of religious experience instead of looking for broad day-satisfied, I mean, with the hope of safety, instead of the fulness of enjoyment. We are satisfied with skirting the foot of the mount with the multitude or to go half-way up, with the elders of Israel—instead of ascending with Moses, to converse with God face to face. We are like the man with the treasure hid in the field, who seems to have found it by accident while ploughing, rather than like the active merchantman, who hearing of a pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had to buy that pearl. To go no farther than this one chapter-what a view does it give of the fulness of Christian privilege. How many pearls are hid in this field, which we have never explored! We seem to say, or act as if we so reasoned, "All this belongs to other people-these promises are for some one else, not for me-they are for those of stronger faith-of deeper knowledge—of richer experience." This is not true. Either you are not a Christian at all, and have no right to any of these privileges, or you are a Christian, and have a full right to them all. All are yours if you are Christ's. God deals with every Christian as if there were but one Christian in the world. Every Christian has as deep an interest in the love of the Father, in the grace of the Son, and in the fellowship of the Spirit, as though the work of redemption were accomplished for him alone. I have as great an interest in the shining of the sun, or in the freshness of the air, or in the descent of the shower, as though all besides myself were dead.

"Seas roll to waft me, suns to light me rise,

My footstool earth, my canopy the skies."

So of spiritual graces and blessings-they belong to every Christian by virtue of his spiritual alliance with Christ. All the blessings here prayed for, are the property of every Christian; of the humblest, the poorest, the most afflicted and downcast, the moment he believes in Christ, and joins his prayers with those of the great Intercessor. Is this too strong? It is strong, but not too strong-for Christ says the same: Neither pray I for these alone, but for all who shall believe on me through their word.

I. THE GREAT

SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION.-" I

have declared to them thy name." The name was the Jewish formulary for God; his perfections, glory, grace.

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1. That the saving knowledge of God comes to us by direct communication from Christ.-Not by wisdom, virtue, strength of our own; for the world by wisdom knew not God," but from the discovery which Christ makes by his word and Spirit: "I have declared." Christ speaks this as the great Prophet of the church, "the Shepherd and Bishop of souls." His object was to bring souls to the knowledge of God. The Lion of the tribe of Judah went up and down more earnestly to save, than ever the roaring Lion of Hell did to destroy. See it in the woman of Samaria-in his patience with the disciples. It is Christ's prerogative to convey the saving knowledge of God to the mind; it is our privilege to seek that knowledge from Him. Lord, to whom shall we go?

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2. That we need spiritual illumination from above, not only at our first conversion, but through the whole progress of our spiritual life.-"I have declared-and will declare it.” Austin thinks this refers to the present life, and the world to come, as though Christ meant, I have taught them on earth, and will teach them in heaven. This is a glorious truth, but not the truth here taught. I think it rather denotes the constant and daily communication or manifestation of Christ and his grace and truth to all believers. This is needful all the way through. We need this daily for our ignorance is greater than our knowledge. The philosopher can say, "Our eyes are in respect to natural truth but like those of the owl to the sun.” (La Place.) How much more blind are we as to spiritual things. Paul prays for the Ephesians that God would give them the spirit of wisdom in the knowledge of Him—and yet they knew him already. Paul, who was taught not of men, but of Christ himself, and was even caught up to the third heaven, puts himself among the number of them who know only in part;—and this will be true of the most learned and holy men to the last hour of life. The subject of this knowledge is itself infinite. Hence Paul was desirous every day to know Christ better than

he did. Though he had been long in the school of Christ, and was a very diligent scholar, this is his aspiration and desire, That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, &c. As in digging a rich mine, every day's labour brings us to nobler and finer supplies; and as in drawing from a fountain, the deeper we go the purer the element appears so there are exhaustless riches in Christ-unsearchable riches. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

3. It becomes us to acknowledge our ignorance, and to implore divine teaching.-This is a promise to be pleaded in prayer. We are like babes, unskilful in the word of righteousness. The best persons and the best churches still need more light. It is not enough that Christ has declared to them, but he must still declare-not indeed new truths, new essentials of salvation, but he conveys new impressions of truth to the mind; new aptitudes to receive, to appropriate, to exemplify and apply truth. Say therefore, Lord, evermore give us this bread. As one prayed respecting his faith, Lord, I believe, help my unbelief, so should you in reference to the deficiency of your knowledge: Lord, I know-help thou my ignorance. Christ is said to be the "Author and Finisher of our faith."

