bility and would take his place in law, what then? He could then say, "Now I am encouraged, this is admissible, it is the greater for the less, the just for the unjust. My conscience is cleansed, I shall be pardoned, I shall live."

The reason why the blood of a beast could not possibly cleanse the conscience, is that it was impossible in law to take a beast for a man. This would be to take the less for the greater, which is not admissible in such a case; the irrational for the rational, the brute for the man. Men, therefore, from the fall, came to the altar of God, carrying their cups of blood merely to show or to keep in remembrance, that their own blood or life, for the blood is the life, had been forfeited by an original infraction of law, till the greater, the just one, should appear, to take the place of the less and unjust. No man, in his senses, could possibly think that the infraction of law could be redeemed by the blood of a beast. No man, therefore, could attain to any thing like a conscious sense of pardon by a mere animal offering. If they had, "then," as the apostle says, "the worshippers being once cleansed would have ceased to offer:" but this they did not, but continued to sacrifice year by year, till Christ came, who by the one offering of himself, for ever perfected them that are sanctified; that is, his dignity, infinite excellence, majesty, honor, and matchless grandeur, as the Son of God, inspired us with perfect assurance that as the greater for the less, the just for the unjust, the Lord of all for all, he is accepted by God; the substitution of his blood for ours must be honorable in law, glorious to God, and saving to man; the mind in this offering has something to rest upon, the offering of one infinitely excellent in behalf of worms of the dust. We are conscious by his resurrection that his offering is accepted; and we are conscious by the word of God that we are in him pardoned, and therefore our conscience is absolutely at peace 'peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The terrors of conscience are now dissipated by the light which has arisen from the tomb of Jesus and by the cruel suffering to the death which brought him to the tomb.

Let us then rejoice in our Saviour, the Prince of the kings of the earth. Let us exult and be glad, for salvation has been brought nigh. Let us give glory to God and sing praises. Let us sing of his loye, his salvation, and wisdom, and glory. Hallelujah. Amen.

W. SCOTT.

PARTIAL VIEWS OF GOD'S CHARACTER.

OUR inability to comprehend the infinite nature of God makes it inevitable that our conceptions of it are partial. Our views, comparatively clear at one point, fade into shadow at another, and beyond are lost in darkness. Our minds deal with the immense theme, as our eyes do with objects whose dimensions are too great to be taken in all at once; we endeavour to look from varying points of view, and to make up, by combining details, the best possible substitute for that compreheneive perception which is beyond finite capacity. Looking first to one, and then to another manifestation of the divine character, at the word and works of God, and at the life and death of the Son, who is 'the radiance of his glory, we learn to know and feel in some degree what God is.

In doing this, however, we are liable to certain errors, of very pernicious consequence, against which we must guard. One is, the notion that the attributes of God oppose and limit one another, so that the assertion of one of them in its fulness implies the denial or limitation of another. We do not say

that any hold this in theory, knowing what they do, but such is the practical character and effect of their beliefs. For example, God is benevolent; he is also just. But his goodness and love, men say, are infinite, unbounded, extending to all his creatures, no matter how sinful and degraded, and all the more sympathizingly because they are sinful and degraded. No one, then, need fear that he will be angry, finally and for ever, for that would imply a limit to his goodness. That there should be a limit to the exercise of his justice, gives such speculators no trouble. The truth is, that God has nowhere given us to understand that his benevolence is indiscriminately universal and unending. He loves in one sense infinitely; his love has a depth and energy corresponding with the infinite excellence of his nature. But it is not a blind instinct, acting without regard to the quality of the object. He loves what to him is lovely-what it is possible for such a being to love. He loves righteousness, and hates iniquity; and he hates iniquity in proportion to his love for righteousness. It would have been impossible for him to love the apostate world, but for the glorious possibility of a recovery to holiness, by a method which gives new lustre to his own righteousness, so that he

may be just, and yet justify the sinner who believes. The very act of mercy, in salvation, is also an act of divine justice.

We have no right to pick and choose among the attributes of God, and say, This is what makes the conception of God glorious, and precious to me; this is to me the one most Godlike quality, and all others are subordinate and accessory to this. For what one may do, another has an equal right to do for himself, and there will be as many gods worshipped as there are theories of perfection. God is not just what we choose to think him. He is what he has authentically revealed himself to be. And we must humbly study all his revelations— not choose out one, and throw the rest away. One picks out this text: "Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God-for God is love." Ah, he cries, this is what we want. Knowing this, we do not need to know anything more. But let us look again: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine." It would seem, then, that reverence and obedience are means of knowing his character, as well as love. The truth that God reveals himself to the heart, is not the whole truth, unless the heart is understood as including the whole moral nature. But then, we know God by the sense of duty as well as by the sense of gratitude-by fear as well as by hope -by godly sorrow as well as by joy and gladness. And that is the only safe teaching which sets forth the character and will of God as a complex force, applicable to the whole nature of

man.

