itself is of great importance-it was also of a thoroughly biblical character. Mere human reason was set aside to make way for Him that speaketh from the Heavens.

From all this, then, the duty and the wisdom of the Church of Christ, and of every member of it, is obvious. It behoves them to cherish the most exalted idea possible of the value of the Inspired Record, and to become the subjects of a thorough conviction, that by Divine teaching, they are capable of getting at its import, and profiting by its study. As the matter stands at present, there is everywhere prodigious room for improvement. The ignorance of many is incredible! Persons well read, generally, and otherwise possessing superior information, are found utterly ignorant of the word of God! The examination of such persons, by a competent hand, would prove one of the most humbling exhibitions that could well be supplied;-nay, large numbers of the less favoured portions of society cannot even read; and notwithstanding the simplicity of the process, and the facility with which it might be accomplished, and the unspeakable importance attaching to the attainment, they cannot be induced to learn! Others who can read, will not; nay, even in the house of God itself, it is too much trouble to multitudes to bring with them a copy of the Scriptures; and not seldom when it lies before them they feel not sufficient interest to accompany the Expositor through the portion which may be laid open before them! The consequence of this is very disastrous. Knowledge is not acquired, mind is not improved; the habit of thinking on Divine subjects is intolerable; feeling is preferred to thought, and unless emotion shall have been excited, little matter how, it is felt as if nothing were gained; as if the understanding had nothing to do with the matter of religion!

It is of the first moment, that the idea of the value of the Scriptures and the necessity of their study should be universally diffused, or originated in every section of the Church of God. All advantages of every description, and of every measure, would arise from this. If the great ends for which the volume was given are to be fully answered, people must awake from their general apathy, and from that sense of helplessness which led them

to neglect the Bible, and to trust wholly to public preaching for a knowledge of it. Were every pulpit now on earth, to be occupied by a man of the highest powers, the most abundant intelligence, and the most seraphic piety, in utter neglect of the personal study of the Scriptures, it is impossible that the Word of God would be made to "dwell richly" in all people. We would, therefore, counsel every reader to prize an Expository Ministry; nay, to seek for it, and to encourage it. Nothing will so much tend to promote stability in the faith, sound and wholesome experience, uniform and consistent practice-nothing will so much conduce to the promotion of peace among the people of God, touching all subjects of controversy, doctrines, ordinances, and polity. The nature of the case is such, and such is the unity of truth, that where men sit down in real good earnest to inquire, "what saith the Scriptures?" "what is the mind of the Spirit?" it is impossible that the conclusions to which they are led by honest, ample inquiry, should not be other than substantially one-one at least, sufficient for all practical purposes. The general introduction of such an order of things would put a new face upon the Church of God. There would be an end to the mere alphabet of religious knowledge. Multitudes would no longer be ever learning, and never attaining to the knowledge of the truth; and great numbers would cease to exist, who, when for the time they ought themselves to be teachers, have still need to be taught the first principles of the oracles of God. They would enter into the field of Inspiration, where they would become filled with its richness, beauty, adaptation, love, grace, and glory. They would find the highest evidence in the harmony they would discover throughout and amongst the Sacred Writers themselves. They would be thus built up, stablished, strengthened, settled. The churches would become profound and perfected, and the way would be paved for a grand Christian union amongst all that hold the Head. Errors of every kind would pine away and die. Texts would cease to be perverted and distorted, truth would no longer be mutilated, and defaced, and the range of thought would be no longer narrowed. August 15, 1855. AN EXPOSITOR.

THE COVENANT BY SACRIFICE. UNDER the Old Testament Dispensation, the Covenant by sacrifice was the Alpha and Omega of their theology, their duties, and their hopes. The light in which this covenant was viewed, always included the aspect in which man looked at sacrifice. He that despised the sacrifice, or whose heart was untouched by it, in vain professed to be a believer. A form he might have, but there was no power in it; and hence the Lord, by his inspired servant, said, "Gather my sons together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

