shower of unction, illumination, grace, and power, which came down upon all who were so waiting, women as well

as men.

The ministerial office had nothing to do with the case before us. It was entirely independent of it. At every leisure moment they might preach, and doubtlessly did preach, but their qualification for that work was independent of the office to which the church at Jerusalem elected them and set them apart. The 7th and 8th chapters of the Acts of the Apostles prove to us, that two of them were mighty in the Scriptures, and able ministers of the new Covenant. And the other five might have been equally able and successful for anything we know to the contrary; only we have no account of their proceedings, no more than we have of myriads of others who glorified God on earth, as well as Stephen and Philip. Their record, however, is on high, and it will be brought out on the great day of account.

In conclusion we may remark, first,

The negative and positive character of the ministerial office. First, the negative character. This we gather from the words of the Apostles: It is not reason,' or, 'it is not right, that we should serve tables.' From this it is evident that every minister should divest himself as much as possible of all secular business in connection with others; that even the temporal business of any church should be left to its own members, chosen by and from themselves. It is not our intention to reason upon this, and to show the wisdom of it, and the bad moral effect which such transactions might have on the mind of the minister, but merely to refer to it as a truth-a fact as pointed out by the passage before us.

Secondly, the positive characteristic. This we also gather from the words of the Apostles: It is not reason, (it is not right) that we should leave the Word of God; we will give ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word.' From this it is evident that the business of the minister is prayer and preaching.

And well would it be for ministers themselves, as well as for the people, if this were more followed than it is; since, in that case, the people would have higher standards of holiness before them as well as see the number of the real disciples of Christ to be more multiplied. Men, however, of like

6

passions with the people, ministers are subjects of failure in duty as well as others, and their Master has had cause to say of many of them, as he said to some of the angels of the churches of Asia: 'I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love:' 'I have not found thy works perfect before God:' 'I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot.' There is one remedy, however, against this which, I fear, is not adopted in many instances by the people, and that is prayer for their ministers. St. Paul, in writing to christian churches, said: Brethren, pray for us: Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified' 'I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me:''Ye also helping together by prayer for us.' Passages these which show what course should be pursued by christian · believers with reference to their ministers. They should pray for them. At the same time ministers should see their own duty, and pray to be enabled to pursue it, and that with a single eye, with diligence, with faithfulness.

We may remark also, from the subject before us, the necessity of prayer on the part of all believers, And this we see by inference. The Apostles talk of giving themselves continually to prayer. And if prayer was necessary for them, is it not necessary for others? It is, and it ever will be. And every believer, who reaches heaven, must and will be the subject of it. He may pray for others, and even for his minister, but he must also pray for himself. He has wants, and he must pray for supplies; he is weak, and he must pray for strength; he is subject to temptation, and he must pray for power to overcome it. In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, saith St. Paul, 'let your requests be made known unto God.' It is the only way to grow in grace. No one ever grew in grace without it. Our blessed Master pursued it as well as enjoined it. We read of Him spending a whole night in prayer to God. His direction was to others, Enter ye into your closet, and when ye have shut the door, pray to your Father who seeth in secret; and He who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.' Prayer-closet, diligent, faithful, believing prayer-is a characteristic of the true believer in Christ.

We learn further, from our subject, the importance of preaching the gospel; and that, from the Apostles stating, first, that it was not right in them to leave it, and, secondly, that they would give themselves continually to it.

The preaching of the gospel was their work, and they set themselves to the performance of it in earnest. Their sphere of action, at the time we are alluding to, was comparatively small to what it afterwards became; but though comparatively small it was sufficiently large to employ their whole time and talents. It was Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. This was their range of action, for three and a half years from the day of Pentecost. Having so much to do and little time to do it in, they requested to be relieved of all employment which would impede them in their work.

And the spirit which they manifested should be that of every minister now, the church being now, what it was not then, catholic, or open to all. Then, for the time we have referred to, they had to preach to the Circumcision. Now the gospel is to be offered to all-to men of every race, and blood, and nation. But it is not known to all of them. It is as much shut up, hidden, from myriads now as it had been for ages and from generations before it was revealed, manifested, in Christ by Peter to Cornelius.

And though in a christian country the wide circulation of the Scriptures supplies an agency which God has blessed as a substitute, to a great extent, for lack of preaching, still I believe the masses would have very little christianity among them were it not for the weekly preaching of the gospel. It pleased God in apostolic times, and it pleases Him now, by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And God making this the effect of preaching the gospel, its importance is at once seen; and ministers, all ministers, as the Apostles, should not leave-should not give up-preaching, but give themselves continually to it, that, with help from on high, they may not only finish their course with joy, but the ministry which they have received of the Lord Jesus, in continuing to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

We may further notice from our subject that, in churches, those who choose, and those who are chosen, to offices, should be spiritually-minded men.

How strict was the injunction in respect to those to be chosen in the case before us: they were to be men to whom good testimony could be borne, men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. And we are told of one of them (and we presume the same could be said of the rest), that he was a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.

Of course it would be somewhat difficult to accomplish this where christianity has dwindled down into established form and profession, and been made to depend upon rite and ceremony. In such cases it could not be done. Those churches (so-called) would require to be re-constructed; qualifications for admission as members entirely altered, services re-arranged, and that with the object of spiritually building up in the faith those who entered into christian fellowship one with the other. This was evidently the case in the primitive times, and prevailed generally, till the spirit of the world entered amongst the professors of the christian faith, and the church became secularized. Then conformity to a system became more regarded than spirituality of heart and life, and its heads leading the way, in this respect, the outward, instead of the inward, part spread and descended down to after-ages.

O may the time speedily return when members of the churches shall be men and women of honest report, and full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and when they shall choose persons to officiate amongst them of a similar stamp, whether they be ministers in preaching or those who serve tables; and, I may add, when churches shall be generally formed, which in too many instances do not now exist. We learn, lastly,

The mode to be adopted on the entrance of men into office in the churches - prayer is to be made on their behalf.

Prayer is the first thing to be attended to on their having been chosen to their official employment, doubtless that God's blessing might rest upon them; that he would assist them in their deliberations and actions, and cause the whole matter to be attended with good, and to the furtherance of His own glory. And the laying hands upon them signified, as I fancy, that they had the assent of the members of that church to which they belonged, and that they went to it with their approbation.

O how well would it be if all church officers-as well

ministers as others had the prayers of the people, not only on their appointment to office, but ever afterwards, that is, where churches exist. Then churches, where they exist, would more flourish, christianity would strike its roots deeper into the earth, profession would be less regarded than the realization of the power of godliness in the heart and an exhibition of it in the life.

In that case, there would be a growing increase in the church, which is finally to be presented to the Lord Jesus a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but holy and without blemish. The Lord hasten a change in His own good time.

XXVII.

"And the Word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.”—Acts, vi. 7, 8.

WE cannot state particularly how many months after the day of Pentecost it was when the events referred to in these words took place. We can only state, generally, that it was between the day of Pentecost and the gospel being: preached to the Gentiles in the persons of Cornelius and his friends by Peter-involving a period of three and a half years, the period during which the gospel was to be confined to the Circumcision, as it had been during the ministry of our Lord which extended over a similar period.

The last event we noticed, in the evangelic history beforeus, was the appointment of seven men of good report, and full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, to superintend the temporal affairs of the church at Jerusalem, or 'to serve tables,' instead of the Apostles.

The period referred to following this event was evidently one of tranquility in the church, as well as one in which the christian agency in operation was energetically carried on, and attended with the divine blessing.

How long this peaceful state lasted it is impossible to