His alone to cleanse and purify the soul. He begins and carries forward and perfects the work of grace in the soul. We cannot, by any effort, purify our own hearts. "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one. The Ethiopian cannot change his skin, nor the leopard his spots, neither can he that is accustomed to do evil learn to do well." There must be an influence from above of such power as to change the whole current of our feelings, inclinations, and desires, otherwise the heart will retain its original impurity and opposition to God. But let the Spirit of God, who formerly brooded upon chaos, and then arose a bright and beautiful creation, descend upon our dark and dead souls; let Him put forth his new creating energy, and forthwith we shall become a new creation in Christ Jesus, where all that is pure, lovely, honourable, and of good report, will flourish and prevail. That purifying process will be begun, which will rapidly advance, so that our path will be like that of the just, which shineth more and more until the perfect day. We shall then be blessed even in this life, for though separated from the world the happiness which the pure in heart enjoy is greater far than that of the most prosperous worldlings; for "they shall see God." It is impossible with our bodily eye to behold God. In this sense no man hath seen God at any time." walk by faith and not by sight.

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But we are called to
What the bodily eye is

to the natural man, faith is to the spiritual man. It is the evidence, the proof, the realization of things not seen. By faith then the pure in heart contemplate the glories and excellencies of God in his revealed character, and in this they experience an exalted enjoyment. And the more they advance in purity of heart, the clearer, the brighter, their spiritual perception of God becomes, and the more is their true happiness increased. And when the veil shall have been removed which now obscures, in a great measure, the divine perfections, when instead of the scattered rays which are now reflected from the works of creation, providence and redemption, the full blaze of the divine glory shall have burst upon their view, O, how shall we describe their rapturous joy: it is then that they shall be truly "blessed," for in the most emphatic sense they shall see God." Their communion with God on earth is necessarily partial, and the enjoyment derived from it consequently imperfect, but what they here see through a glass darkly they shall then see face to face. To see God is to enjoy him, and it is in heaven that He is pleased to manifest Himself in a peculiar manner, displaying the transcendent glories of His perfections.

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But it is not only in the contemplation of the divine excellencies that the pure in heart shall be blessed, they shall also be like God, for they shall see Him as He is. If on earth they ardently desired and prayed

for conformity to the divine image, their desires shall then be fully satisfied, and their progress in holiness shall be uniform and uninterrupted. That burden of sin which often led them to go mourning all the day long, shall be for ever removed; those tears with which they often watered their couch on account of their darkness, and deadness, and carnality of mind, shall be for ever wiped away; the clouds of unbelief shall disperse before the rising glories of that eternal morning, their faith shall finally give place to vision, and their hope to complete and everlasting enjoy

ment.

V. 9. "Blessed are the peace-makers; for they shall be called the children of God." This may be regarded as an exhibition of the effect of true religion upon the world at large. All human systems of morality have hitherto failed to operate a change upon the violent passions of man, and for this plain reason, that they have no tendency to subdue and sanctify the soul. "Whence come wars and fightings among you?" asks the apostle James, "come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members." The Christian, however, having become himself a partaker of that peace which passeth all understanding, follows habitually "those things that make for peace." He seeks to "follow peace with all men," as well as "holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

He is emphatically a peace-maker who delights in using all means of promoting and preserving peace, and in endeavouring to put an end to those contentions and animosities that may prevail around him. Such men are blessed in their dispositions and blessed in their deeds. Peaceful, calm, and tranquil in their own minds, they are free from those turbulent passions which agitate and disturb the unsanctified breast, The wicked are said to be "like the troubled sea which casts up mire and dirt." But the child of God has sought to "put away all malice and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings," and to be "clothed with humility" and meekness, and every charitable feeling. Such a man is a blessing to the society in which he lives. On his honoured head many a blessing is implored and many a blessing falls, while the peace-breaker is accursed of God and abhorred by his fellow men. The peculiar blessing which Jesus pronounces upon peace-makers is, that "they shall be called the children of God," which is simply an expression taken from the Hebrew and denoting "they shall be the children of God." This glorious title is applied by the apostle Paul to believers thus,-"Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." The peace-maker, however, is exhibiting in his character one of those peculiar quali, ties which shows him to be emphatically a child of Him who is the God of peace, and who, in the fulness

of time, proclaimed peace upon the earth and goodwill towards the children of men. In the peace-maker you may trace the image of " the Prince of peace,” who hath "made peace by the blood of his cross.” Even in this world he will be owned as a child of God enjoying the smile of his Father's love, and growing in his Father's likeness. But it is on the great day that he will be openly acknowledged to be a child, and, if a child, then an heir of God and jointheir with Jesus Christ. The last beatitude is thus expressed:

Vv. 10, 11, and 12. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." In the description of the peacemaker we saw Jesus adverting to the sweetening influence of the Christian character upon society at large, and now we perceive him, in plain language, describing the treatment which the believer is doomed to experience from that very world which is blessed with his peaceful and benevolent efforts. He is destined to be "persecuted for righteousness sake." To experience hatred and persecution at the hands of our