The circumstances by which the saints are characterised in this language are worthy of notice: they have made a covenant with God by, or upon, the sacrifice. In offering the sacrifice they have recognised the covenant-the promise of salvation through the Incarnate One. Sacrifices were very ancient; they must have been of Divine institution. Presents to the Most High, as expressions of gratitude, were common; but a thankoffering and a sacrifice were two essentially different things; the one had regard to justice in connection with sin, the other simply to bounty in connection with non-desert. Divine authority, on the subject of sacrifice, comes in to explain the institution, which is otherwise inexplicable. The universality of sacrifice can be accounted for only on one of the following four grounds: the dictate of reason; the demand of nature; the principle of interest; or the influence or injunction of some Being of universal authority. Sacrifice, in the earlier ages, and for thousands of years, was universal. There was no land to which it did not extend-no people who were not in the practice of it-no priesthood whose prime function was not to shed blood-the blood frequently not of beasts, but of men! Now, as to nature, it seems impossible that instinct could ever demand, on religious grounds, the slaughter of a brute creature.

As to interest, it is impossible to discover in what it consisted, and all the more, that throughout a large portion of the human family, and for ages, flesh made no part of the food of man. Hence there was no pretext whatever of a culinary kind for bestial slaughter. The Holy Scriptures clear the whole matter up. Adam, the first of

men, was the first to observe the institution of Sacrifice, and he did so by the express command of God. In his case, the fact, the doctrine, and the ordinance illustrated each other. In after times, however, the doctrine was forgotten, and the ordinance only remained; and hence the eager question put by awakened men, "Wherewithal shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Shall

I give my first-born for my transgressions, or the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth God require of thee but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" Sacrifice, apart from Christ, had no worth, and no power. He had shown man what was good; he had shown them that to which the sacrifice pointed-the Lamb of God. The better taught of the Jews fully comprehended this business. Moses took the book of the covenant and read, in the audience of the people, and they said, "All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient: and Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning these words." This language at once shows the force and the beauty of the apostolic injunction, “I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." great prominence which is given with respect to sacrifices is entitled to particular notice. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy, and gather them out of the lands from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south." This ga

The

thering together of the lost was the fruit of the covenant; all the good which flows to man comes out of it. Through this they have access to the throne of grace; they are placed under the peculiar care of Divine Providence ; at death, their souls repair to their heavenly home; and at the resurrection, their bodies will all be raised, and presented to them spotless, beautiful, and immortal.

1. Let us, then, Christian reader, deeply ponder the great fact, that there will be a gathering of the human family, and also a separation of them, and the construction of two new and everlasting communities, the children of light, and the children of darkness! This day will reveal the condition of those who have refused to make a "Covenant with God by sacrifice,' showing their folly, infatuation, and guilt, and bringing upon them swift destruction. This refusal is the very crime of crimes; it involves contempt of the sacrifice, the crucifixion, and a doing of despite to the Spirit of Grace!

2. This day will confound one class of professors who pretend to have covenanted with God, and to have received his sacrifice while they have not tendered him their own. They have refused to offer themselves up in return for his offering, soul, and body, and spirit, as a reasonable service. There could have been no redemption had the Lord Jesus Christ refused incarnation, or becoming incarnate, shrunk back from the cross. Without

the shedding of blood, there could be no remission of sins. Now, as the counterpart of this, there is no salvation enjoyed personally, where enmity is not slain, love is not excited, devotion is not inspired, and where the creature is not renovated in heart and life.

3. This day will discover the true character and excellence of the children of God, who have been here so belied, traduced, and wronged. That day will set to rights the injustice of all the days that have preceded it; placing every event in its proper light, and every man in his true place. No marvel, then, that the saints "love his appearing." They have everything to hope, and nothing to fear from it. When he "shall appear they shall be like him, for they shall see him as he is." He goes to prepare a place for them; and when he returns, it will be to take them to himself, that where he is there they may be also. "So shall we

ever be with the Lord."

V. D. M.

"PRAY TO THY FATHER." MARK that little boy: he is a good child, studies to please, and is fearful of offending. He is much indulged, because of the love his father bears him; but this indulgence is not to be confounded with the thing that is so

called among men. It is not the foolish fondness which is necessarily hurtful, and may be ruinous. On the contrary, it is the result of love regulated by wisdom. The element in which this child lives and moves, is one of parental favour; his confidence in his father is implicit; he is not afraid to go into his father's presence; nay, he is never so happy as in his father's company. Such is the condition of this boy, and such his relation to his parent. It will, therefore, be easy to form an idea of their intercourse. From time to time the boy will form desires for this thing and the other, and these will take the shape of requests. These requests will be made in various ways, according to circumstances. At the time when he happens to be with his father, he will take the opportunity of mentioning his wishes, or making his requests. Sometimes, in particular cases, he will go to his father in the parlour or the garden, the counting-house or the study, and there present his petition.

