shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in. their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people." In Genesis xvii. 7, the Almighty thus speaks to Abraham: "I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.' In succeeding passages of Scripture, the nature of this covenant is more fully unfolded. From the address to Abraham just quoted, we may learn some of its leading peculiarities. We are here told that it should be an everlasting covenant. We are to understand by this, not only that the seed of the patriarch in all time to come were to inherit its provisions, but likewise that he himself was eternally to enjoy them. The declaration, "I will be a God unto thee," may be thus paraphrased: “I will exert my divine attributes in thy behalf-I will protect thee by my power-I will enlighten thee by my Spirit-I will sustain thee by my grace-I will make thee a partaker of my blessedness." It must be obvious, that had Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, been annihilated at death, this promise would not have been verified. It could not have been said that the Lord was their God; that, as such, he had magnified towards them his mercy, and communicated unto them of his happiness. He knew that the lives of these saints were chequered with countless trials. They were strangers in a strange landthey had no certain dwelling-place, and they had a large share of family afflictions. They do not seem to have had a more ample measure of worldly prosperity than the heathen around them. Had they ceased to exist at death, how could it have been said that the Lord was their God? In what respects was their lot better than that of others? The promise which the Almighty gave to Abraham-"I will be a God unto thee" denoted that he would never leave him nor forsake himthat he would never suffer him to sink into a state of nonexistence and that, beyond the boundaries of time, he would provide for him a heavenly and an everlasting habitation. Hence we find Jacob saying on his death-bed(Gen. xlix. 18,) "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord." We see from this expression of the departing patriarch, that he regarded the present life but as the dawn of his being, and that he contemplated death as the passage to endless joy. As he took a retrospect of his earthly history, he declared, "Few and evil have the days of the years of my life been," (Gen. - xlvii. 9;) and now that he had reached its close-and now that he expected soon to be summoned from this vale of tears and of perplexity-and now that the celestial city appeared full before his view, he breaks forth into the exulting exclamation, "I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord." Had he believed that there was no resurrection-had he thought that the soul died with the body, how absurd would have been this ejaculation! He would be represented as waiting for the salvation of God when upon the very threshold of annihilation! But Jacob lived by faith, and he believed that the blessings of the everlasting covenant were yet, in a great degree, to be realized. We find, too, that the benefits of their covenant extended to the bodies as well as to the souls of God's ancient servants. In circumcision, which was the token of the covenant, a mark was made upon the body. It was thus sealed as a part of the ransomed possession. We may hence perceive the pertinency of the quotation which our Lord adduces in refutation of the doctrine of the Sadducees. Had the patriarchs ceased to exist at death, there would have been but little meaning in the announcement, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." It was addressed to Moses, when he was directed to go into Egypt, that he might effect the emancipation of the Israelites; (see Exodus iii.) but had Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob been annihilated, would it not have been most cheerless and disheartening? The future captain of the Hebrews might have replied, in the disconsolate language of the psalmist, "Remember how short my time is, wherefore hast thou made all men in vain!"-Ps. lxxxix. 47. He might have pointed to the prosperity of the wicked, and to the sufferings of the righteous, and he might then have urged the question,-What availeth the promise, "I will be a God unto thee?" But the solemn annunciation which issued from the burning bush, was not received by Moses with that indifference with which it was afterwards treated by the foolish Sadducees. At first it filled him with holy awe, and afterwards it sustained his faltering courage. In times of the utmost peril, he was strengthened by meditating upon the name of the Lord his God. He knew that it conveyed an assurance that the manifold riches of grace and glory would be shed abroad upon him abundantly. And accordingly, when he was enjoined to go to his countrymen, and to hold out to them the prospect of deliverance, he was commissioned to address them in a similar strain: "And God said moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel-the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you- this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." -(Exodus iii. 15.) P. BIBLE INSTRUCTION.-No. XII. THE CHURCH. Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."-MAT. xvi. 18. THE term church means generally an assembly of any kind. When particularly applied to the people of Christ, it means an assembly, called out of the world by means of the preached word, and united together in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel. And in the Scriptures it is variously used, sometimes expressing the whole company of believers from the beginning till the end of time; at other times, a particular portion of the church that is on earth; and again, the representatives or governors of the church. The context must determine, in each instance, in what sense it is used. See Col. i. 18; 1 Cor. i. 2; Rom. xvi. 5; Mat. xviii. 17. In entering upon the consideration of this subject, the reader is entreated carefully to consult the following passages, in which he will find the church treated of in a great variety of interesting and important views:-Mat. xvi. 13-19; Acts xx. 28; Eph. i. 20-23; Eph. ii. 19-22; 1 Cor. xii. 1228; 2 Cor. vi. 14-18; John xviii. 