"For ye are bought with a price."-I COR. vi. 20. "Those that seek me early shall find me."-PROV. viii. 17. THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. Behold, the slave, with joyful, beaming eyes, The slave may enter now that mansion fair, So when the sinner by Apollyon bound, To be His child on earth, and heir in heaven. A CERTAIN prince, desirous of adorning his coronet with a pearl of the greatest value, promises liberty to any one of his slaves who shall find one of a certain number of carats; the prince owns, upon his 66 manor, a fishery," where the slaves, at proper seasons of the year, dive for pearls. The usual mode of operation is as follows: The divers, throwing off their clothes, dress themselves in complete suits of white cotton-this is to protect their bodies from the contact of the medusæ, or sea-nettles; then, each diver, letting himself over the side of the boat, places his feet upon a stone, which is held by the seibor, or puller-up. On his left arm he carries a small basket to hold the oysters he may collectthe pearl is found in the fleshy part, near the joint of the shellthen, closing his nostrils with a piece of elastic horn, he gives the signal with his arm, and is immediately lowered down; the stone enables him to sink without difficulty. Here, in a period varying from thirty to a hundred seconds, he employs himself in filling his basket; as soon as this is done, or if he wants breath, he jerks the rope, and is iminediately hauled to the surface. 66 In the engraving is seen the fortunate slave, who has secured the prize. As soon as he discovers his good fortune, forsaking boat and basket, he leaps overboard, and makes towards the shore, exclaiming, 'I've found it! I've found it!" Others shout with him; the prince, his master, hears the tumult, and, learning the cause, repairs without delay to the bank of the river, to receive the pearl and to bestow on the finder the promised reward—where, in the presence of all, he reads his deed of manumission, and proclaims him free. And he is free-his head and heart and hands are now his own; he is now free from that power which degraded him to the exact level of a brute, and free from all its concomitant evils of ignorance, cruelty, and crime; he is now a man, he bears his brow upward. Happy man! Liberty, fair sister of Piety, has stooped upon the wing to bless him; nor is this all-he is free to call his former master Abba, that is, father, and his mistress Imma, that is, mother; he is, according to custom, adopted as a son-his future path is irradiated with knowledge, wisdom, and happiness. By the slave finding the costly pearl, and obtaining thereby his liberty, is signified the sinner, who finds "the kingdom of heaven," or who, in other words, experiences religion; this puts him into possession of a liberty more precious than gold, and more to be desired than fine gold :— "A liberty unsung By poets, and by senators unpraised; Which monarchs cannot grant, nor all the powers Of earth and hell confederate, take away: A liberty which persecution, fraud, Oppression, prisons, have no power to bind; Which, whoso tastes, will be enslaved no more." This is the liberty of gospel salvation. A sinner is a slave a slave not to one master, but to many, who exercise over him a cruel despotism, Satan takes the lead in tyrannizing over him. It is true he is a willing slave, but not the less a slave for that; for let him but try to free himself from his power, and he at once feels that he is bound. Satan is his lord and master he says to him "Go, and he goeth; come, and he cometh; do this, and he doeth it." He is a captive, led about just as the devil pleases. Miserable bondage! Sin has dominion over him, forbidden objects control his passions, and his passions control his will; he is enslaved to the law of sin, he is chained to "this body of death.” Sin wields over him its sceptre with despotic sway; "he is sold under sin;" even when he would do good, evil is present with him. Again, he is a slave to the terrors of the law; Mount Sinai still stands, giving forth its dreadful voice of many thunders, and emitting its flashes of devouring fire; he stands quaking and trembling beneath its fearful brow. He is also "subject to bondage through fear of death;" although he may make a show of courage, when among his guilty companions, over the bottle, or in the battle-field, yet he dreads his approach; his very image embitters his sweetest pleasure, and makes him miserable. These are some of the lords that exercise dominion over the poor sinner; verily he is bound! The King of holiness offers liberty to the sinner, on condition that he exercise 66 repentance toward God, and faith in Jesus Christ" thus runs the proclamation. The slave who found the pearl was obedient; what did he know at first about pearls? He might have argued, with himself at least, that it was impossible that such uncouth muddy oysters could contain such priceless gems, and so have given up the idea, and with it freedom; but he sought in the manner prescribed, and found-thus his obedience secured an ample reward. Salvation is found only by those who seek aright. That the sinner might not lose his labour, the Almighty Lord tells him where it may be found; He tells him to look for it in His word, in His house and ordinances; He tells him how he is to conduct the search-he is to lay aside his self-righteousness, and put on sackcloth; he is to descend into the depths of humility, and there, by earnest, persevering prayer and living faith, to seek until he finds —and the promise is, "If thou seekest her as silver, and searchėst for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God." But who shall describe the glorious liberty of the children o God? Satan reigns and tyrannizes over them no longer; his chain is broken, his allegiance is renounced; he is no longer the proud conqueror, leading his captive in chains; he lies bruised beneath the Christian's feet. He may threaten, but he cannot harm; he may tempt, but he cannot compel. He who finds gospel freedom is delivered from the dominion of sin; his understanding is now enlightened, the darkness of ignorance has passed, the true light now shines; his mind is now free-free to do good. He takes pleasure in righteousness. "Oh," he exclaims," how I love thy law!" Henceforth the testimonies of Jehovah are the songs of his rejoicing in the house of his pilgrimage; in him the promise is fulfilled, "Sin shall not have dominion over you." From the curse of the law, moreover, he is free. Jesus has been made a curse for him—there is, therefore, now no condemnation; for him the fires of Sinai no longer burn-Jesus has quenched them with His blood; for him its voice of many thunders is for ever hushed-Jesus has whispered, "Peace, be still." Death has now for him no more terrors-Death is a vanquished enemy, he is numbered among his gains. Why should he fear, who has beheld "the burst gates—the demolished throne—the crushed sting-the last gasp of vanquished death"? Thanks be unto God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, the glorious liberty of the children of God! The slave has become a son; he may now call God Abba, Father, and the church Imma, Mother; he is now an heir of God and fellow-heir with Jesus Christ-he receives a clear title-deed to mansions in the skies. Heaven for him 66 Opens wide Her ever-during gates, harmonious found He is now free to see the King in His beauty, to see Him as He is, who loved him, and gave Himself for him-to hold converse with angels and archangels, with all the holy and the wise. "Glorious liberty," indeed! wondrous freedom! he is free to explore the regions of immortality and love; and as the years of interminable duration roll onward, he will live yet more free. "All hail, triumphant Lord, Who sav'st us with thy blood! With Thee we reign, And empires gain |