things, and therefore have something to fall back upon under your trials and troubles, for such you must have. Are you expecting to have a smooth nest and a soft pillow? Ah, you will be undeceived one day. Tribulation is the church's portion, and you must expect your share. Said our dear Lord, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Remember that word daily. You must have a daily cross, and then you will find your daily need of a Comforter, a Refuge, a Friend. The Lord said to Israel of old --“I led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee." Thus the Lord is leading you now, believers, to bring you to live by faith upon Jesus-to keep you at the foot of the cross-to make you feel your daily need of that "fountain opened for sin and uncleanness"-to experience the blessedness of a full, free, present, and eternal salvation—to make you owe all to free grace and electing love, so that even the top stone shall be brought forth with shoutings of "grace, grace unto it," Zech. iv. 7. You must be made to feel your depraved nature to the last, so that God may have all the glory of your salvation. But how does the Spirit comfort? By testifying of Christ, see John xv. 26. What does a poor convinced sinner want but this? What do believers want under their deadness, coldness, and fainting fits, but to have Christ testified of to their souls, and then they revive as the corn, and grow as the vine. The poor believer sometimes thinks he shall be left to perish; but when the Spirit testifies of Christ-sets forth His blood, His righteousness, His love-then he sees there is security, he shall not perish. The devil is mighty, but he is not Almighty; and as the Father's drawing love leads to Christ, so all that come to Him shall be saved. What is your dependence for security? Is it in yourself, your feelings, your obedience, your love? No; if taught by the Spirit, your dependence is upon Him who loved you, and delighted in you from before all worlds, Eph. i. 4, and says to you now, having called you by grace, "Fear not, thou worm Jacob," Isa. xli. 14. "I will leave in the midst of thee a poor and afflicted people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord." But some of you have no taste for these precious truths-they are hateful to you. Oh, how hapless is your state, and how hopeless if you die thus! You will be lost for ever; for "except a man be born again he shall not see the kingdom of God." We may set these things before you from year's end to year's end, but unless the Lord say to you, as He did to dead Lazarus," Come forth," they will not reach your heart, or influence your life. But others here have been brought to know Christ. Then the Spirit has testified of Him to your souls. You know something of the nature and evil of sin, and of the application of His blood, which He says He shed for many for the remission of sin. The term "world" is often employed in the New Testament as signifying Jew and Gentile. The rending of the vail of the temple proved that the way into the Holy of holies was no longer confined to the Jew, but was open to the Gentiles, as we read in Rev. xiv. 3, also vii. 9. But, further, our text says this Spirit shall abide with the children of Godnot always to their sensible apprehension-" But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man

teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him," 1 John ii. 27. The anointing here spoken of is the same thing, for the Spirit's influence shall not only continue, but increase. They shall see more of the way, and shall behold more of His glory. There is a growth in knowledge, 2 Pet. iii. 18. In proportion as our apprehension of Christ, so will be our enjoyment of Him, and liberty in the gospel; and as we see His image we will reflect it, for it will influence our affections and our obedience. Now, what use are you making of Christ? Are you living upon Him as the branch upon the tree, as the limb upon the body? The Lord hath said, "Because I live, ye shall live also." Jesus engaged from everlasting to undertake the salvation of His people. All those whom the Father loved and delighted in, in due time must be born again-new born in grace-brought to feel what poor, lost, ruined sinners they are-that without Christ they must eternally perish. Thus they are led by the Spirit of God, even as Israel was of old, to the door of the temple, to see the bleeding sacrifice stretched upon the altar; not taking any part in it (that was the work of the priest), but only looking on and receiving all the benefits of that shed blood and so believers realize now. You feel you can do nothing to save yourselves, and the Spirit has brought you to "look unto Jesus"--to see Him by faith-see all your sins laid upon Him, cast into the depths of the sea, and crossed out of God's book by the blood of Jesus; so that when He said, "It is finished," He finished your salvation, and wrought out an everlasting righteousness for you. Do not these precious truths revive your heart and comfort your soul, poor trembling believer? I know, if you are a taught child of God, they do. The Lord says, "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people;" and how can we do it? By setting forth Christ; by declaring what God has done, and will do, for His people; the Spirit testifying to the truth, and sealing it home upon the hearts of God's redeemed people.

