is by price and by power, is a useful arrangement. By the atonement, the exercise of pardoning mercy is rendered visibly consistent with the holiness of God, and his rectoral justice. Speaking, therefore, of Him by whom the atonement was made, St. Peter says, "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." And when, on the day of Pentecost, a wonderful influence from heaven had undeniably rested both upon the Apostles and their hearers, in this manner did Peter speak of it, referring it to the risen and exalted Saviour: "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."

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But, to make this the more plain, and to bring it to bear directly on what St. John calls "the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son," let St. Paul's own statement of the commission which he had received, as he said, directly from Christ, be considered in itself, and in connexion with his own conduct in discharging the duties which it imposed Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me." According to this representation, St. Paul's work was one, not of moral instruction merely, but of such instruction communicated in order to secure a certain object,-opening their eyes, and turning them from darkness to light, that they might RECEIVE forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified. These are the blessings which, according to St. Peter, Christ is exalted to bestow; these are the blessings which, according to St. Paul, the Gospel ministry is instituted, that men might seek and enjoy. We find St. Paul, therefore, in his own preaching, offering-the

term is the properest that can be employed-offering to his hearers the salvation that is by Christ Jesus: "Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." And when, at Philippi, the alarmed and now enlightened jailer exclaimed, in the very bitterness of his soul, "What must I do to be saved?" the prompt and explicit reply was, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." The characteristic of St. Paul's preaching-the characteristic of apostolic preaching generallyis, a present salvation, consisting of 'forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified;" given by the exalted Saviour, and received from him through the exercise 66 of repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ."

Such was apostolic preaching; and, in reference to what was its principal theme, St. John states it to be "the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son." "And this," he says, "is the record," (the witness, namely, that God hath testified of his Son,)" )" that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

This record, or witness, comprises three distinct aspects, under each of which it must be viewed, that the whole may be the better understood.

1. "God hath given to us eternal life."-That is, all that man has forfeited by sin; all that is opposed to that fearful state which is termed in Scripture, "death in trespasses and sins." The provision which the most merciful God has thus made for us, comprises "pardon," or deliverance from the death of condemnation, and "holiness," or deliverance from spiritual death, as blessings to be received and enjoyed in this world, and "everlasting life," the full blessedness for which man was created, and of which his nature was originally made capable,

in the immediate and unclouded vision of God, and in perpetual communion with him, in his own most glorious presence, in the heavenly world.

2. "This life is in his Son."That is, all these blessings are treasured up for us in Christ, as the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." All power to give these blessings is committed to Christ; and, therefore, it is in his name that repentance, the great evangelical duty, and remission of sins, the great evangelical privilege, must be preached to all nations. He is not only the way to God and heaven, but the only way: "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

3. "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."-That is, he that cordially submits to Christ, in the way definitely, and with his own sovereign authority, laid down by himself, shall actually receive and enjoy those blessings which are provided and promised in reference to this present world, and shall be enabled to rejoice in hope of those which are promised in the world to come. This cordial submission the New Testament describes with the greatest possible explicitness. The immediate instrument or condition of a personal, present acceptance with God, is faith; the trust in Christ, as the only and all-sufficient Saviour, by the penitent sinner, desiring the mercy of God, and earnestly praying for it. Thus, our Lord himself, so early in his public ministry as in his conversation with Nicodemus: "He that believeth on him," the Son, whom God had sent into the world, that the world through him might be saved,-"He that believeth on him is not condemned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the

only-begotten Son of God." And the Baptist, shining, as he did, with reflected light, poured forth his testimony, towards its close, with increasing splendour, and declared to his disciples," He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." The Apostles, therefore, testified, Him "God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood." And, as in the case of the Philippian jailer, the inquiry related to the salvation, the present want of which was felt and deplored, the exhortation to duty was immediately connected with the promise of privilege: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Believe now, and thou shalt be saved now. They, for this reason, never scruple to appeal to those whom they address as believers, as possessing, in consequence of their faith, the blessings, for the attainment of which it was exercised. Thus, St. Peter: “In whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." And the language of St. Paul shows what that salvation was, which faith was thus the immediate instrument of securing: "Being justified_by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God: and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.' "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."

