flames into his servants, and storms into his messengers.

Here are two Gentile servants, and a Roman soldier, sent to an enlightened Apostle to solve his doubts, and disclose to him the path in which he should walk; God in this, acting simply and employing no extraordinary person. It has often happened thus in the life of believers; the smallest circumstance, or what in the language of men would be called a mere accident, first opens their eyes and their hearts to a new light and life. In the same manner, many of the actions of the Son of God upon earth, such as his first interviews with those who in him were to find salvation, and even the choice of most of his Apostles, appear to us like a work of chance. Why should the blind Bartimeus sit by the way-side, and Matthew at the receipt of custom, while the Lord passed by? and why should the Samaritan woman come to Jacob's well while Jesus was sitting there waiting for his disciples? Alas! heathenism still lurks in our language, and since the manifestation of the grace of God, the world continues to act on its own principles.

The arrival of the three men soon put an end to the doubts and deliberations of the Apostles: they called his name: he saw them from the roof of the house; they seemed almost a continuation of the vision he had seen. Then spake the Spirit unto him. What Spirit? The Spirit which our Lord had promised to his disciples should come to them in his place, the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God; the invisible representative of our Lord, who now guided the Apos

tles, as Christ had formerly guided them; the same said unto Peter, Behold three men seek thee. Arise, therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them.' This was a repetition of Christ's command, after his resurrection! Feed my lambs! Feed my sheep.' What an important and what a solemn charge, to become the messenger of the Gospel-to announce the words of peace and joy to souls desirous of salvation! How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans x. 15. God has appointed this office of preaching reconciliation with himself; and the Holy Spirit which bears witness in our spirit, can alone qualify men for it. In the simple words which the Apostle hears, there is implied the whole use and object of this office.

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"Behold three men seek thee;'-they long for thee, and to hear thy words, as being a chosen witness of the truth. Thou art appointed to help the afflicted, and calm the troubled hearts of those who seek after the freedom of the children of God. Arise, therefore! Now that thou art ready to spread the Gospel, arise for the service of God; Christ will enlighten thee, that thou mayst enlighten others, and deliver them from the bondage of darkness. Get thee down' unto them; and make known the light of truth, and the word of life, unto the weary and heavy laden; the crushed and bruised heart, the glimmering taper, and the broken reed. Now must thou, with the balm of Gilead with which thou hast been entrusted, alleviate pain, help and soothe, bind up and heal. Go with them!' use

for them the gifts which thou hast already received; offer them thy life and all that thou hast, as thy Lord and Master has done for thee. Go with them, like Moses formerly with the Israelites, through the wastes of sin and death, towards the heavenly Canaan, to the treasure which is preserved for us through Jesus Christ in the heavenly Jerusalem. Go with them through the straight gate, on the narrow path, which leads to the crown of life and to immortality. Doubting nothing.' A doubter is unsteady in his character, 'like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.' James i. 6, 7. Doubt nothing, fear nothing, but believe only. Doubt nothing, although they mock thee, and laugh at thy words, and drive thee from city to city. Doubt nothing, even though thou seemest to work in vain, and though not even one little seed of corn spring up into the green stalk. Doubt nothing, only believe. It is faith which overcometh the world.

Thus, in those words, which told the Apostle what he ought to do, there is contained the whole duty of a preacher of the gospel. How great and important is the aim and the labor of that man who is called to be a messenger of God, to prepare the way before him in the hearts of those for whom he suffered death on the cross. That Spirit alone which called and sent him, can give him strength and ability for his vocation.

How comforting then is the promise, If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him.! Matt. vii. 11.

'Then Peter went down to the men which were sent unto him from Cornelius, and said, Behold I am he whom ye seek: and what is the cause wherefore ye are come? And they said, Cornelius the Centurion, a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by an holy Angel to send for thee into his house, and to hear words of thee.'-Words, says the Apostle himself in the next chapter, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.' After Peter had heard the request of the men,' he called them in and lodged them.' They had executed their commission before entering the house of Simon the tanner. Probably they had remained without from modesty; for it was a Jewish house, and they were Gentiles, whom the Jews at that time disliked to come into their dwellings, lest they should defile them.

Thus the Jews, from whom was to come salvation unto all, in their proud dream that they were the noble among men, raised higher than ever the wall of partition as the times of the Gentiles approached.

'Peter called them in and lodged them,' ready to gratify their wish, and journey with then the next day. Thus was the compact concluded, and a desire to know the word of God united those men, who until now had stood far apart.

The great object of the Gospel, is the gathering together of all men into one congregation of the Lord, under one head, Jesus Christ, and into one great family and household of God the Father,-in one Spirit, through the bond of peace and love,—a union of all

that dwell upon earth, so that every knee should bow to the name of Jesus, and every tongue acknowledge that God the Lord is the only true God!

It was for this purpose Jesus Christ, the Word, which was from the beginning, came down from heaven, divested himself of the form of God, became flesh, and dwelt among us; for this purpose he was exalted, and a name given unto him which is above every name. Therefore did the Holy Spirit fill the Apostles with power from the Highest, and all the fulness of God, and is ever laboring that the time of rest may come. Therefore, the heavenly messengers of God minister unto those who shall be heirs of salvation. Therefore shall the Gospel be preached, even unto the ends of the earth, and the word of God makes its way round the world, so that there shall be no speech nor language, where its sound shall not be heard. To this great union also do Baptism and the Lord's Supper, those visible seals of the eternal covenant, direct our eyes; and, O highest of all honors, it is the duty of all Christians, as brethren in one faith, to labor and pray that the name of God may be sanctified, his kingdom come, and his will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.