alas, far removed from the pattern exhibited by those churches which in Judea were in Christ Jesus-too lax in their disciplinetoo anxious to court the favour of the great ones of this world, allowed them an easy access into their midst; and now they were well nigh swamped by the crowds of ungodly, who, however, on the first alarm of persecution, wheeled about, and abandoned the profession of Christianity as lightly as they had embraced it. Accordingly, we find that in the persecution which Decius raised, A.D. 250, large numbers, in the hour of danger, abandoned that in which they considered it was no longer their interest to continue. This persecution, which endured for about three years, had the salutary effect of purging the churches of false professors, vast numbers of whom, however, on its cessation, flocked back again, requesting to be re-admitted. The readiness with which many of the bishops allowed this, was the cause of dissensions and divisions, and finally, of the establishment of a number of puritan churches; so that we have the melancholy exhibition now, for the first time, of the greater portion of the churches called Christian, manifesting their corruption and departure from the primitive faith and practice, whilst those who protested against such things, were stigmatized as sectaries and branded as heretics. Not long after the cessation of this persecution, another was raised by Valerian, A.D. 256, which was very fierce, and during which many of the most prominent among the Christians, in different parts of the empire, suffered martyrdom. However, this emperor having been taken prisoner by the Persians, A.D. 259, his son Gallienus revoked his edicts, and granted toleration to the Christians. For nearly fifty years after this they appear to have been little molested, during which time the churches increased in numbers and in wealth, and the bishops in pride, arrogance, and worldly mindedness. The Christians now formed no inconsiderable portion of the inhabitants of the empire. Paganism was tottering on its throne, but ere it succumbed, it made one last grand effort to overthrow that power which had gone on increasing under every loss, conquering while defeated-without arms-without violence, but gaining the victory not the less surely, in calm and patient endurance. This fearful storm, which broke out under Diocletian, A.D. 303, raged long and violently, and was nothing less than a deliberate attempt entirely to extirpate Christianity. All the former persecutions, severe as they undoubtedly were, sink into insignificance, when compared with the fearful scenes of bloodshed and cruelty which were now manifested from the one extremity of the empire to the other. It is said that in the province of Egypt alone, no fewer than one hundred and fifty thousand were put to death, or died from the effects of the torments to which they were subjected. The sacred scriptures and other writings held in reverence by the Christians, were diligently sought for and burned, their buildings were razed to the ground, their property confiscated, and themselves subjected to every infamy which the worst passions of humanity could devise. So fiercely and continuously did this persecution rage, that the heathen thought they had finally succeeded in extinguishing the last spark, and that the name of Christ was effaced for ever from the earth. Monuments were erected, and medals struck, to commemorate this, the consummation of their most ardent wishes. They were destined, however,

shortly to see how erroneous had been their conclusions; for, although they had been the means of once more eradicating the noxious weeds, and presenting before the minds of all for solution the one grand question which lies at the basis of all true godliness, that same question which Christ put to Peter, 'Lovest thou me?' they were unable, after ten years of pertinacious endeavours, to root up that plant which God had planted. Yet after this severe chastening, it is melancholy to observe how quickly many returned to their former courses after the scourge was removed-how the old story was repeated in their case, that the sons of God looked upon the daughters of men that they were fair,' when those who bore the sacred name of Christ entered into alliance with the great ones of the earth, until that Mystery, Babylon the Great, sprang from the unnatural connection.

The Roman empire having now several competitors for the throne of the Cæsars, was split up into factions, who favoured the interests of the different candidates. Constantine, one of these, seems to have been a far-seeing and prudent, as well as humane man, and by espousing the cause of the Christians, he at once enlisted a large portion of the empire in his favour, and secured their best wishes, as well as co-operation, wherever it was possible, in accordance with their principles. After a long and arduous struggle, he at length attained to the summit of his ambition, and showed his gratitude by the honours which he lavished upon the dignitaries of the churches. The evil results of this mistaken kindness are sufficiently well-known as having been productive of the system of Popery to which it very soon led by an easy transition; but as it is not our purpose to recall the fearful scenes which occurred under its rule, we need not trace the events in the history of 'The Church,' further than the establishment of Christianity as the religion of the Roman empire, which took place under Constantine, who died A.D. 337.

A last attempt was made by the emperor Julian, about A.D. 360, to raise the fallen genius of Polytheism, but on his death, which happened two or three years afterwards, it fell to rise no more; possessed of no vitality in itself, it could not be made to live by the decree of an emperor, and without anything in itself that could commend it to those who were earnestly seeking after the truth, it lay where it fell, and gradually passed into oblivion. It is, however, of the utmost importance for us who live in these times attentively to ponder the lessons of the past, in the recollection of the fact that the nature of man is unchanged, and that the germs of those principles which corrupted primitive Christianity are ever existent, awaiting only a favourable opportunity to develop themselves. We will,

accordingly, cast a retrospective glance over these past events, in the endeavour to elucidate the causes, and trace the progression of that lamentable corruption which has been productive of such fearful results, and while observing the decline of Christianity and the rise of antichrist in the early churches, we would dwell upon these events from no desire either to cast reproach upon others, or to render ourselves apparently fairer by contrast, but that, in seeing the end of their wanderings, we may be the more anxious to find the old paths -the good way, and to walk therein, that we may find rest to our souls.

H. M.

Page for the Young.

THE OFFERING OF THE SON.