II. THE GREAT LOVE WHICH GOD BEARS ΤΟ HIS CHILDREN. It is here compared to the love which God bears to Christ. This love is said to be in them, just as Christ is said to be in them. Here Christ's mystical union with us is made the procuring cause of God's love-that is, God transacts with us in Christ, and by Christ. God's love terminates not only upon the person of Christ as Mediator, but upon the whole number of believers in Him. As he is the head, they are the body; as he is the vine, they are the branches; as he is the foundation, they are the superstructure. By God's love to Christ, learn his love to you.

1. This love is ancient in its date. "Thou hast loved me from the foundation of the world," Prov. viii. 22, 31. But God then loved Christ in the capacity of our Mediator.

We are to go very far back for the date and origin of God's love. The Lord hath appeared of old unto me.

This thought of the ancient origin of the scheme of salvation is very affecting" the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world:" it shows the vast importance God attached to the object; and shows that God's love to his people is as ancient as his love to his Son. So that though the effects of God's love are vouchsafed to us in Time, yet the purpose to do this was from Eternity.

2. Unlimited in its degree.-As you can place no limit to God's love to the Mediator, so you can place no limit to his love to the people he has redeemed. Many would discourage the hopes of God's children. Satan himself would rob them of consolation. False systems of religion do this. The Papacy forbids the penitent soul from indulging a fixed and certain hope of God's favour-and all similar schemes of doctrine do the same, encouraging doubt as the mother of humility-and keeping the humbled sinner, as the devils did the demoniac among the tombs, surrounded by all sad and doleful objects, not discovering to him the glorious and comfortable light of the gospel. But this is a 66 doctrine of devils." We hold a present salvation, the result of present believing. BELIEVING, WE RE

JOICE.

3. Enlightened in its exercise.-God's love to Christ was enlightened, and his conduct towards him was regulated with a view to the office he was to sustain, and he allowed him to pass through scenes of pain, poverty, temptation. So he does us: much tribulation.

4. Constant in its duration. It is an everlasting love.

MISCELLANEOUS DEPARTMENT.

ESSAYS ON PREACHING, PUBLIC WORSHIP, AND TOPICS CONNECTED WITH THE PROPAGATION OF CHRISTI. ANITY.

IMPORTANCE OF PERSONAL HOLINESS, AND A BLAMELESS
LIFE, IN A CHRISTIAN BISHOP.
Addressed to a Young Minister.

THE success of the official character is intimately connected with the personal-so as to induce the apostle to say, "a bishop must be blameless." The word used here by the inspired writer imports a very high degree of necessity and obligation. It is not sufficient to say he ought to be-it is very desirable he should be-and it is expected of him, but he must be; and such is the idea conveyed by this expression, that I imagine the apostle neither would have sanctioned the ordination of any one to a bishop's charge who was otherwise, neither would he have hesitated to disown, and disclaim, and eject from his office any one whom he found the reverse of what is here prescribed. He felt that he had the highest authority for demanding a blameless life of all who bore the vessels of the sanctuary.

Yet the word blameless is not to be strained into an extravagance of meaning, which would require a degree of purity pertaining only to angelic and sinless natures. The word must not be taken in a sense strictly absolute. There is a limitation which the case itself suggests, otherwise the apostle would be requiring a perfection no where to be found among even the regenerate of our race. In fact, St. Paul would be speaking absurdly unless he were speaking with an implied qualification; for since no Christians on earth are absolutely blameless, there could be no bishops, and directions concerning the office must in that case be nugatory.