peace!" He continued in prayer and fasting, from the morning until the ninth hour, in order to become free from all that is earthly, and more susceptible of the much-longed for grace and revelation. He strove to fulfil all the demands of the law, in order to attain a higher life and peace than the law could give; he hungered and thirsted after that righteousness, of which he had only a faint idea.

According to his custom, he had now fasted and prayed until the ninth hour; it was the time of the evening sacrifice, when the Jews went to the temple to pray; and the wish of David was in his heart, 'Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.'-Psalm cxli. 2.

Then had he a vision,'-that is to say, a most wonderful power of sight was imparted to him. What our natural sight is, we know from daily experience, and yet we never think how wonderful such a gift is. Place yourself in thought for one moment in the situation of the man born blind, whom our Lord sent to wash in the pool of Siloam, and who, when he raised his head, had received his sight. How must he have felt, when he beheld, for the first time, Mount Sion with its temple, the city of Jerusalem, the blue heavens, and the sun with its glorious light! All this, streamed into his eye, was formed and dwelt there. How wonderful it is, that through the small aperture of the eye, the great, the vast starry firmament enters in! He who formed the eye, shall he not see! He who has given us our ordinary sight, in its nature and properties so inexpli

cable, has he not another, a higher, and deeper vision in store for us!

In our history a vision is described, in which He who formed the eye, now made it discern spiritual objects. He had promised it, when he said in Numbers xii. 6, 'If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision.' And in Joel, and by the Apostle Peter, 'Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall dream dreams!' He has often fulfilled it, in different ways, to his chosen ones, during both the old and new covenants. Jacob saw the heavenly ladder in a dream, while his bodily eyes were closed; and the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, the supposed father of Christ, in a dream; Peter (verse 10th) was entranced, in order to receive the counsel of God; and Paul was carried into the third heaven to hear words which no man could utter. Others, like the shepherds at Bethlehem, the women at the tomb, and the disciples after our Lord's ascension, saw with their bodily eyes heavenly beings. Cornelius also had a vision in the day-time, while fully awake, and conscious of what was passing around him.

'He saw an angel of God coming unto him.'-The whole Scripture teaches us, that God, in his all-encircling government of the world, makes use every where of means and instruments; he does not circumscribe, thereby, his own power or glory, but, on the contrary, makes them appear more evident to man.

After God had said, 'Let there be light-and there was light,' he had no need to place the sun in the heavens, that through it light might be transmitted; but he

has done it, and thus we have a sign and a token of his almighty power and love, and, at the same time, a visible picture before our eyes of him who is love itself. He, the Almighty, needed not the help of angels to accomplish his purpose; but his love willed the existence of such beings, who, near himself, participating in his glory, and acting in his service, might enjoy his Godlike nature in a higher degree than man.

Like the earth, heaven also has its apostles,- Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments.' Psalm ciii. 20. They are beings, not like us, poor children of men, tied to this earth -not like us, burdened with an earthly and corruptible body-not dust and ashes-but children of light, who ever behold the face of their father in heaven. Such as they are, blessed, free, and joyful beings, clear as the light, and rich in every virtue, we shall one day become, as is promised in Luke xx. 6.

They know this, and wish for it; and to help forward this great work is their occupation and their happiness. They rejoice over each sinner that repenteth, and delight in watching over those little ones whom they hope to have for their future companions in the kingdom of heaven. 'Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation?' Heb. i. 14. Therefore are they called angels, that is to say, messengers, or servants of God. The word of God, with fatherly wisdom, has disclosed as much as is necessary for our good, of those inhabitants of the invisible world, the blessed as well as the fallen.

The Scripture is given as a light unto our feet, which

stand here, on earthly ground, and as a lamp unto our path, which leads towards heaven. If we receive the word of God in humility, and use it in faith, we shall esteem ourselves happy in the possession of those heavenly secrets which have been already imparted to us; content with godliness, we shall not desire to know and understand like God himself. We walk not by sight, but by faith, and by this way we shall attain the same understanding as the angels of God who surround and watch over us.

The angel of God, whom Cornelius saw coming to him, spoke and said-Cornelius! He addressed him by that name, which his parents had given him at his birth, and by which afterwards, in a more extensive circle, friends, relations, and acquaintances, had distinguished him.

In like manner the Lord called the youth Samuel three times by his name, in order to declare his determination regarding Israel and the house of Eli, and the revelation was made after Samuel had answered,' Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth.' To call by name is a familiar mode of approaching any one, to whom we have something to disclose; and, in the mouth of the Most Holy, is a condescension to the lowly children of men, and a particular mark of his personality.

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Mary,' said he, who rose from the dead to the weeping woman, and she recognised him, and fell at hisfeet, exclaiming, 'Rabboni!' Simon, son of Jonas!' said the Lord to Peter, three times, with the deepest meaning, when he saw him, for the first time, after his resurrection, and when the sun of the new life was

about to arise from the tears of the fallen disciple. What a high honor for a mortal, to be

addressed as a

friend by an inhabitant of the heavens! Blessed is he who knows that his name is written in the book of life, and uttered with joy by heavenly beings!

"Cornelius looked on him.'-The angel stood before him, clad in a bright garment-he looked on him and was afraid. It always happens thus with the men, to whom the inhabitants of heaven visibly appear: Moses, Gideon, the shepherds in the fields, and John, all felt in the same manner when they beheld their visions.

Why such terror for those beings, who never come to injure, but always to bless, and whose forms, bright as the day, can have nothing to excite fear?

Alas! It is the childish terror of our first parents, when, conscious of their fall, they tried to hide themselves from the sight of God, and which is entailed upon us along with their sinfulness, and arises from the conviction that we have lost the image of God, and our original fellowship with him. When the divinity of our Lord Jesus suddenly became apparent to Peter, at the miraculous draught of fishes, he fell at his feet, and said, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord!' And Abraham, when the Lord came nigh unto him, acknowledged himself to be but dust and ashes!' This fear of God and of holy beings is always entwined with sinfulness; and much more with the love of sin.

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It has been the source of the wide spreading idolatry of the whole human race, who, in order to escape from it, sought to change the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man,' as we