the scriptures is "the faith of the gospel." "And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." Acts xv. 9. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and this gives the answer of a good conscience towards God, through the resurrection of Christ from the dead; and the effects of the gospel will be seen by "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Titus ii. 12-13.

We cannot be too jealous of our hearts. The wise man says, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." Proverbs xxviii. 26. Let us think of him who alone could say, "Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me." Ps. cxxxi. 1. And who said, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Ps. cxxxix. 23-24.

The deceitfulness of the human heart will never be fully discovered, and its wickedness fully laid open, until the time when God will judge the secrets of men, by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel, (Rom. ii. 16) and when he will divide the sheep from the goats. Matt. xxv.

But the promise of a new heart is given, "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Ezk. xxxvi. 25-27. And all true believers experience it. Hence, Peter says, "Seeing that ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1 Pet. i. 22-23.

ON MIRACULOUS HEALING.

JAMES V. 14-16.

To understand this text aright, we must look at the circumstances of the church in the apostle's day. We find that the apostles had spiritual or supernatural gifts given them by their Lord; and on whom they laid hands, spiritual gifts were conferred, hence the exhortation, "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the Lord shall raise him up." Laying on of hands by the apostles was not a piece of mummery, as it is in our day. No, it had a positive meaning, and that of divine import. So also, "the prayer of faith shall save the sick." Faith, or believing, had a meaning in that age which it cannot have now. Faith having relation to a testimony, and that testimony respecting "things hoped for," "not seen," can have no relation, but in the distance, to things seen and possessed.

The disciples were then looking for their Lord, they were like the worshippers of old, upon the great day of atonement, "waiting for the Son from heaven," into which he--the Great High Priest-had entered with his own blood, to obtain eternal redemption for his church, his people. When upon earth, before entering into "the holy place," "not made with hands," he told them "these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils-they shall take up serpents-they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." No one, who knows the truth as it is in Jesus, supposes that there is any such believers in our day; and none but fanatics, who are more the object of pity than of derision, make any pretension to heal the sick, &c. Why then lay on hands? Aye, that is a question that must be understood before the meaning of the exhortation of James, respecting the prayer of faith, anointing in the name of the Lord, and confession, can be comprehended.

When the apostle wrote, the church was in the wilderness, on her pilgrimage from the bondage state (or house), about to enter upon the heavenly inheritance; and, as was typified in the case of Israel, in their deliverance from Egypt, and entering into the earthly inheritance, divine care, supernatural power, was manifested over them. The same almighty hand, that wrought wonders in Egypt, and at the Red Sea, under the ministration of Moses the servant, wrought wonders in the latter age, under the ministration of Christ the Son. The divine power, thus exercised, was not merely beneficial to the sick and others, but it made manifest the author of that gospel, which the apostles were sent to proclaim!-It exhibited the husband of that bride whom they were honoured to adorn!-The owner of that spiritual house which "prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers," were called to edify! This house had to be built up under infinitely greater opposition than was shown to the builders of the house made with hands in the time of Ezra. There was the opposition of the beast, false prophet, dragon, Satan, &c., all expressive of the many forms in which the enmity of the creature is exhibited towards God. If I may so speak, the grand cause of the persecutions and afflictions which the apostles and the partakers of "like precious faith" with them suffered-of which Christ, their master, had the lion's share-was, for giving the death blow to creature righteousness, in bringing near and making known God's righteousness, to the utter exclusion of everything that is carnal, selfish, and earthly.

The exhortation of James carries us back to the people addressed, namely, the twelve tribes, and the circumstances under which they were addressed. The judge was then standing at the door! Now the door is open, the judgment executed. And we have received the garments, not of supplication, but of praise. And the only sacrifice we now can offer, is that of praise to God continually, even the calves of our lips, giving thanks to his name. A. W.

JEW AND GENTILE.

THE object of this paper is to hint that Gentiles may perhaps have prejudices as well as Jews, a point which seems to be often forgotten.

