be for ever. And I trust it will not now be for long. I cannot, and do not, say how long. I hope, however, and I incline to believe, that many years will not elapse before it be said: 66 Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen.' She who had light let it become darkness; she who knew the Lord's will did it not; she who was to guide as to the way of truth, according to a written standard which was given her, set up her own Babylonian system in opposition; she who was to teach that sinners became children of God by faith in Jesus Christ (Gal. iii. 26,) taught that people became such by rite and outward ordinances; she who was to teach that there was only one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, sanctioned many; she who was to teach that there was but one sacrificial priest in the church of God, and He a Divine One, who was able to save to the uttermost, since He had an everlasting priesthood, taught that there were sacrificing priests without end; that any one whom she recognized as a sacrificing priest for the living and the dead and appointed to such office in her own way was such, and that he thus appointed could grant pardon or forgiveness to any, and all, who should come and confess to him their sins, and withhold the blessing from him who would not recognize his power and office in this respect; she who was to teach that every one who came to the throne of grace might obtain mercy and find grace to help them in time of need, taught that none could obtain salvation who did not recognize her teaching and accept of the ministerial offices which she appointed! And in addition to all this she persecuted and put to death, as far as she could, those who adhered to the Scriptures, and would receive no teaching but what was consistent with them. No one can calculate the myriads which she has thus destroyed by the gibbet, by the rack, by fire, by sword, and by every kind of torment which man could conceive of, or dæmons invent.

She still lives, but she is crippled. She is not, however, altered, only as her power has been curtailed. Could she ever again arrive at the possession of the power which she formally had, she would act in the same way in which she has acted. Her principles are not changed. She can only become changed by being destroyed. And her destruction will come; yea, 'her plagues will come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly

burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.' (Rev. xviii. 8). May that day speedily come. But, if it come not speedily, it will come, and will come suddenly: 'Behold, I come as a thief' saith the Lord Jesus. 'Blessed. is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.' (Rev. xvi. 15.)

1. We have cause, then, personally to be thankful that we live in a day and country, when and where we may become acquainted with the teaching of the Scriptures.

We are not debarred access to the Word of God as millions upon millions have been who have been subjected to the teaching of Antichrist. O what would myriads of those have given if they could have been favoured, as we are favoured, with the possession of the unadulterated written Word of God. But they had it not, they could not get it. If, however, by a favourable providence a copy did come into their possession it was taken from them as a dangerous book, or if not given up they were threatened with the condemning or excommunicating power of the church to which they belonged.

Should we not then prize our position, and make a blessed use of it? Our responsibility is increased by the possession of the Scriptures and in being able to read them. And in respect to them, we should pray as David did: 'Open Thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.' They are able to make us wise unto salvation by 'faith that is in Christ Jesus.' Let us study them with diligence, with attention, with meditation, and with prayer, and in so doing we shall learn therein the way to heaven, and finally enter upon the possession of everlasting glory.

2.-There is another thing, too, which we should mark as connected with our subject, and that is, the conduct of those who were scattered abroad through the regions of Judea, and Samaria; they travelled about, or went forth, preaching the word, speaking of the grace of God in Christ Jesus.' Having obtained a knowledge of the way of salvation they sought to impart it to others. They spread information about the way of eternal life, and that with a desire to bring others to an acquaintance with Christ, whom to know was and is eternal life.

And it is in this way the gospel has been made known in the world. It is true that, in our day, there is an oppor

tunity of making it known which did not exist at the time we are referring to. They had not the Scriptures, as we have, which they could put into the people's hands and give them at once the whole counsel and truth of God. Not a word of the New Testament was then written. Every thing in connection with the New Covenant in Christ had to be communicated by word of mouth. Now the gospel can be communicated to our neighbours or friends by putting the written Word in their possession; or by seeing that they get to possess it; and then when they have it, we can say to those who possess it, as Philip said to the Eunuch, Understandest thou what thou readest?' and take them to us as Aquila and Priscilla did Apollos, and explain to them, as they did to him, the way of God more perfectly.' A blessed work for every well-instructed scribe in the kingdom of God to pursue; and a work which has been followed by myriads of instances in past ages and bringing thereby multitudes to a knowledge of Christ.