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It is wonderful how men get in a way of repeating what they have heard others say, without stopping to see for them selves whether it is true or not. It has often been said, till it has passed into a commonplace, that the power and justice of God are prominently made known in the Old Testament, but that his love and mercy are first clearly and impressively exhibited in the New Testament. But let any one test the matter by actual examination, he will find that, of passages teaching the goodness and mercy of God, the Old Testament numbers far more than the New. In fact, so far as the direct, didactic communication of God's character is concerned, there is little of it in the Bible out of the Old Testament. The New Testament assumes the character of God as already revealed. The gospel does indeed, present a view of divine love in action, compared with the lustre of which all our other light is dark

ness.

But the same gospel, in the great sacrifice of redemption, equally magnifies the justice of God. And, as if to give us a living warning against attempting to sever what in God are joined unchangeably together, the offices of Redeemer and Judge are united in the person of the Son of God. He whose mission so wondrously unveiled to us the divine benignity, is the same who will utter the final sentence of justice on the rebellious. The climax of penal misery is "the wrath of THE LAMB."

It has been said, that what the world needs of religion is to have the love of God more fully proclaimed. True; but a "love" from which all ideas of holiness, justice, and truth are abstracted—an infinite good nature, a sublime free-and-easiness, too soft-hearted to do right, if doing right will give pain to some of us-is not the love of God, nor anything like it. We seriously fear that much popular teaching, by its defectiveness and one-sidedness, is in effect causing men to cry peace when there is no peace.-Examiner.

DISCRIMINATION.

THE want of due discrimination in things of Christ has led to most of the evils which now paralyse the religious world.

The monster mistake, which like a baneful root sends up its suckers of seed-choking errors,-is, the supposition that in answer to persevering prayer the Holy Spirit is given to and received by the unbelieving and disobedient, to produce in them conviction, regeneration, faith and love.

It is, indeed, marvellous that this supposition should so generally prevail in religious bodies; seeing there is, in the Divine book, neither command for, nor example of such prayer; nor a single promise of that heavenly gift to any but the believing and obedient.

Such being the case, it ought to be strongly remarked that the thousands of prayers periodically offered up for "an out-pouring of the Holy Spirit" upon unbelieving Jews, Mahomedans, Pagans, and nominal christians, are as entirely unavailing as prayers to the Virgin or the Roman Saints: and that the most fervent petitions for that gift to our dearest disobedient friends are, for the same reason, equally ineffectual.

In order that Divine certainties may supersede human suppositions on this all-important subject, let it be noticed that in the unerring Word the division of mankind into the two classes-of saved and unsaved;-children of wrath and children of God;-those without and those within-is exhibited on every page; and the Divine dealings with the one and the other distinctly expressed and strongly contrasted and as obedient believers are never called 'darkness,' nor the disobedient light in the Lord;' so the blessings bestowed

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upon the church are distinct and different from those granted to the world.

The first distinction to be made is-between the Holy Spirit's testimony concerning Christ, and the Holy Spirit himself.

That the former is to be received by the world, all admit: it is the gospel to be preached to every creature.

That the Holy Spirit himself is never received by the world, the Lord has plainly declared, "Even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive." John xiv. 17.

That the Holy Spirit himself is given to obedient believers in Jesus, is declared by St. Peter, Acts v. 32, "Whom God hath given to them that obey him."

That the believer, when called to obey the Lord, is assured of this blessing, is evident from Acts ii. 38, "Repent, and be every one of you immersed and you shall receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit speaks to the world, and His wonderful acts are for its conviction: Acts ii. 4, 1 Cor. xiv. 22; but He dwells in the Church and abides in each of its members. 1 Cor. iii. 16. To the former He is a Reprover by his miraculously attested Word, John xvi. 8: To the latter He is himself an indwelling Comforter. John xiv. 16, 17.

The Holy Spirit's testimony is 'made known to all nations for the obedience of faith;' so that faith and obedience come by hearing and receiving it. The Holy Spirit itself, given to the obedient believer, so sheds in his heart the love of God that he cries' Abba,' and produces the heavenly fruit of love, joy and peace, to the glory of God. The judicious will carry out these instructive contrasts mnch farther than our time and space allow.

To illustrate these truths, two scriptural pictures may be combined. The oneness of Christ and his church, is set forth, first, as * One Body" of which He is the head and his people the members: second, as "One flesh"-Christ the Bridegroom; His people the Bride.

If I wish to induce another person to do a certain thing, I have to use words and motives: if I desire my own hand to do the same thing, I have merely to will it: if I wish my affectionate wife to do it, I have only to name my wish.

So, to "those that are without" in whom the Holy Spirit dwells not, the words and motives of His testimony concerning Christ have to be addressed as divinely appointed inducements to the obedience of faith but to "those within" the Church, in whom the Holy Spirit does dwell, the will of the Living Head, when named or known produces the desired action: for each member of his Bride or his Body is, simply by HIS WILL, moved to loving obedience.

The dislocated limb and the disobedient wife, are, of course, shut out of the picture. Mollington.

J. D.

SCRIPTURE CRITICISMS.

Genesis iv. 13, 14. "And Cain said unto the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it