36; Eph. v. 25–27; Rev. xxi. 9-27. In these Scriptures the church is treated of in its foundation, ransom, head, unity, communion, purity, discipline, end, and glorification. It is doubtful, indeed, whether such satisfactory views of this subject can be presented to the mind, in any formal treatment of it, as are to be obtained by simply consulting those Scriptures in which the term, or some of its synonimes, occurs. At all events, we cannot proceed to submit the following outline to the reader, without exhorting him to pursue this scriptural investigation for himself. And having given this counsel, we submit the following systematic view of the subject, as being the most simple and comprehensive that occurs to us. The subject is itself most extensive and diversified, and we attempt no more than a mere skeleton of it. I. The universal church of Christ. This consists of three parts those yet unborn, those on the earth, and those in heaven. The first class is reckoned, because, though not yet actually in being, yet do they exist in the purpose of God, and already. are they provided for in the plans of his grace. In his providence he will call them into being, by his Spirit he will bring them into the fellowship of the church, and by his power he will preserve them unto everlasting life. Eph. i. 3-6. The redeemed upon earth constitute the church militant. They are fighting the good fight of faith with the world, and the devil, and the flesh. Nor will the contest end till they reach the heavenly glory. Eph. vi. 10-18. And those in heaven are the church triumphant. They have overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and are now enjoying their reward. They are occupied in the full enjoyment and increasing praises of redeeming love, and will for ever be subject to no other change than the increase of knowledge, love, and happiness. Rev. i. 5, 6; v. 9, 10. For this church Christ laid down his life; for it he has instituted, and ever executes the plans of his providence; and this church he will in the end take to himself,. that all its members may be with him where he is, and behold his glory. This is the purpose of eternal love, and nothing can hinder its designs, II. The visible church of Christ. By this is meant the whole company of those upon earth, who bear the name of Christ, and profess his religion. Forasmuch, however, as great diversity of sentiment and practice has prevailed among nominal Christians, it becomes a question of much interest and importance which of these contending parties is best en-titled to be counted the true church of Christ, or how many of them may be admitted to be component members of it. This leads to the very serious enquiry, what are the marks of the true church, and we shall content ourselves with noticing the three following. 1. The profession of the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. Wherever the truth is possessed it will be professed. Mat. xii. 34; Acts iv. 20; Rom. x. 10. The church, moreover,. is required to liold forth a distinct and plain testimony to the truth. Mat. v. 14-16; Phil. ii. 15, 16; 2 Tim. i. 13; 1 John iv. 1; iii. 15; v. 1. Rev. ii. 10; xv. 20. Accordingly, from the beginning, it has been the practice of every pure church to hold forth its Confession of Faith to the world. This is necessary, both as a testimony to truth, and a witness against error. And no church can be ranked among the faithful followers of Christ, unless its profession of his doctrine be plain, explicit, full, and decided. 2. The scriptural administration of ordinances. Men become really united in heart and judgment when they believe the Gospel, and they are avowedly and publicly united when they join in the ordinances of the Gospel. Till then, they never assume, in the eye of others, the aspect of a church. But so long as they continue to meet in these, their profession before the world is, that they are one in Christ Jesus. Not only, indeed, does the common observance of ordinances, such as baptism, the Lord's Supper, and attendance on the preached word, declare the unity of a church; it also tends to promote and confirm it. It gives occasion to the various exercises of brotherly love, and cements the affections of those already united in judgment. It will also be uniformly observed, that in proportion to the zeal which any church discovers for the doctrines of the word, so is its attentions to ordinances. Their due celebration, indeed, exercises an influence so great, that no church, concerned for its edification, will neglect to pay the most scrupulous attention to the manner of their observance. And it is not too much to say, that any society which is heedless about them, wants an essential mark, and forfeits the character of a church of Christ. 1 Cor. xi. 17--34.› 3. The faithful exercise of discipline. By discipline is meant the execution of those laws which Christ has appointed for the regulation of his church. Its authority is distinctly declared in Mat. xvi. 19. and xviii. 17. It supposes a vigilant superintendance of all the members of the church by those duly appointed to the office of government, and consists in exhorting, counselling, reproving, or even expelling. In the laws which Christ has laid down for the regulation of discip line, we have a proof of his consummate wisdom as the head of the church; for there does not seem to be any thing necessary to the well-being of the society for which it does not provide. It embraces judicious plans for the edification of the members of the church, 1 Cor. xiv. 26; the amicable settlement of any disputes unhappily arising among them, 1 Cor. vi. 1-6; a suitable provision for the maintenance of the poor, Acts vi. 1-6; attention to the sick, James v. 14; the education of the young who, by baptism, have been brought under the care of the church, Acts xvi. 31-34; the exclusion of the incorrigible, 1 Cor. v; and the restoration of the penitent, Gal. vi. 1. The very statement of these topics is sufficient to evidence the importance of discipline. It makes the church a society complete in itself, and almost independent of connexion with the world. In our day this feature of it, however, T |