the heart has passions, as long as life has woes," so long will the message that God has sent to man's soul in Christ Jesus have undiminished freshness.

The preacher may be tiresome, but the Gospel never can. His way of putting things may be uninteresting; dulness of faith and coldness of love may give the drone to his voice, and the monotony to his style. But the proclamation of what God is, and what God has done, and what God promises in Christ Jesus, can never be anything but a wonder and a glory to men and angels.

If you want your people to be saved, I say preach to them Christ's Gospel. And this is the end we have to set before us in all our teaching and preaching-to help our hearers to be holy. Christ came not to save from the consequences of sin, but to save from sin itself. Moral evil is the great calamity from which man needs rescue. Sin indulged is hell begun on earth; whatever the awful future may be, it is but the outcome and the carrying on to its terrible consequence of base and selfish conduct now. We preach Christ to waken men's conscience, to comfort their hearts, but very specially to stir their wills to holy action. Motives for righteousness and strength for righteousness we strive to bring them through the knowledge of the personal God and Saviour.

In every sermon I think we ought to have before us this practical aim. We should take "the Word" in its highest sense as the Revelation of God to man in Christ Jesus, and use it to lift men up above their natural worldliness and selfseeking to a nobler platform of desire, aspiration, and effort. How best to carry out our purpose we shall consider presently; but the purpose itself should be very definitely and very constantly before our minds. I have to preach Christ as the Light of the world. I have so to display the light, that the shadows may flee away. I have to try to make it so shine in every heart that foul thoughts may be abashed, and that longings and strivings for holiness may take the place of worldly tastes and sinful pleasures. I have to cause the Lord Jesus to be so felt as a reality, as a real Presence, a real loving Lord, a real Deliverer and Friend, that all the enthusiasm of the heart may be awakened, and all the spiritual energy of the soul put in motion to spurn the evil, and struggle for the good.

When Demosthenes finished one of his orations, the mumur that ran through the people, and swelled into irresistible acclamation, was, "Let us go and fight against Philip." This was what he wanted. If the people had spent their energies in applauding the beauty of his speech, he would have felt that he had failed. He spoke to waken their patriotism, to inflame their martial ardour, to rouse them to

undying hate of the invader. All his art, all his powers of persuasion, all his fierce and passionate eloquence, tended to this one result-the fight against Philip.

So it should be with us Christian preachers. If men go away from our sermon saying how eloquent it was, how sweet the language was, we have failed. If men go away saying, "I must try to lead a new life," we have succeeded. Therefore we grapple with their consciences, therefore we tell them of redeeming love, therefore we strive to make the Lord Jesus live before their eyes as a personal Saviour. We want them to be loyal to the good and true; we want them to cut off the right hand or pluck out the right eye rather than yield to the evil; we want them, in the great world-wide strife between right and wrong, to be "more than conquerors through Him that loved us.”

"SELF-CONTRADICTIONS OF THE BIBLE."

(Continued from page 101.)

It is our Duty to obey Rulers, who are God's Ministers, and punish Evil Doers only.Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God Whosoever, therefore, resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works but to evil.. For this cause pay ye tribute: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Rom xiii. 1, 2, 3, 6. The Scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat; all, therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do. Matt. xxiii. 2, 3 submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king as supreme, or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers I Peter ii. 13, 14 I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment Whoso keepeth the commandment shall

feel no evil thing. Eccl viii. 2, 5.

It is Not our Duty always to obey Rulers, who sometimes Punish the Good, and receive unto themselves Damnation therefor.-But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them Therefore God dealt well with the midwives. Ex i. 17, 20. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said, Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Dan. iii 16, 18. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree petition of any God

lions)

for thirty day

(that whosoever shall ask a he shall be cast into the den of Now, when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house, and kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed. as he did aforetime Dan vi. 9, 7, 10-And the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth, against Thy holy child Jesus, whom Thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together. Acts iv. 26, 27.-Beware of the Scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the market places, and the chief seats in the synagogues These shall receive greater damnation. Mark xii. 38, 39, 40.- And Herod with his men of war set him at naught, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate, And Pilate gave sentence And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him And the people stood beholding And the rulers also with them derided Him. Luke xxiii. 11, 24, 33, 35. THE long array of texts here quoted simply teaches God's children to obey every law of the "powers that be," that is founded in justice and equity. When human law conflicts

with the law of God, we are not to bow to the less, but yield our obedience to the great Law-giver of the Universe. "Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's." Hence, whenever we can obey rulers and magistrates without conflicting with the law of God, we are scripturally bound to do so. But if men legislate against God and His truth, our obligation to them ceases. No Christian could consistently act up to its requirements. The immortal Blackstone-England's pre-eminent juristwell remarks that "An enactment is not a law, when it conflicts with the law of God."

Woman's Rights Denied.-And thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee Gen. iii. 16 I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 1 Tim. ii 12. They are commanded to be under ob dience, as also saith the law. 1 Cor. xiv. 34.-Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. 1 Pet. iii. 6

Woman's Rights Affirmed.-And Deborah, a prophetess,

that time

judged Israel at

And Deborah said unto Barak, Up! for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak Judges iv. 4, 14, 15. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until I, Deborah, arose, a mother in Israel. Judges v 7. And on my hand-maidens I will pour out in those days of my spirit, and they shall prophesy. Acts ii 18.-And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy. Acts xxi. 9.

