is enough to make a man mad with joy. I should like to have been in that man's place."

"The like privilege, I trust, is yours now, my friend, said Mr. C-——, kindly. "You have been brought in mercy to feel the sinfulness of sin, and your need of pardon. Your Saviour is precious to you, and your hopes are full of immortality; his mercy has melted your heart, and you are looking forward to heaven as your future home; being satisfied of the efficacy of the Saviour's sacrifice and atonement for sin, which opened an eternity of happiness to all who believe in him. But now let us turn to the bedridden sufferer, who no doubt eagerly listened to every word he uttered. There he lay at his Redeemer's feet, filled with such joy. at the idea of pardon, which, unsolicited, had been pronounced, that we can imagine his indignation at the malicious cavillings of the Scribes and Pharisees; who, pretending to be seized with jealousy for the Divine honour, exclaimed, Who can forgive sins, but God alone?' (Verse 21.) Our Lord then determines to assert his power and prove himself the Messiah, of whom Moses and the Prophets had foretold, and who had then commenced his vast and wondrous mission, He displayed his omniscience, his knowledge of their secret thoughts, and said, 'What reason ye in your hearts? Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he said to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thine house. And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.' (Verses 22 to 25.) Thus he demonstrated who He was; he no longer condescended to reason with them, but proved by his power that he had undoubted right to speak peace to whomsoever he would.

"My dear friends, what a wonderful transaction is now before us!" continued Mr. C― ; "what a conviction it conveys of the Divinity of Jesus! First, he speaks to the man, and pronounces his pardon. The Judge forgives the criminal. He does not acquit him, and declare him guiltless no; but he says, Thy sins are forgiven thee.' Here we behold God himself, for it was rightly said, 'None can forgive sins, but God alone.' Secondly, he shows that the secrets of all hearts were open to him; truly, he needed not that any should testify of man, for

:

6

he knew what was in man.' (John ii. 25.) And here, again, we behold God; for omniscience alone belongs to Him. No man can tell what passes in the mind of his most intimate friend; but from the Lord Jehovah no secrets are hid; the multitude of thoughts, evil and good, that continually occupy us, are all known to him; and truly we have cause to entreat the unceasing assistance of the Holy Spirit, to cleanse us so thoroughly by his inspiration, 'that we may perfectly love him, and worthily magnify his holy Name.' Lastly, he proves his right to Divinity by commanding the man to walk. The Jews doubted his right to forgive sins; he shows it by the miraculous cure he immediately effected. Well might all present be amazed, and be filled with fear, 'saying, We have seen strange things to-day.'" (Verse 26.)

"We can imagine this;" said Mr. Basil, "I have often thought, had I been on earth when Jesus was, seen and conversed with him, it would have been with fear and trembling."

"I doubt that," replied Mr. C- —; "he so completely gained the love of his disciples, that we seldom read of their experiencing fear. The holy women who followed him ever rejoiced in his presence; and I can imagine his heavenly-mindedness, his tender affection, his gentleness so engaging, that however they felt convinced of his Divine reality, and sensible of the immeasurable distance between them, still he bound them to Himself by that heaven-born love which now subsists between him and his redeemed, and is one of the fruits of the Spirit's influence. And if, as St. Peter says, 'having not seen, we love him; how much more those who saw him, who conversed daily with him, who witnessed his miracles and experienced his kindness, were bound to love him with an intensity such as seraphs feel, who dwell in his presence above, and are never so happy as when hymning their songs of praise. After these events had passed, we next find Jesus adding to his chosen band of immediate companions, whose number was not as yet completed. We are now led to observe how he called Levi, or Matthew, the writer of the first of the four Gospels. He was sitting at the receipt of custom,' for he was a publican, or collector of taxes; but no sooner did he hear the Saviour say,Follow me,' than business, profits, worldly advantages vanished, and he left all, rose up, and followed him.' (Verse 28.) And thus it will ever be; if

the Lord the Spirit will but speak with power, we shall be willing to obey him: and may it indeed be so; then the world cannot hold us, Satan cannot stop us, but we may hope that He who has begun the good work in our souls, will carry it on, and keep us steadfast to the end. Some time after his call, we find Matthew making an entertainment in honour of Jesus. The company was large; and it is expressly mentioned, that publicans and many others sat down with them. The new disciple undoubtedly felt desirous that his former friends and acquaintances should have an opportunity of conversing with Jesus. This description of persons was generally bad-hard, avaricious, dishonest men; but Matthew had experienced the power of grace, and he longed for others to do the same. Thus it will ever be; when we know the value of our own souls, we shall estimate that of others; and this the men of the world cannot understand; they think Christians vastly troublesome, that they will not leave them to follow their own inclinations unmolested; and they charge them with interference and a thousand impertinencies, because, having been led to flee from the wrath to come, they wish to draw others also. The Pharisees at Matthew's table were just the same then as now; they knew nothing of their own corruptions, and despised those around them. Their religion consisted in an observance of forms, while the heart, remained as much as ever the seat of iniquity. Hence the value of our Lord's remark, They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.' (Verses 31, 32.)

'May we inquire whether we have discovered our own state before God, and applied to the Great Physician for the healing of our wounded souls, by the effectual application of his blood and finished righteousness, whereby alone we can obtain remission of our sins, and be made partakers of the kingdom of heaven."

R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.

THE

NEW TESTAMENT HISTORIES.

THE large room at the Court was full, and Mr. Chad the unspeakable pleasure of seeing amongst his auditors several who had at first imagined his proceedings rather irregular, and consequently disapproved of them, but who were at length convinced, by their effects upon the lives and conduct of his people, that they were a powerful auxiliary to his public labours; and that, in fact, he was only following the great example set him by the Apostles, who "daily in the temple, and in every house, ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ." (Acts v. 42; also xx. 20.)

Mr. C never consulted his own ease or convenience; he was the servant of the Most High God, and he deeply felt the importance of working while it was day, knowing that the night of death would quickly arrive, either to himself or some of his beloved flock, all of whom he trusted hereafter to meet in the abodes of bliss. It was with a smile of sincere Christian love he welcomed his people, and, taking his accustomed place, opened his Bible on the 5th chapter of St. John, commencing thus: "After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem." (Verse 1)

66

As nearly as I am able, my dear friends," said the pastor, "I am endeavouring to follow the footsteps of our beloved Master; I may, perhaps, err in my arrangement of events, but, by comparing the four Gospels carefully, I hope not to do so to any great extent. The circumstances we noticed the last day we met were recorded in the 5th of St. Luke, viz. the miraculous draught of fishes, the cleansing of the leper, and the calling of Matthew, or Levi. This was in Galilee, and while he abode there he performed several other miraculous works, all equally manifesting forth his glory, and proving his love and tender compassion for man; but another festival, generally supposed to be the Passover, was approaching at Jerusalem,