tion, without either arguments or evidence, which are not balanced on the other side. "I feel (says he), I feel.” No doubt he feels. But let him have his feelings to himself before God." Happy will he be if he condemn not himself in that thing which he alloweth. For these convictions, these feelings, which are awoke by these exclusive views, and which will not listen with candour, or grant toleration to those of the other side, are usually no better than mere sensibility, the spawn of mere temperament, the fruit of the flesh swelling in ignorance and ripening into ashes.

Oh, how opposite to all this quibbling about matters of dubiety, how different from such points as those which now divide the evangelical churches, were those inquiries which Jesus made as to the mind of those to whom He committed the first preaching of His gospel just before He left them for heaven. He put three questions to the apostle Peter, whose inconstancy invited his being singled out for such a trial. And what were these questions? Was the first about shades of doctrinal difference? Would you say that it touched on supralapsarianism, or sublapsarianism, or Armenianism? Was the second about the form of a ritual? Would you say that it touched on being too symbolic, or too simple, that it savoured too much of Popish splendour, or too much of puritanical rudeness? Was the third about church polity and government? Would you say that it made for Episcopacy, or Presbytery, or Independency, or something new? Let us hear our Saviour's own words. They were uttered on the shore of the sea of Tiberias, and after the apostles, whom He met there, had partaken of a repast which He had miraculously provided for them. Jesus saith to Simon Peter, " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

He saith to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me ? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

What, then, was the first point on which the apostle was questioned by our Lord? It was whether he loved Christ. And what was the second? It was whether he loved Christ. And what was the third? It was whether he loved Christ. Thus the love of Christ was made to embrace and imply every qualification. And what were the three charges which our Saviour delivered to the apostle? Did he instruct him well how to be a good polemic in church and state, and how to stickle and to sting well, and how to exaggerate an error of a Christian brother, and shew that it leads to ruinous consequences, all charged to its author, though he does not acknowledge one of them? What are the charges which our Saviour actually gives? The first is "Feed my lambs." Nor need we wonder at this, for the pastoral care is plainly the first duty of the pastor. But what is the second? It is feed my sheep. And what is the third? It is feed my sheep. And this is all! And thus, as the love of Christ was made to imply every thing in point of doctrine, so is the pastoral care made to imply every thing in point of duty.

But Peter was presumptuous, and there was still room for him to suppose that his own vocation, notwithstanding the emphatic manner in which it had now been limited, did not preclude him from interference with others. Our Lord, therefore, having delivered, in language of touching tenderness, a prophecy as to the persecutions that

awaited the apostle in his old age, adds to his former charge, yet this other, "Follow me." And out of this command arose a scene full of most precious instruction to us. John was present; and he followed our Saviour as well as Peter, which observing, the latter said to Jesus, "Lord, what shall this man do?" And to this question our Saviour gave this most instructive answer; "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me." Such was the ultimate limitation of his calling. He ought to mind his own charge, and that only. And would, that all Christians would but go and do likewise, for then there would be none of those unwarrantable interferences of one man with another, which are ever kindling strife; but all looking unto Jesus the Saviour of all, and following him, all would be as one in seeking a holy life, and the glory of God; and whatever the variety of gifts and forms which might continue in different men, or in different churches, still there would be a true unity in the church, as a whole; and it would be acceptable to God, and approved of men, and many would be added to it daily, by such as should be saved.

But it is not so with us. And how shall we answer to the God of love, before whose judgment-seat we must all appear? Shall we trust in our word of wisdom, or to our word of knowledge, to our faith, or to our gifts of healing, to our miracles, to our prophecies, or to our tongues? Alas, we have nothing of the kind to trust in. But though we had, though we were tenfold more highly gifted than the apostle Paul himself, still our gifts, if without the grace of charity and love, would not acquit us, would not avail us. For what says he, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all

faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face : now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."

THE WHOLE BIBLE.

The question, whether of the two is most congenial with true religion, and the spirit of the gospel in the present state of society; first, an absolute uniformity over all, as the Church of Rome maintains, and in favour of which many Protestants feel prepossessed; or, secondly, an unity of spirit, in variety of form, such as that which all evangelical communions, if united in mutual recognition and love, might immediately display, has now been answered, by viewing each part of the Bible separately, and considering the whole as composed of the writings of

Moses, the Prophets, the Evangelists, the Apostles. And here we may recapitulate, in a few words, the results which we have obtained.

In reference to the writings of Moses, we have found that, summing up his whole history of the Church, it displays in a very remarkable manner a great variety of forms at different times, though with an unity of spirit all through. Thus, as to the priesthood, when the world was in a certain state, as for instance, in the days of Cain and Abel, each man was his own priest. Afterwards, as, for instance, in the days of the patriarchs, the father of the family only was the priest. Afterwards, as, for instance, under the Mosaic institution, one tribe or family was set apart for the priesthood, and there were no priests besides in any other of all the families of that nation in which the true religion was vested. In like manner, as to sacrifices, ritual, &c. they were for long, offered in kind, time, and place, determined (at least as is generally thought), by the dictates of the individual piety of the worshipper. Afterwards, they were regulated in all these particulars by laws which could only be violated at the peril of the worshipper. In a word, whatever feature of religion we turn to, we are called upon to observe, as the circumstances of the worshippers change, a great variety of form developing itself-or rather, we ought to say, developed by God; for during all this æra God kept the Church in immediate communication with himself, or immediate dependence upon Him.

Such were the results we obtained from consulting Moses; and from this state of things we concluded that if, instead of existing successively, as there did then in the families who constituted the Church, there existed simultaneously a great variety in the circumstances and states of society in different regions of the earth, as there does now in the families for whom the true religion is