May it still be pursued more and more. May you pursue it. Yea, may all pursue it who name the name of Christ, and that till the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea, and there be no occasion for a man to say to his brother, 'Know ye the Lord: but shall know Him from the least even unto the greatest.'

XXXI.

"Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city."-Acts, viii. 5-8.

PHILIP, here mentioned, was one of the seven who were chosen, soon after the day of Pentecost, by the advice of the Apostles, 'to serve tables;' that is to administer the charity of the rich believers in Christ (Acts, vi. 2) to

those who were poor in the church at Jerusalem, as well as to others who needed help in carrying forward the preaching of the gospel. As the seven were to be 'men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit, and wisdom,' there can be no doubt that such was the case with Philip. And all that is stated of him in the New Testament goes to prove it. On the persecution arising against the church in Jerusalem, to which we referred last Sabbath morning, and the scattering abroad of the christians in Jerusalem taking place, we find, by the verses just read to you, that Philip went to a city in Samaria, the kingdom or nation in Palestine, which lay between Judea and Galilee. Which city it was, to which he repaired, we cannot say. Neither can we say whether this was the first instance of a gospelpreacher going to Samaria after the day of Pentecost. The Apostles, after the resurrection of Christ, were directed to preach in Samaria, as well as in Jerusalem, Judea, and Galilee, (Acts, i. 8) between the day of Pentecost and the opening of the kingdom of heaven to the Gentiles, though they had been forbidden to do so on the first mission on which Christ had sent them out, as mentioned in the 10th chapter of St. Matthew, 5th verse. Whether any of them had visited any part of Samaria to bear witness to Christ before Philip went there we know not. It would almost appear, I think, from the 14th verse of the 8th chapter of the Acts, that they had not. It is there stated, The Apostles in Jerusalem having heard that Samaria had received the Word of God (that is, the gospel), and that through Philip, they sent unto them Peter and John,' two of the Apostles. Philip was not an Apostle. But, though not an Apostle, he like Stephen, who had been put to death in Jerusalem, was a preacher of the gospel, as well as a server of tables; and I should think he introduced it into Samaria before the Apostles preached there. And it would appear, I think, that he was not an idle man there, that he not merely preached once or twice, but kept on doing it. The Greek rendered in our own version he preached to them,' signifies 'he preaching to them: implying a repeated and continuous course. And the subject of his preaching was Christ: 'he was preaching Christ unto them.' What personal acquaintance he had with Jesus we know not. It is probable he was one of the seventy, and, if so, he received the unction of

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the Holy One, which was poured out on the day of Pentecost, in addition to the knowledge which he must have obtained during Christ's ministry on earth.

In whatever way, however, his knowledge of the gospel was obtained, he appears to have been eminently fitted for the work to which God, in His providence, called him. And, qualified as he was for it, he went forth to it in the spirit of one who possessed a love not only to Christ but for the souls of men. And imbued with this love for both, he became instrumental in saving many, in bringing many to a knowledge and love of the truth: The people,' it is said, 'with one accord, gave heed unto those things which Philip spake.'

And he became an instrument of good to those to whom he preached, not by inculcating rites and ceremonies; conformity to outward ordinances; or by insisting on the works of the law as making men perfect, but by preaching Christ. And this the Apostles had set him an example of in Jerusalem before the dispersion of the church there. Hence, it is said of them, when they departed from the presence of the Council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name, that daily, in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

And he as well as the Apostles preached Christ crucified. It was one of the characteristics of Messiah when He came, that He should be put to death. A Messiah without the suffering of death would have been of no spiritual advantage to the world. It was the great object for which He was to come to die for man, to be wounded for His transgressions, to be bruised for his iniquities; by His death to open a fountain for sin and for uncleanness.' Hence though a crucified Messiah became afterwards a stumbling block to the Jews, and foolishness to the Greeks, yet the early preachers of Christ, whether they were Apostles, or non-apostles, delighted in preaching the doctrine of Christ crucified; and that for the benefits He procured thereby to the world. Had Messiah not have suffered, no sufficient sacrifice would have been offered to God for the sin of our race; no atonement would have been made for human transgression. Christ, however, by His suffering of death, as a sacrificial offering, became our Days-man to lay His hand upon both God and man in order to procure recon