decisive test of their own character, by connecting with the performance of a present duty, the enjoyment of a present blessing. The Koran of Mohammed-to illustrate the subject by comparison and contrastpromises paradise to the true believer; but he must pass the gates of death before he can enter the enclosure of this garden of delights; and, therefore, he can bear no testimony on the subject to living men in this present world. Whether he is disappointed or not, we have no means of knowing directly from himself. Not so with the Gospel. It promises present blessings. If these promises cannot be exchanged for those blessings, then they who put forth such statements, did what they were not authorized to do; and, therefore, they are not true men. Whereas, on the other hand, if the performance of the duty unfailingly secures the enjoyment of the blessing, that possession becomes at once an evidence of the truth of the whole religion; the remainder of the system being so indissolubly connected with particular portions, that it must unavoidably partake of its character, and, with it, be either true or false. "This," therefore, under the NewTestament dispensation, and for the whole extent of that dispensation, "is the witness of God, which he hath testified of his Son."

And now, let the case be examined so far as we have brought it. According to the history of Scripture, till the sacred canon closes there is, from beginning to end, an unbroken series of divine appearances, communications, and interpositions. This was the case before the deluge, with the Patriarchs, with Israel in Egypt, in the wilderness, and in the land of promise. During the personal ministrations of the Son of God, these assumed a still more decided form, and shone forth with a brighter glory. Before he left the disciples whom he had attached to himself, he gave the explicit and remarkable promise, that his church should not be left in a state of orphanage. "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Com

forter, that he may abide with you for ever. I will not leave you comfortless," (oppavovs, "in a state of destitution," "comfortless," because of the removal of the natural protector,) "I will come unto you."

One effect of the presence of the promised Spirit of God was to be seen in the miracles which the Apostles, and others through their instrumentality, were to be enabled to perform, in attestation of the truth of the religion. But there was another effect, of which our Lord thus speaks: "At that day, ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." But how? By the miracles that should be performed in his name? No. But, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me, shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and WILL MANIFEST MYSELF UNTO HIM." One of his disciples, not understanding how his Master could manifest himself unto them, so as that the world should not behold it likewise,

for they looked for the outward manifestation of a temporal Prince,

sought for further information. It was thus given him: "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Here, then, is an explicit promise of an inward and spiritual manifestation of the Son of God, possessed of which, the obedient believer should know that Christ was in the Father. And to the same effect is the whole tenor of apostolic preaching. They who are justified by faith have the Holy Ghost given unto them, shedding the love of God abroad in their hearts. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ, for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes them free from the law of sin and death; giving them, therefore, a sacred power over sin; so that they not only delight in the law of God, after the inward man, but are enabled to proceed in a path of increasingly careful obedience, "through Christ which strengtheneth" them, that "the righteousness

of the law may be fulfilled" in those "who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." And, to sum up all in two remarkably explicit texts, connecting the promised blessings of the Gospel, with the presence of the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, with his people, St. Paul, writing to the Ephesians, says, "In whom" (Christ) "ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation; in whom, also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise." And as into the hearts of all that are "the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus," "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son, crying, Abba, Father," that same Spirit also "beareth witness with their spirits that they are the children of God."

Such, according to the statements of the New Testament, is that standing divine interposition, during the Christian dispensation, which furnishes a standing evidence of its truth. There are no longer the sensible appearances and the miracles, which accompanied former administrations of the covenant of redeeming love; but, in their place, there is the ever-present Spirit, himself the Lord, and to all them that turn to God by Christ, THE GIVER OF LIFE." This is "the witness which God hath testified of his Son," and "he that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." In what manner he who truly believeth has this witness in himself; and what is the value and force of the testimony; are questions now to be examined.

LET us first examine the import of the words themselves, and the circumstances under which they were delivered. The original meaning of "treasure" is, a "heap,' "accumulation," or store;" being also applied to the chamber or repository where goods are laid up for future use. The verb "lay up" is merely a verbial form of the same word; so that, by changing the term into one of more precise import, it might be rendered, "Store not up for yourselves stores upon earth." And if we compare the last expression, "upon earth," with the corresponding one, in heaven," (where we cannot literally deposit any substance,) we shall see that it manifestly denotes, "for an earthly, purpose." The passage, therefore, simply implies, that we are not to accumulate wealth for a merely worldly object, or to store it up for the future with a similar design. And that this is the true meaning of our Lord's command, will be made

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manifest when we compare it with other passages of Scripture, and thus ascertain the "mind of the Spirit" upon the subject.

