicing," full of joy in the Holy Ghost; and he who came from Ethiopia, Lord Treasurer to queen Candace, made his entrance into it again in a far different character, that of an apostle of Jesus Christ; for as such, the ecclesiastical historians inform us, he was commissioned to preach the Gospel to his countrymen, the truth of which he finally sealed with his blood. In heaven he again beholds the face of his own pastor and father in Christ. Numbered with the saints of the Most High in glory everlasting, with what pleasure do they now look back upon the time they spent together in the chariot over the 53d chapter of Isaiah ; that small portion of time, productive of so much never-ending joy and comfort to them both!

And now let us make a suitable application of this delightful and profitable part of sacred story. When, therefore, we behold this great man laying aside the cares of state, turning his back on the pomps and vanities of a court, and setting out from a far distant land to pay a visit to the temple at Jerusalem, learn we duly to prize the inestimable blessings of church communion. The hill of Sion is a fair place, the joy of the whole earth. On its top, silent and

a Jortin's Remarks on Eccles. Hist. vol. i. p. 304.

refreshing as the dew, descend the influences of heaven, and the benedictions of eternity: at its foot break forth the fresh springs of divine grace, sending abroad the waters of comfort into every land. The Lord hath chosen Sion to be a habitation for himself; he hath reared his throne of glory in the midst of her, and made her to be the residence of his Spirit. The Lord is in his holy temple. There will he be found of such as diligently seek him: there is he to be worshipped with holy worship: there is offered the morning and evening sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving, rendered acceptable through the meritorious righteousness of the Redeemer, that sweet incense which accompanies the prayers of all saints to the throne of grace: there the light of evangelical doctrine goeth not out: and there is set forth the shew-bread of eternal life. Who can wonder at the melting strains poured forth by devout and holy souls, excluded, in calamitous times, from a participation of such invaluable privileges? "O "how amiable are thy dwellings, thou Lord of "hosts! My soul longeth, ye even fainteth, for the "courts of the Lord; iny heart and my flesh cry out "for the living God." How happy is our lot, who have not a journey from Ethiopia to take, in order to worship at Jerusalem, but hear the daily call of the church sounding in our ears, Come unto him "all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and he will give you rest." Blessed are they who know the joyful sound, and suffer no indulgence, no amusement, no employment, to prevent their accepting so friendly and so loving an invitation.

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Let a sight of this nobleman's great love of the Scriptures, thus rewarded by a manifestation of the Messiah to him, stir us up to aspire after the same reward, by a like ardent desire of understanding those holy books, which, when understood, will not fail to lead us to Christ. "He is the end of the law : "and to him give all the prophets witness :" so that whether Philip had found the nobleman reading in one or the other, he would have "begun at the same Scripture, and preached unto him JESUS." And the minister of Christ, who writes after his copy, shall do well. He may not, perhaps, be able to explain the whole but shall he therefore explain none? He may err in the interpretation of particulars, and fancy he finds Christ where he is not to be found: but is not this better than, by ceasing to interpret, to preclude the possibility of finding him where he certainly is? If the doctrine deduced be according to the analogy of faith, the sermon will be edifying, even although the exposition should not be quite exact, as is often the case in the homilies of the Fathers; which, with all their inaccuracies, no one can read without being a better man; because, whatever part of the Scriptures be the subject, the reader is always sure to find some point of Christian faith or practice explained and enforced. But if the application of the Scriptures to Christ and the concerns of his church be rejected, because some are upskilful in making it, an argument is drawn from the abuse of a thing against its use; the opinion and practice of the church for 1700 years set aside; the Bible sealed up; and the Christian commences Jew; for what is the cha

racteristic and fundamental error of that unhappy people, but the not discerning Jesus of Nazareth in the Scriptures of the OLD Testament? If the ministers of the Gospel would make the hearts of their hearers to burn within them, it must be by an imitation of their blessed Master, who wrought that effect on the two disciples going to Emmaus, by "expounding unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning HIMSELF-Did not our heart "burn within us, while he talked within us by the

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way, and while he OPENED to us the SCRIPTURES?" Permit me to recite a short passage from the writings of the learned and pious bishop Andrews, who thus accounts for the synonymous use of the words prophesying and preaching, in the New Testament language. We," says he, that is, the ministers of the Christian church, "do prophesy, as it were, the "meaning of ancient prophecies: not make any new, "but interpret the old well: take off the veil from "Moses's face; find Christ and the mysteries of the Gospel under the types of the law; apply the old "prophecies, so as it may appear that the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of JESUS. And he is "the best prophet now that can do this best."

But the history we have been considering recommends more particularly to our frequent perusal, and deepest meditations, that portion of holy writ which was made the instrument, in St. Philip's hands, of bringing the Ethiopian nobleman to the knowledge and faith of Christ, the 53d chapter of Isaiah; a

b Serm. on Acts, ii. 26, et seq.