LEVITICUS.

There is no book in the compass of that inspired volume which the Holy Ghost has given us, that contains more of the very words of God than Leviticus. It is God that is the direct speaker in almost every part. His gracious words are recorded in the form wherein they were uttered. This consideration cannot fail to send us to the study of it with singular interest and attention. It has been called "Leviticus." Its typical institutions in all their variety were committed to the care of the tribe of Levi, or to the priests who were of that tribe.

The Greek translators of the Pentateuch devised that name. The Talmud for similar reasons calls it "the law of the priests." But Jewish writers in general are content with a simpler title. They take the first words of the book as the name, calling it "Vayikra”—q. d., the book that begins with the words, "And the Lord called."

This carries within itself the Divine origin. As an internal proof of

its author being Divine, some have alleged that the prophecy contained in chapter 26, is the fulfilment of that which is spread before the eyes of all the earth. But if, in addition to this, we find every chapter throughout presenting views of doctrine and practice that exactly dovetail into unfigurative statements of the New Testament, surely we shall then acknowledge that it bears the impress of the Divine mind from beginning to end.

The gospel of the grace of God, with all that follow in its train, may be found in Leviticus. This is the glorious attraction of the book to every reader who feels himself a sinner. The New Testament has about forty references to its various ordinances. The rites detailed in Leviticus were typical; and every type was designed and intended by God to bear resemblance to some spiritual truth. The likeness between type and antitype is never accidental. The very excellency of these rites consists in their being chosen by God for the end of shadowing forth "Good things to come, " Heb. x. 1. It is not a mere accidental resemblance to the Lord's body and blood, that the bread and wine obtains in the Lord's Supper; but, on the contrary, a likeness that made the symbols suitable to be selected for that end; so it is in the case of every Levitical type. Much of our satisfaction and edification in tracing the correspondence between type and antitype will depend on the firmness with which we hold this principle.

[We recommend our Readers who would study this book intelligently to consult Bonar on Leviticus, and Thoughts on parts of Leviticus, by B. W. Newton.]

AFTER-KNOWLEDGE.

Poor Christian, take courage, though now for a season
Thy prospects seem dark, and thy spirit cast down;

Nor anxiously seek to discover the reason;

To Him that rules all things thy trials are known.

"The wise man" says, "Sorrow is better than laughter;"
The face it makes sad, but the heart it improves ;
"Thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter,"
Why thus He chastises the child that He loves.

He "like a refiner of silver" is sitting;

He sees all thy sorrow and feels all thy pain;
No more He'll permit than His wisdom sees fitting,
Thy dross to remove and to purge every stain.

It is thine to adore! and in humble submission,
By faith, to rely on the promise divine:
"Thy will, Lord, be done!" is thy daily petition,
Till thou in the image of Jesus shalt shine.

If now thou art passing through "great tribulation,"
His "grace is sufficient" thy soul to sustain :
The why and the wherefore of this dispensation
"The Light of Eternity" soon shall explain.

J. SCHOFIELD.

A GLIMMER IN THE DISTANCE.

of

A traveller, anxious to obtain information as regards the progress missionary work in Stamboul, had an introduction to the Rev Mr. Kelly, of the Church Missionary Society. He was engaged at a translation of the Bible into Turkish with an Armenian convert, his scripture reader. I asked him as to the nature of his work there, and his replies were most candid.

There are no direct attempts at conversion or proselytiśm, it would not be permitted by the Turkish government. There are, however, efforts made to gain personal intercourse with the Turks at their cafés and eating-houses-efforts to create thought, and thence lead them to the gospel; but the success and the impression made on the vast body of Moslems is very small.

