vigour of the life that is dormant in all her institutions, and latent in every portion of her fabric, then again shall the solemn murmur of her responses, the heavenly harmony of her chaunts and psalms, rise from the lips of multitudes, not ashamed, as the present cold and degenerate race, to declare the wondrous acts of the Lord, and to sing his praise, in the great congregation: then again shall she arise as the light of the world, like "the sun which cometh forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a giant to run his course.' And whereas now she shares the reproof of the church in Sardis, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die; for I have not found thy works perfect before God: remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent: if therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know

X

what hour I will come upon thee," instead of that reproof, the blessing and the praise of the church in Philadelphia will then be hers: "I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep

thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."y

y Rev. iii. 8, 10-13.

APPENDIX, No. I.

"It can be proved from the canon of Scripture itself, that even in the apostolic age, perversions and corruptions of every kind not only crept into the churches, but in some of them actually obtained the ascendancy."-p. 10, 11.

The evidence in support of the above proposition, contained in the New Testament, is of a twofold kind; consisting partly of general complaints and admonitions on account of heresies and corruptions introduced into the churches, and partly of specific charges.

Of the former kind are the following:

To the CORINTHIANS ST. PAUL writes, "I hear that there be divisions (or schisms, oxioμara) among you; and I partly believe it. For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved, may be made manifest among you;"a and of those who headed the divisions of the Corinthian church, he says, "Such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light: therefore it is no great thing, if his ministers also be 1 Cor. xi. 18, 19.

transformed as the ministers of righteousness." Of the success of these men the Apostle professes to be jealous: "I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ: for if he that cometh, preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another Spirit, which ye have not received, or another Gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him," i. e. ye would not object to false teachers, though ye do object to him who teaches you the truth as it is in Jesus.

In like manner he writes to the ROMANS: "I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them: for they that are such, serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."

"d

Concerning the state of the church at EPHESUS, he assigns it as his reason for his prolonged stay in that city, that there were "many adversaries," and in his Epistle to that church, he particularly warns them against being "children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive." To check these disorders he left Timothy at