Judges, and skeleton prisoners in the Forum; skeleton philosophers lecturing their skeleton disciples in the halls. Wonderfully curious, the whole scene is a bitter satire on human vanity and the nothingness of mortal existence. I have seen catacombs and cemeteries in every part of Europe; but no respositories of the dead can arouse such serious reflections on our own inevitable doom as this appalling picture of a populous city suddenly buried in its volcanic grave, and the busy inhabitants ingulfed in one common destruction.

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DOES OUR SUCCESS CORRESPOND WITH OUR AGENCY? (Continued from page 338.)

SPIRITUAL success is so entirely dependent on the Divine power,-and that power is so competent to the success, whether the visible agency and the concurring circumstances are more favourable or less so,-and it is so decidedly the purpose of God to have the glory of His own work,-that it is not unreasonable to suppose that He looks with mistrust and uneasiness on any array of means and instrumentalities so wise, and able, and well adapted, that they seem of themselves, by their own co-action, to guarantee the desired result. In other words, human means may be too clever, too well arranged, too exact, too perfect, for the service of the Divine power. The great Agent by whom the work is mainly to be done, and without whom, after all, it will not be done, stands behind, out of sight, "invisible ;" and unthinking men will attribute the result to the visible power as an absolute and perfect cause. Thus the mere instruments of the Holy Spirit become a veil to conceal Him, and separate Him from His own work, and from the glory of it.

In this way the ecclesiastical arrangements and agencies of a church, or of a connexion of churches, may be so good, and so nearly approaching to that which men would think perfect, as to stand in the way of the action of the Divine power. Its Ministers may be so well chosen, so well trained, so well instructed, and so able and acceptable in their work; its doctrines, its government, its discipline, its powers of conservation and adaptation, of concentration and expansion-its everything-may exhibit such an application of Scripture teaching by human wisdom, as to command general admiration, and an expectation of the highest success. So that such a combination as this may seem as if it must have life in itself, and be a fountain of life to all around. But all this may be too much too clever too artificial. Without any such intention, it may displace the Holy Spirit, throw Him further back from observation, and fix attention less on Him than on the intervening agencies. Ministers of religion, and the better-instructed of all grades, may design all this for the service of the Spirit Himself; but it may so happen, that the majority of common observers, both in the church and out of it, fix their attention chiefly on the mighty array of well-chosen means, and look on with an admiration

and expectancy that may "grieve" the Holy Spirit of God. He is not displeased at the agency itself, but at the undue importance men attach to it. The use of such an instrument would not glorify Him; and we may conceive Him, in His mighty self-sufficiency, turning aside to create-to call out of nothing-some new and simple agency which He may honour with His blessing, and the success of which is sure to be attributed to One greater than itself.

Here is Methodism, with its vast organization of churches. We shall not presume to attribute to it the sort of perfection above imagined. But we may, perhaps, modestly say, that there is some danger lest some of its people, or some other people, should attribute to it that perfection. What was Methodism in its commencement? Was it not the very creation of this self-same Spirit? Did not He work on the minds of a few good men, chosen and called? and then did He not work with and through them on the minds of sinners? What was the consecutive development and organization of that which has been called Methodism, (a human name for a Divine thing,) but an effort to make way for the living waters which flowed down from heaven? First the mighty flow cut out its own channels, running hither and thither by its own force, and making place and passage for itself, whether men would or not, and against all obstacles. Seeing the Divine beneficence, good men then began to gather the precious waters into channels of their own preparing; that, if possible, the whole country might be irrigated. And the Holy Spirit honoured their preparations with corresponding copiousness. But, for the most part, whilst they continued diligent, and could only be taken for servants of the great Husbandman, He was in advance of them. The more numerous the channels, the more abundant the living waters; and still even to overflowing. So it was for long, long time, through several generations. What, then, if now a vast system of irrigation has been prepared, and every obstacle removed, so that the most may be made of what Heaven gives, and nothing be lost, or allowed to run to waste; are we to stand by and admire the beautiful system, the elaborate contrivances, the industry, the human skill, and be as much pleased with the channels as at first with the waters; with our barren labours, as with the fructifying stream; with the human perfection, as with the Divine efficiency? To what purpose is the finest and most complete system of irrigation that can be conceived, if the windows of heaven be not opened-if the skies send down no RAIN?