If a Gentile preacher, for instance, were to speak on that question of the disciples to our Lord, "Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to

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Israel? the only remark he would be likely to make upon it would be, that the minds of the disciples were darkened by Jewish prejudices, or else they would not have put such a question. The preacher would tell us that the disciples had carnal notions of Christ's kingdom, and would finish by saying that the kingdom of Christ is spiritual. It is very likely that the thought would never occur to him to enquire whether he himself might not have Gentile prejudices which blinded him as much as the Jews were blinded by their prejudices.

This extraordinary readiness to condemn the apostles may perhaps be only an exemplification of Gentile pride. Methinks it is scarcely becoming in us to censure where our Master himself did not censure. No one can infer from the answer he gave them that their views were wholly wrong. He does not in the slightest degree hint that what they asked about would never take place, but the contrary. His answer seems to carry this idea along with it, "The point about which you enquire-the restoration of the kingdom to Israel-will take place at the time which the Father hath appointed, which time it is not for you to know. What you must attend to at present is, to be my witnesses before Jew and Gentile."

Those hopes which they had were completely crushed; for instead of seeing the restoration of Israel, they saw more and more the purpose of God revealed in scattering it. The kingdom was destroyed in a more complete and emphatic sense than it had been before.

Eighteen hundred years have passed since then, and still the Jews are a nation peeled and scattered. They stand as monuments of God's righteous judgment for their continued wickedness, and more particularly for the great crime of crucifying the Lord of glory. Hence the Gentiles have concluded that it will always be so, or at least, that they will never again be raised to pre-eminence. The Gentiles perhaps could bear to see their conversion and restoration to their own land, and made their equals in the gospel; but to see them raised again, as before, to a state of evident superiority, and blessed with peculiar blessings as a nation, stirs up their prejudice and pride. We can readily perceive that they are punished for the wickedness of their ancestors, but we do not so readily understand how they are still beloved for the fathers' sake. Yet the one is as true as the other. They are indeed monuments of his judgment, but they are also spared to shew forth his superabundant mercy, for mercy triumpheth over judgment.

It is very commonly believed that the Jews will be restored to their own land, and brought into the Christian fold. But those who hold this view seldom carry their minds higher than equality of Jew and Gentile. Equality may be borne with, but who can bear superiority, especially with those who have been long inferior? Let us for a moment consider this notion of equality.

It is frequently said that all men are equal in regard to the gospel. True, but let us beware of pushing this idea to an extreme, so as to lose sight of the sovereignty of God. In considering the question of Jew and Gentile, we must ever keep in mind the origin of it, the divine good pleasure. He chose Abraham and his family after him, for so it seemed good in his sight. From the call of Abraham to the call of Cornelius there was a manifest preeminence given to the Jew. At the call of Cornelius the Gentiles were made fellow-heirs of the grace of life with the Jews. By this event they were, so to speak, put upon a footing of equality. Yet even then there was

a superior honour put upon the Jew. All the apostles, with the exception of Simon the Canaanite, were Jews. Simon also was a Jew by profession, although not by birth. Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, was a Jew. This in an especial manner shews the purpose of God to honour the natural seed of Abraham. The mother of Timothy was a Jewess, and he himself was circumcised. Titus appears to be the only person of note who was an uncircumcised Gentile. In short, from the call of Cornelius to the end of the apostolic age, although the middle wall of partition was broken down, Jewish builders were chiefly employed in the work of the ministry. During that period the Jew was pre-eminent.

When again we pass from the apostolic age, a different scene is presented to our view. The Jew altogether disappears. From the Gentiles alone God chooses his people. The gospel is preached without distinction to Jew and Gentile, but the seed of Abraham are deaf to its call. He, who doeth all things according to the counsel of his own will, calls out from among the Gentiles a people for his name, but passes by the heretofore favoured people. If we ask the reason why he has hid these things from the one, and revealed them to the other, the only reason which can be given is, "Even so Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight."