Now, then, this is prayer, as between the father and the child; and it presents a complete analogy to the prayers which obtain between the children of God and their Heavenly Father. How natural, how simple, how beautiful! but how unlike the pomp, circumstance, stiff formality, and false dignity, which the Pharisaic portion of the present world display!

The great thing to be attended to in prayer-that which is the very essence of it-is reality! Every sentence must be the vehicle of truth. All falsehood is wicked; never is it so wicked as in prayer. The utterance of lies, direct in the face of the God of truth, is the very climax of iniquity! As the Searcher of hearts, he "desires truth in the inward parts." He is pre-eminently "the God of truth, by whom actions are weighed," and to whom "all things are naked and open." In adoration, the worshipper must feel what he says, and not "flatter with his lips;" in thanksgiving, he must feel gratitude for the benefits he acknowledges; in supplication, he must desire what he professes to ask; and in intercession, he must feel all that he expresses on behalf of others.

Sincerity in all these matters is the great thing that is wanting. Without this there is no prayer; there may be sound Scriptural views, expressed in

Scriptural language; there may be taste, elegance, urgency, and eloquence; there may be a measure of natural fervour, which may pass with the simple for the spirit of devotion: but all such fire is false, not from heaven, but from the earth. There may be all this, but there is no prayer -none of the prayer which hath power with God "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man that availeth much." PASTOR.

August 10, 1855.

SELF-CONSECRATION.

"My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed."-PSA. lvii. 7.

ONE great object should ever be before the mind, to which all and everything must bend-the glory of God. There must be habitual living faith to carry out this grand purpose, with settled conviction, and steady resolution. Without fixed principles, the slightest temptation will prove sufficient to frustrate the object, and arrest the steady design. It is not sufficient to begin life with the holiest resolutions, but to continue following on to uphold and maintain the principles of the Gospel. To glorify God is not to be done by mere abstract reasoning, or strong resolves, but by constant reference to the Divine claims, a deep sense of personal obligation, severe watchfulness, importunate prayer, steady discipline of the heart, and a growing desire to know and to do the will of God. The object, grave as it is, will be soon lost sight of, if there be not deep earnestness and perseverance in the truth. To place a restraint on our thoughts and words will require a constant sacrifice; but without this we cannot succeed in leading a holy life. If we live in the Spirit, we shall also walk in the Spirit. All here is against the Christian in his progress. The contention is perpetual: he is to put on the whole armour of God. It is not sufficient for him to be fervent in prayer, but he must be so in the holy watchfulness of his mind. Consistency is the best expositor of the inward principle. When the mind is under a right influence, the outward conduct and character will infallibly correspond. It is often our weakness and folly to trust to long acquaintance with Divine truth for our safety. Knowledge may and does puff up, but

we must hold fast to Christ without ceasing. We die unless we can have the vital air, and so we die spiritually if for a moment we forget Christ. To live near to God, in full assurance of his favour, requires unremitting attention to our inward condition, and deep and holy caution, lest we grieve the Divine Spirit by any conduct which may quench the sacred influence. The spirit of godly fear, to become habitual, must be sought with all diligence. To realize the Divine presence is to walk always with holy caution, and this includes self-denial and mortification of the spirit, and the flesh. We are to be renewed in the spirit of the mind -a beautiful precept, calculated to exercise a holy influence on all our conduct, and to maintain inward purity of heart. If we are not habitually striving after conformity to God, where is the evidence of self-consecration? To die to self is to be the work of every hour, that we may live to Christ, and be found in him, clothed in the garment of his righteousness. To do all to the glory of God, is the test of our fidelity. We are predestinated to be conformed to his image. Looking unto Jesus will keep all the wheels of the heart in motion, in spiritual exercise. The world within will soon obliterate solemn realities, unless we keep close to God. There is a mighty force of evil in the heart, and clouds of darkness to obscure the light, unless we sit beneath the beams of the Sun of Righteousness. We must labour to realize the Divine presence, and walk as in his sight-as seeing him who is invisible. If we ask God to give a large measure of spiritual blessings, we must look after our petitions, and not forfeit, by inattention, what we have so earnestly sought.