That God has His election of grace among the Moslems I firmly believe. The following anecdote, told me by Mr. Kelly, for instance:I asked him, Do you meet any Mahomedan conscious that he is a sinner, needing an atonement before God, sensible of his own weakness, and craving help and light. If we do meet such an one, he replied, our work is more than half done. A case of the kind you speak of occurred here lately. A Persian tradesman had a son who from his earliest youth was anxious to know God; and desiring this, attached himself to a Moslem teacher, or mollah, to perfect himself in his religion, and to attain a nearer communion with the eternal God. All that he learned failed to satisfy the craving of his soul, so he went to Calcutta, to receive, if possible, the highest of Moslem instruction. Here he was taken up or attracted by a Roman Catholic priest, and sent to the Propaganda at Rome; but the picture worship of Rome was abhorrent and revolting to the righteous judgment which the Mahomedans have formed upon the abominations of worshipping Almighty God through images or pictures, and he abandoned Rome. Back to Ispahan wandered the poor lost sheep. Here he heard of the English teacher in Constantinople. He came, he heard, he wondered. He said, when Christ was set before him as his sin-bearer and substitute, as His wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,"That is just what I want-what I have sought for so long! Now I have found it." That same Jesus who had found Andrew and Nathaniel, had revealed Himself to the Persian mollah, and he gloried in the cross of Christ., After some time this came to the ears of the Persian authorities in Constantinople, and as they in common with other nationalities had the power of life and death over the subjects of the country they represented, they determined to exercise their right, and arrested the mollah on the ground of his being a convert to Christianity. He was arrested with five others, and every pressure short of torture was brought to bear upon them, and at last it was decided to send them to Persia. This meant for these poor followers of Jesus Christ torture and death, or perhaps apostacy; and yet He who supported Stephen, and Peter, and Latimer in their agonies, would assuredly have holden them by His right hand. Mr. Kelly brought

all the energies of the English ambassador to bear upon the case with no avail, and at last he determined to seek a personal iuterview with the Russian ambassador. Late at night (for the emergency was pressing) he called at the Russian embassy, but the ambassador was dressing for a legation ball, and he could not see him. Anxious for the prisoner, and knowing that the next day he was to leave Constantinople for Persia, he enlisted the sympathies of one of the attendants of the Russian ambassador, who offered to present him with a statement of the case in writing. Mr. Kelly was prepared for this, and sent up a sketch of the whole story. Word was shortly sent him that the Russian envoy would do his best; and that night the English and Russian ambassadors put the case so strongly before the Persian ambassador, that the poor mollah and his companions were free men next day. As Mr. Kelly was telling me this and other interesting anecdotes, an Armenian convert entered the room, with whom I had some conversation. On the whole I may say there is an effort being made with cases of individual conversion. A few Turks here and there are being reached, but the impression on the great mass of the people is very small.

EXPOSITION.-2 COR. v. 18-20.

Saint Paul says, God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, yea that He hath reconciled us unto Himself by Jesus Christ. After which he adds-"We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God," 2 Cor. v. 18-20. But if reconciliation took place when the Godhead was in the manhood of Christ crucified, if the church of Corinth was already pardoned and justified, why doth he now beseech any, much less why doth he entreat believers to be reconciled to God? Can they at the same time be reconciled and unreconciled? Is not this a contradiction?

There is no contradiction, but much beauty and more comfort in the passage. Although reconciliation, pardon, and justification be one and only one complete act, yet in scripture it bears a kind of threefold aspect. First, from all eternity, as the elect were chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world. Secondly, when Christ hung upon the cross, and cried, "It is finished." Thirdly, when the pardon and reconciliation which Christ hath obtained, are applied to the believing sinner's heart and conscience by the Holy Ghost. It is in this latter sense that those who already have reconciliation are prayed to be reconciled. And in the same sense it is that our Lord teaches those to whom He has forgiven all trespasses, to pray, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us;" so that a believer is always reconciled, yea always perfectly reconciled, and not less so at one time than another, as he may be apt to suppose, when his corruptions show their ugly gigantic heads; yet he stands in need of great applications of the blood of sprinkling to comfort his conscience, and to draw out his heart in a way of love and holy obedience.

HILL.