characters of those of whom they are composed, so that it has become well nigh impossible to separate and define them. The professing followers of the Lamb have so joined themselves in affinity with the offspring of the devouring lion, that it would seem the fold of Christ might also be the "synagogue of Satan." And thus "the love of many has waxed cold," spirituality of worship has vanished, self-denial, mortification, and deadness to the world, are known only by the names. The virtue and the fragrance of the holy anointing oil that flows down from the spiritual Aaron, and the quiet refreshing dews of divine grace and love have in a great measure passed away.

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Christians, no doubt, are seen joining themselves in affinity with each other. But is it not to be feared that many instances the bond of union is natural and of the flesh, and not seriptural and spiritual? Union proceeding from the spirit of party only tends to divide the body of Christ. Such an affinity is formed on the very principles that regulate the leagues of worldly men. It is not of the Spirit. "Whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal?" Such unions are only Satan's imitation of the "unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." The affinity that ought to subsist among Christians arises not from a principle of natural affection, however refined and tender, but from a holy and divine principle implanted by Him whose name is "Love." The unity of Christians is a plant of our heavenly Father's planting." It is nou

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rished not by worldly motives or party considerations, but by the dews of celestial grace, descending in the rich communications of the Holy Spirit. It is divine love to our brethren of every denomination who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity and in truth. All who bear the image of Christ, and whose conduct agrees with the marks and evidences fixed in the Word of God as the index of the renewed nature within, will be cordially loved by the children of God.

But while we must lament the absence of general Christian unity and agreement, we must also lament the prevalence of unholy affinities between the Church and the world. This must surely be displeasing to Him who thus prayed for his people ::-"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee : that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." How can the oneness of Christ's people with himself be made apparent, if they live in concord with an ungodly world! So long as this practice continues, the purpose of our existence as a Church must be frustrated; and we cannot expect the approbation of our glorified Head. And may not "the Amen, the faithful and true witness," say to us, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: (I would thou wert cold or hot,) so then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth." May we not expect judgments? May we not fear that the Lord will be angry with us, till he have consumed us? May we not dread final rejection?

My friends, I cannot too strongly impress upon your minds this great truth, that the office of the Church is to be a witness for Christ to the world; to exhibit his purity, holiness, and love, that the world may know to whom they belong. The great design of the unity for which the Redeemer prayed to his Father, was to convince the world of the divinity of his mission. But how was the world to know that believers were one with Christ? "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another." "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that ye should love one another." Nothing can be clearer than this, that so soon as a church begins to depart from unity and brotherly love, she begins to forfeit her title to the name of a Church, however sound her creed, and scriptural her form of government, and however venerable the epithets which we are accustomed to bestow upon her. A Church without love, is like an altar bearing the sacrifice which no fire has come down to consume. We may dignify it with the appellation of a national Zion; but it is Zion parched and burnt up with the heat of party zeal: uncooled, unrefreshed, unfertilized by the dewy influences of the Spirit of love. We may delude ourselves with talking of its apostolicity, and its conformity to the purest models of the early ages of Christianity: but where is the holy anointing oil, without the sanctifying influence. of which we cannot minister with acceptance before

the Lord, and cannot fulfil the functions which were solemnly allotted by the Saviour himself to the church, as the chief end of its institution. Divine love is the distinguishing mark and badge of the true Church of Christ. All other marks are only traditions and commandments of men, by which we are in danger of making void the commandment of God, and of fixing a standard which He has not fixed, by which to ascertain if we have in us the same mind that was also in Christ Jesus. It was said of the first Christians, "behold, how they love one another." They were true and faithful witnesses for Christ. The anointing which they had received of the Spirit, had not yet lost its fragrance. The heat of contention had not yet exhaled the divine dew that lay upon their souls. But, alas! how soon was the Church's first love left and forgotten : and how feebly and seldom has it been revived down to the present day. Periods, no doubt there have been, when the windows of heaven have been opened, and showers have fallen to refresh the Lord's heritage; periods when the Church remembered her high and holy calling, and being knit together in love, bore witness to the loving-kindness which dwells in the exalted Head, and to the holiness and power of that Spirit of promise who dwells in the heart of believers; periods when God looked down from heaven and beheld and visited his vine, and the vineyard which his right hand had planted, and the branch which He made strong for himself. But at no period has the Church been united in brotherly love, as it ought to have been as a witness for Christ to the world, and as

it will be when the prayer of the Redeemer shall have been fully answered, and all his people shall be one in him, as he is one with the Father.

The separation from the world to which we exhort the people of God, is not the supercilious distance of the haughty pharisee. Isaiah speaks of a people which say, "stand by thyself, come not near to me, for I am holier than thou:" but what is said of them? "These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day." "These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." Neither is it a superstitious seclusion from society to which we exhort you. The duties and the business of active life must be attended to. The interchanges of civility and kindness must not be neglected. Our Lord and his Apostles have left us an example for the regulation of our conduct in this matter, and we should walk in their steps. Paul says, "ye must needs go out of the world," if ye would altogether avoid the company of the ungodly.

But, my brethren, there is a separation which, as the avowed friends of the Redeemer, we must maintain, even at the risk of being called hypocritical and superstitious. Go ye and learn what that saying of Christ meaneth, "he that loveth father and mother more than me, is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me!" Of Levi of old it was said, "let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy one, whom thou didst prove;-who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him, neither did he acknow