It is besides worthy of notice, that his refraining to choose out from among the Jews his spiritual people, took place about the same period that he cast them out of their own land. To speak in modern phrase, they were rejected as a church and as a nation at the same time. Little, if anything, do we hear of Jewish Christians after the dispersion by the Romans, From that time to the present Jerusalem hath been trodden down of the Gentiles, and they have also been the sole recipients of his bounty. History hath scarcely ever told the tale of a Jew professing the name of Christ.

But if God shall again visit his ancient people, in what manner will his favour towards them appear? Will it be by restoring them to their own land? or by recalling them to the gospel? or by both? May we not infer that when he commences to bless them, he will bless them in a twofold point of view? As it was about the same time they were ejected from both blessings, so also may we suppose they will be restored to both about the same time. When the Jews are in possession of Palestine, it may be considered as an index that God hath remembered them. So long as they are absent, we may consider that their time hath not yet come.

But if it be granted that God will again remember them, will it be to make them equal to the Gentiles, or superior? We have seen that thus far in the history of the world, he hath raised the one above the other; neither have we any reason to conclude that he will alter his course. Even now among the Gentile nations he distinguishes one nation above another, and sheddeth abroad the light of his truth upon one, while he leaveth another in darkness. It would be no great wonder, therefore, if he were again to prefer the natural seed of Abraham, and restore again the kingdom to Israel.

It may still be said, that it shews a carnal mind to speak of a national

We are inclined to think that our correspondent has mistaken the meaning of the word Canaanite, as applied to Simon. It is more probable that the term denotes that he was either a native of Cana, in Galilee, or what is still more likely, that it is derived from the Hebrew root kana, which signifies to be zealous; hence he is called by Luke, Simon Zelotes, or the Zealous. Probably he belonged to the Jewish sect of the Zealots. That a Gentile should be chosen one of the twelve, is almost beyonds the bounds of probability.-ED.

restoration. To this we need only say, that the matter will be looked upon differently according to the character of the spectator. The carnal will look upon it with carnal eyes. The spiritual will look upon it with spiritual eyes. To the pure all things are pure; but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

The appeal which Paul makes to the reason of the Gentiles, appears plainly to prophesy that the Gentiles will be again cast off, and the Jews restored. If the natural branches of the tree were broken off, it is not likely that the foreign branches will be spared. The Gentiles must not consider themselves in any higher light than grafted branches; but long continuance has made them consider themselves as the natural branches. They think that though formerly they were not the natural branches, they are so now, This is a dangerous prejudice. A GENTILE.

ON THE APOSTLESHIP OF MATTHIAS.

Dear Sir,-If it should happen that you have no more conclusive replies to the query propounded by Chronos, at page 40 of your February number, perhaps you will allow me to attempt one.

I presume it will be admitted that if the Holy Spirit recognized Matthias, he not only could, but must be regarded as an apostle of Jesus Christ. That the Spirit does so recognize him appears from the fact that the inspired writer records it that "he was numbered with the eleven." Acts i. 26. That from this time forth he speaks of the number of the apostles as twelve. Thus it is said, Acts ii. 14, "Peter, standing up with the eleven." But the most striking instance of this is in Acts vii. 2, where the "twelve" are said to have directed the church to elect deacons; and we are told after these were elected, they were set before the apostles. Since then the Spirit thus owns the apostleship of Matthias, the eleven must have had his authority to elect him. And this recognition of the appointment is sufficient to prove to me that they had divine authority, without my feeling it absolutely necessary to account for how that authority was communicated. But may not the Holy Spirit have taught by means of the 109th Psalm, which Peter seems to quote as authority for the action, ch. i, 20-21. Christ had before this time opened the understanding of his apostles, to understand the scriptures.-I am, Dear Sir, Yours in the truth, C. C.

Newcastle on Tyne, February 5th, 1850.*

To the Editor of the Christian Advocate,

Sir,-Some of the remarks which you have made upon my letter contained in the Christian Advocate for April last, seem to call for a few words of reply. I therefore send you the present for insertion, when you think fit. First, then, I would express my satisfaction at the avowal, that the doctrine of

• This communication was not received by us until the 11th May, otherwise we should not have inserted our remarks in the May number of the C. A.