The mind of God must be studied incessantly, if we are anxious to promote his spiritual kingdom. Self-consecration leads to devotedness of life in the Redeemer's cause. In proportion as we yield ourselves to the Divine service, will be the measure of our usefulness in the sphere we occupy. If we value the salvation of one soul more than the attainment of any earthly good, we shall not fail to put forth the most strenuous efforts to perform the mission committed to our charge, by the great Head of the Church. It is true that eminent piety is requisite for extensive usefulness;

and the more real, deep, and fervent our love to Christ, the more shall we exemplify it, in the earnest desire to labour in the vineyard. What is the real cause of such low vitality as we perceive in the Church of Christ, in the present day? To what may be attributed the prevalence of such lukewarmness, and cold indifference? How is it that spiritual growth is so hindered? How are we to account for that want of zeal, fervour, and diligence, to diffuse the light of Divine truth? Why have we to deplore the absence of that burning desire to win souls to Christ? Why is this glorious work confined comparatively to the few who have professed to forsake all and follow Christ? Why are not all who belong to Christ, eager to make known the glad tidings of the Gospel to the ignorant and unenlightened? How seldom do we hear of a revival of religion? of the outpouring of the Spirit of God among the churches? Is not the cause of such spiritual dearth to be found in the want of selfconsecration, of personal effort, of individual sacrifice?

When we belong to Christ, we are no longer our own; we are bought with a price; we become his servants; we owe allegiance to his authority; we profess to yield to his rule. His kingdom is to be spread, his government acknowledged, his will to be done, his truth to be diffused. We are to be coworkers with God in this great and blessed work. The plan of human instrumentality is laid down, the means are within our reach to proclaim Christ, and we are expected to be faithful, as stewards of that glorious dispensation committed to us. Personal responsibility must be acknowledged to lead to more earnest and devoted labour, to the more diligent use of our talents. We may give our money to sustain missionary and other societies to spread the Gospel, but we cannot, dare not, rest content with scattering the seed far and wide. We must come nearer home; seek access to the thoughtless, ignorant, careless; speak face to face, appeal to the conscience and heart; present the truth in all its simplicity and power; give ourselves to prayer, and feel it our duty, as well as our privilege, thus to be engaged. When we seek to honour the Lord by personal efforts, and feel constrained by his love to seek out the abodes

where the light of the truth has never shone, where not a gleam of sunshine from the glorious luminary has ever reached, we shall reap, to our inexpressible joy, an abundant harvest.

Forgetfulness of our important charge is of too frequent occurrence, causing our energies to slumber, our sympathies to lie dormant, our affections to grow cool. We are apt to leave to others what we should do ourselves, and to frame an excuse that we are not qualified for the work of spiritual teachers. We can all do more, far more than we think, in full dependence on the Spirit of God; and however feeble and imperfect our services, we shall in the attempt enjoy the satisfaction, that we have done something to promote the Divine glory. Is it not said to us by one who cannot err, "Occupy till I come?"

What, then, shall be the nature of our employment, but to perform our part in the spot we are placed, faithfully and without reserve, and to commend the Gospel, not only by our example, but by holy self-consecration to him whose we are, and whom we serve? It is no mean distinction to be called of God into the fellowship of the Gospel; and having received the pearl without money, and without price, let our best endeavours be, not to bury it, but hold it forth that it may shine in all its beauty, and lustre, and point the way to heaven. A cup of cold water given, a mite dropped into the treasury is recorded, to show that nothing, however insignificant, done in his name, escapes the watchful eye of him who ponders all our doings, who weighs all in the balance, and condescends to accept the sacrifice.

"Let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due time we shall reap, if we faint not." May it not be said to each, "What owest thou to thy Lord?" How little the sacrifice we have made for him, who has done so much for us, still lives for us, and has promised to receive us to an everlasting inheritance! Having freely received of his grace, let us not be slow to minister to others the saving knowledge of his truth, ever mindful of the fact, that the present is the only period to exhibit the proof of our devotedness to his cause by an entire surrender of heart and life to his service. When individual effort to make known the truth, as it is in Jesus, becomes the