Because a woman is taught to render due respect to her husband and not to usurp authority over him; because women were forbidden to habitually speak in public, or to interfere with matters which it was a man's business to attend to-does it therefore follow that when the Lord pours out His spirit upon them, that they are still to be silent? If God bestows an extraordinary gift upon woman, or gives her a work to do, no apostle of Jesus would forbid her. Anna was allowed to prophesy in the temple as well as Simeon. And Paul's prohibition of a woman's praying or prophesying unveiled was certainly an acknowledgment of her right to do so, under such a regulation. Hence the Bible gives to woman a position of dignity, and also of delicacy-it points out the true sphere in which she is to act with becoming modesty and self-respect.

Obedience to Masters Enjoined.-Servants obey in all things your masters according to the flesh . . And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord Col iii. 22, 23.-Be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 1 Pet ii. 18

Obedience Due to God Only - Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Matt iv. 10-Be not ye the servants of men 1 Cor. vii. 23.— Neither be ye called masters, for one is your master, even Christ. Matt. xxiii 10.

The passages in the first part of this proposition simply teach servants to obey their masters in matters relating to their regular employment. But the infidel thinks he finds a contradiction of this in Matt. iv. 10, which teaches that the

"Lord thy God" is the only object of worship. But it requires little discernment to see that this passage has no reference to secular things. He also quotes I Cor. vii. 23, which reads, "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men." Christ having given His life for the saints, they are to obey Him in preference to men. There is surely no contradiction here, for the texts quoted in the first part of the proposition nowhere teach that servants are to obey their masters in preference to Christ.

Matt. xxiii. 10 is an admonition to the saints, which forbids the assumption of titles.

There is an Unpardonable Sin.-He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness. Mark iii 29.

There is No Unpardonable Sin.—And by Him all that believe are justified from all things. Acts xiii 39.

The key to this problem is found in the latter part of the text last quoted, and which the infidel was obliged to leave off in order to make out his "contradiction." The text reads thus:" And by Him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." By quoting the whole text, the difficulty is at once obviated. There was no justification in the law of Moses, as will appear from Rom. iii. 20: "Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." It is not the province of law to justify, but to condemn those who transgress. Hence, in the New Testament, justification is attributed to the grace of Jesus Christ. The unpardonable sin mentioned in Mark could not be committed under the dispensation of the law. Hence, Acts xiii. 39 has no reference to it whatever. The unpardonable sin consists in an apostacy from the truth of the Gospel. "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame." Heb. vi. 4-6.

(To be continued.)

THE PURIFYING HOPE.
A SERMON.

FROM AN ORIGINAL M.S. OF THE REV. W. L. THORNTON, M.A. "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure." -1 JOHN iii. 3.

AN acquaintance with this subject may shew us that the sanctifying tendency of all revealed truth is to make us acquainted with its Divine Author, and to restore the forfeited

joys and purity of man. So admirable is the unity of design which marks the sacred record, that every page, either direct or indirect, may be said to have respect to the great subject of human holiness. Does this volume contain precepts? They summon us to the cultivation and practice of holiness "Be ye holy, for I am holy: Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Is it enriched and adorned with precious promises? These are given, according to Peter, that we may be "partakers of the Divine nature. Are we here reminded of the bright examples of departed piety? The ancient saints unanimously cry, "As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I wake up with Thy likeness." And does Christianity awaken in man's drooping spirit the hope of immortality? That lofty expectation promotes his renewal in the image of Him who created him; for "every man that hath this hope in him purified himself, even as He is pure."

The connexion of the text is impressive and animating. The chapter opens with an exclamation that must find an echo in every believer's heart: verse 1, "The world knows us not," &c. It estimates not our joys, our high pursuits, or our ruling principles; its smiles and honours are therefore reserved for others. And gladly we bid thee adieu, O vain and fluctuating world! Over thy misguided sons we drop a tear of trembling and compassionate solicitude. Verse 2: The consummation of our deathless glory will be resemblance to our redeeming Lord: "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." But this is not enough, O glorious Christianity! Already antedating the fruitions of Paradise, we see the glory of the Lamb; we shine by a fair, though distant reflection of His image; and the hope of the brightening future at once creates constant joys and leads to heavenly purity.

The text suggests three subjects :

1. Christian hope. 2. Christian purity. 3. The connexion

that attaches the latter to the former.

I. HOPE. This hope is a pleasing expectation of future good. It does not properly relate to what is now possessed : "What a man seeth," and enjoyeth, “Why doth he yet hope for?" We cannot think, with some expositors of honourable name, that St. John means a hope that we are now the sons of God: this the believer knows by a blessed and Divine testimony; but hope in its appropriate place in Christian experience. Scattered over the epistles, I find such phrases as "a lively hope,"-" a good hope through grace.' The friendly passion that "springs eternal in the human breast," which cheers the most sorrowful, and lights up a gleam on the most darkened countenance, is here employed and sublimed.