But here we would remark, that all kinds of accumulation are not forbidden,- such as those which have any benevolent or religious object in view, or which are needful for the carrying on of business, or are demanded by the duties that we owe to our families. The former of these accumulations was directly sanctioned by God, with respect to the treasury of the temple; and by St. Paul, in regard to contributions for the poor. The latter were not required by those persons whom the Saviour addressed. The condition of the Jews, as a pastoral people, was very different from that of a commercial nation, where it is often necessary to provide for future contingencies in the mere way of business. The fluctuating nature of trade, and the frequent dependence of helpless members of a family upon some provision made for them by its head, require a little fore

sight, in order to comply with the apostolic injunction of " providing things honest." Thus, also, "if any provide not for his own, and especially those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel." (1 Tim. v. 8.) The law of inheritance amongst the Jews, and the temporal blessings (of good seasons, and increase of corn and cattle) directly promised them by God, upon condition of their faithfully serving him, not only made all "laying up an unnecessary waste of the talents committed to their care, but caused it to savour of unbelief in God's providential promises.

Yet, whilst we admit that accumulation is lawful, in so far as necessary to subserve the cause of religion and humanity, and to provide things that are "honest," (that is, decent or befitting,) we must beware of stretching this " liberty into licentiousness. A safeguard on this dangerous side is to be found in other passages of the Bible. The first we shall advert to is, "Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts" (or desires) "thereof." (Rom. xiii. 14.) If "laying up," therefore, be practised, in order to our living softly or luxuriously, or to increase the provisions of our table beyond that which is a comfortable supply of our wants; if it be adopted in order to flatter "the pride of life," (1 John ii. 16,) and to live in a more splendid style than decency requires of us in our respective situations; or if it be used to minister to our own or our children's future indolence, and freedom from honest labour; such accumulation becomes a criminal violation of the will of God; for it is made to fulfil "the desires of the flesh."

Let us advert to these points more particularly.

1. That we are not to seek more than a comfortable supply of our natural wants, is evident from such texts as these: "Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content." (1 Tim. vi. 8.) "Mortify your members which are upon the earth." (Col. iii. 5.) "I keep under and bring my body into subjection."

(1 Cor. ix. 27.) "Let your moderation be known to all men." (Phil. iv. 5.) And " temperance" is enjoined upon Christians in many parts of the sacred volume. Pleasing the appetite by luxurious living is thus as definitely forbidden, as are all revellings," (Gal. v. 21,) "banquetings," (1 Peter iv. 3,) and finding pleasure in the "good things" of life. (Luke xvi. 25.)

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2. No provision is to be made for satisfying (or indulging, for it can never be really satisfied) "the pride of life." This is explained by 1 Cor. vii. 20: “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called." Religion thus forbids a man's changing his station in life, for the purpose of gratifying his ambition and vanity. This passage seems directly levelled against those ideas of rising in the world," which prevail so much in the present day. If a man wish to be eminent according to the Bible, it must be for "good works;" and he will have far more opportunity of doing so, if he remain in that state in which Providence at first placed him. We do not thus allude to such a change as may be made in order to avoid any peculiar inconveniences, for this is sanctioned by the Bible; (1 Cor. vii. 21 ;) but one which takes place in order to gain the honour which a foolish world gives to the possession of wealth and rank, rather than to the useful application of those talents. we may boldly say, that no man has ever made himself better or happier by "aping his superiors," or by forsaking his own friend and his father's friend," (Prov. xxvii. 10,) that he may make new ones of a wealthier description. A certain "rise in society" will sometimes of necessity take place, through prosperity in business, or the possession of superior mental powers, which is to be humbly and thankfully acknowledged as the gift of God. But this is very different from our asking such an elevation through motives of pride and ambition, or from a wish to be honoured for the mere display or possession of this world's finery or riches. Thus, many a

And