Then, when there was nothing to work with, the blessed Author of good did the work alone. He made Methodism out of nothing. His own arm brought salvation unto Him. That all-sufficient, self-relying power still remains-remains in all fulness, and goodness, and readiness; so ready, indeed, to exert itself, that Christ is impatient to be restrained: and nothing is so dangerous to us who wish to be blessed by it, as to think of it less, to esteem it less, to rely on it less, amidst our wisdom, wealth, and credit, than when we were poor, and ignorant, and blind, and naked, and despised; or even to seem to do this, although we do it not.

Do we then argue that hindrances are not to be removed, that Ministers are not to be instructed, that the ecclesiastical system is not to be rendered as perfect an instrument as human wisdom, guided by Divine teaching, can devise for the service of the Holy Ghost, and the edification and enlargement of the church? Not for a moment. We say, that all this is right. But we also say, that in the proportion in which the secondary agency approaches perfection must be the real and the apparent-the manifest-dependence on the first. The whole tone and bearing of the administrators, in private discourse, in public prayer, in preaching, in public addresses, always and everywhere, must keep attention on the Spirit of Christ as the first and last Operator in all that concerns the conversion and eventual salvation of the human soul. This ecclesiastical apparatus, in its unity, and in all parts, must look up to Him, must wait on Him, must watch for His approbation, His acceptance, His command, His energizing and demonstrative activity: so that it shall not be possible for any observer to doubt, or to forget, WHO is the GIVER of every good and perfect gift, and from WHOм all blessings flow. All this is needful to anticipate God's jealousy for His own honour, and insure His co-operation. But, where the faithful industry which provides the most efficient visible means is only exceeded by the patient (if we should not rather say, impatient) earnestness that implores and waits for the interposition of the supreme power, all is safe, all is right. This is the very attitude most inviting, and most pleasing, to the blessed Spirit. To provide all human means with every pains and every skill, as though the greatest issues depended on these alone, and then to esteem them as nothing, to hold them light as air, as the small dust of the balance, till the Spirit be poured out from on high,-this is that blessed order, that blessed harmony, that blessed propriety, in which the Almighty delights, and which constitutes in its entireness the perfect fitness of means to an end, so that the end shall surely be accomplished ;-that most glorious of all ends here on earth, the salvation of the human soul. O, how happy, how blessed, thrice blessed, the church, the community of churches, which possesses this gracious combination of wisely-chosen human means with the Divine power! There is seen a well-organized body, inhabited and actuated by an intelligent and holy soul; and there is life, and health, and growth, and prosperity.

It is not meant to intimate that Methodism has any great cause of uneasiness here, except in so far as its more advanced apparatus of means indicates a danger, and calls for a gracious watchfulness, a gracious mistrust, an apprehension lest by any oversight, or any inattention or mistake, the agency intended to serve and honour the Holy Spirit should stand in His way, and obstruct Him. There is a jealousy which we must exercise over our machinery and our whole proceeding, lest we excite the jealousy of the Holy Spirit of God; and that jealousy on our part is the most likely to prevent jealousy on His. As an active and aggressive church, we can only live and continue by the same power and favour that created us.

And the same is true of any church. It may sink down to a cold, ecclesiastical, economical organization, with its half-empty meeting-houses, its sermons, its lectures, its philosophical discussions, its social entertainments, and sundry other aids to keep what remains together; and it may be bolstered up for a long time, and spin out a weary existence. But when the Holy Spirit, in His quickening, life-sustaining energy, has forsaken its ordinances, what is left is worth nobody's while; and how soon it perishes and altogether disappears, (unless its backslidings should be healed,) is a matter of no moment whatever. Few things are more odious than an organization that is now philosophical and now political, now turns against a Government and now against a parish, and is ready for any sort of strife or mischief it can agree upon, held together by preachings and lectures, and having the name of a church. Its proceedings might be tolerated under another name; but why abuse and dishonour this sacred one? When Methodism (vast and important as it is) ceases to be a spiritual organization for spiritual purposes,—that is, a living church of the living God, happy in itself, and serviceable to Christ,-it can be spared for everything else. In that sad case, both God and mankind can do infinitely well without it; and it may dissolve and disappear,-remembered only as a glory of the past. And, indeed, it has had so glorious a time, and shed such a light on the human race, that it were better it should go out in its glory, and leave a happy remembrance, and its splendid example, (and, if it were but once out of the way, what praise would it meet with from all sides! and what gracious longings after it!) than that so Divine a thing should descend to secularity, common place, and exhaustion. Mr. Wesley himself has said, again and again, that when his people ceased to be a spiritual and holy and earnest people, instantly serving and glorifying Christ, he hoped the name of Methodist would cease from the earth: as a body, their longer continuance would be useless. Not with any overweening confidence, but still boldly and comfortably, we can at present say these things to ourselves: for, thanks be to God, the Holy Spirit is still with us, still in our ordinances, still in the hearts of our people; and we are more and more anxious to be with Him, and to enjoy His larger favour and more copious blessing.

But if one church can be more dependent on the Spirit's grace than another, that church is our own. We were originally born of the Spirit, nourished by Him, trained and taught by Him; and we should lose our own nature if we were to lose His grace. Our whole constitution would shrivel up and perish. He, and He only, can keep us in life and health. His breath is natural to us. Our doctrinal standards have all been framed (as we think) under His best instruction, both of the understanding and the heart. We teach that the "epistle of Christ" must be written by Him on the fleshy table of the contrite sinner's heart; that religion must go through to the soul and spirit; that it must have its seat there; that the kingdom of Christ is within you; that "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His;" that the Holy Spirit is sent forth

into the hearts of Christ's people, causing them to feel and acknowledge their new relationship, so that they cry "Abba, Father;" and that the Spirit Himself "beareth witness with their spirit that they are the children of God." Now, if these truths are not verified in the knowledge and experience of large numbers of those who hear, who will believe the testimony? And who can give this knowledge and experience but the Holy Ghost, the Comforter? If, therefore, He work not with us, how long are we to prophesy these high truths over dead souls,-souls that yet remain dead, "dead in trespasses and sins?" Who will believe our report, if the arm of the Lord be not revealed? Our whole system of teaching, experience, and discipline is so spiritual, so personal, so practical; its appeals are so pointed, and its examinations so searching; it exacts so much, and presumes so entirely on having to deal with persons who either are converted or will be converted, that it must undergo an entire collapse if the Holy Spirit withdraw; or, indeed, if His working be not manifest. The higher the teaching, the less agreeable is it, and the less successful, unless it be accompanied with a corresponding fervour and sweetness of grace from the lips of the Minister; so that he needs grace to speak: and the greater and more urgent the demand made on the hearer, the more easily is it set aside, unless sent home to his conscience by power from on high. What, then, becomes of all this, if the Holy Spirit withhold His grace and benediction? Who more likely to be, in such circumstances, as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, than a Methodist Minister? But if, again, our teaching and the Spirit's influence be so true, so natural, to each other, that the conjunction is necessary to a right effect, and will certainly produce one, how great a compliment is this to our teaching! Is not that the truth which the Holy Spirit thus enforces, and which He only can enforce; which will respond to no inferior action, but responds to His,→→ responds in contrite tears, in pardon, peace, and joy, and holiness? Is not this (the Methodist truth) Christian truth, Scripture truth, the truth “ as it is in Jesus?"

As whatever grieves the Holy Spirit of God must stand in the way of the prosperity of a church; so whatever may have this tendency should be narrowly watched. When any church (as, we may safely say, the Methodist church) has attained to a high degree of discrimination in the teaching and work of the Spirit, and, turning away equally from unbelief and enthusiasm, and from all carnal reasoning, yields itself up in faith to the advancement and enforcement of the whole truth, looking for corresponding results in them that hear; and those results appear by the Spirit's operation, so that His work is well known by its harmony. with His teaching, and is readily distinguished from what is false, or fraudulent, or counterfeit, then it is of the utmost moment that that should not be accounted the work of the Spirit which is not such, and that His gracious work, which may have begun, should not be said to be advanced farther than the fruits may show. After leaving a fair margin for those diverse workings of the same Spirit on the varied soil of the human heart, (in