ABOUT three thousand seven hundred and fifty years ago, God said to Abraham, Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burntoffering. Then were seen at the foot of one of the mountains of Israel an old venerable patriarch, two young men, and a youth, and with them an ass, and wood, and fire, and a knife, for a burnt offering. The old man said to the two young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham-for he it was-took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son-for he was the lad— and took the fire in his hand, and the knife, and they went together up the hill. And Isaac wondered very much why they should go to offer a burnt sacrifice without any kid or lamb, for he had always seen one before, when an offering was to be made. So Isaac said, My Father and Abraham said, Behold me, my son! and he said, Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the kid for a burnt-offering? And Abraham said,, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offering. Soon they went till they came to the place which God had told Abraham of, and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood, and stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham! Abraham! and he replied, Here I am; and he said, Lay not thy hand upon the lad, for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. And Abraham looked and beheld a ram caught in a thicket by the horns, and he went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt-offering in the stead of his son, and Abraham called that place Jehovah-jireh, which means, The Lord will provide. And the angel called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, 'By myself have I sworn saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son; that in blessing, I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand on the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in thy seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice.'

Here, dear young readers, is the trial, proof, and reward of Abraham's faith. God tried him by commanding him to offer up his only son-him in whom God's promises were to be fulfilled. By faith he offered him up, accounting God able to raise him even from the dead. Thus he never doubted the fulfilment of God's promise through this son Isaac, even at the hour of his sacrifice. His faith was proved by his obedience to the command. Had he refused obedience, that would have shown that he had not faith that God would keep his word respecting Isaac. But in so readily devoting him at God's command, his faith in God was proved beyond all question. Thus, as James says, his faith was 'made perfect.' Thus God rewarded it. God did not let the proof go too far. Whenever the trial amounted

to proof, God said, stay- Lay not thy hand upon the lad.' God did not wish the boy's life; but as Abraham in faith said, he himself provided an offering. So the ram was caught and offered, and the beautiful name, The Lord will provide, was given to that place where the true Lamb of God, his own dear Son, long afterwards died a sacrifice for the world's sin; and Abraham was assured by the oath of God that his offspring should be innumerable, and that all the nations should be blessed in his seed-which is Christ.

Now children, recollect God is trying you and all in a very similar way. He commands you to give yourselves up as living sacrifices, by surrender to his Son Jesus Christ, who gave himself a sacrifice unto death for us. He is trying, proving, and shall reward you, according as you obey his voice concerning the Lord Jesus, just as he tried, proved, and rewarded Abraham for obeying his voice concerning Isaac.

Correspondence.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD QUERY AND REPLY.

DEAR SIR,-Will you be good enough to state, in Advocate for August, in what place of the Bible Christianity is designated 'The Kingdom of God, as I cannot find it so designated in all the word of God. R. M.

If by Christianity is meant those abstractions called systems of theology, bodies of divinity, &c., or that heterogeneous, concrete invention of kings and priests, called Christendom, to which the bodies and minds of men have long been held in servile bondage, R. M. will find neither of them recognised in scripture as the Kingdom of God, for they are the reign of human despots and usurpers. But if by Christianity he means those stupendous historical realities comprised in the mission of the Son of God and his apostles, by which, as a matter of undeniable fact, God has extended over the rebellious an unimpeachable reign of love, and secured from among them millions of the most loyal and devoted subjects to be found in his empire, R. M. has not far to look for the designation. He will find the words Bariλeía Toû Beov, the Kingdom of God, seventy-two times in the Christian scriptures; and if he allows that these scriptures treat of Christianity and designate it at all, he will perform no ordinary feat by shewing that not one of these six dozen passages refers to it. Suppose he commence with the passages that occur in Matthew as follow:-iii. 2; iv. 17; vi. 33; xii. 28; xix. 24; xxi. 31, 43. ED.

Entelligence.

UNITED ELDERIAN PRESBYTERY OF JERUSALEM.-The usual monthly meeting of this Presbytery was held on Tuesday. Fourteen candidates for admission into the Theological Hall were examined and approved of. The call of St Peter's Place Congregation to the Rev. Saul Paul was sustained, and referred to the Presbytery of Antioch. A moderation was granted to the congregation of Potterfield Church,

to take place on the 20th-Dr Gamaliel to preside. The other business was of a routine character.

success.

The above paragraph, the proper names alone being considerately altered, is from The Scottish Press, July 10. We have referred to the Jerusalem directory, commonly called, 'the Acts of the Apostles,' to find this presbytery, or anything like it, but without the slightest We find no United Elderian Presbytery' in Jerusalem, and none in the directory called after any city, or bearing any such designations. We find no usual monthly meetings,' no 'theological halls,' no 'candidates for admission,' and for these very sufficient reasons, no 'examination' or 'approval of such aspirants. We find no congregations called after saints, or saints' places, nor in the possessive of churches, as here-'the congregation of Potterfield Church.' We find no 'Revs.,' nor calls' to Revs. from congregations, nor any sustaining' or 'referring' of such calls by presbyteries, either in Jerusalem or Antioch, or within the whole circuit of the apostles' travels, from the former city round about, even to Illyricum. We find the Christians exhorted to let their moderation be known to all men; but no 'grant of a moderation' to any congregation; and as to a moderation taking place by appointment of presbytery on a given day, with a doctor to preside at it, we have discovered nothing at all so curious. One Dr Gamaliel we do find acting as professor of divinity to Saul the tent-maker; but the Dr was not a Christian, but a Jew and a Pharisee, and as such, made his disciple a bitter persecutor of the Christians, while he himself had, of course, no standing in any Christian church or presbytery: we find no D.D.'s in them. We find no notice that any of the apostolic presbyteries did 'business of a routine character,' and the concluding note, that the other business of this modern presbytery was of a routine sort, is very amusing, having found, as we have, the whole so entirely routine, that one must go round about, till entirely out of all scriptural sight, hearing, precept, and example, to reach the like. But as many modern inventions are very startling, let us glance at this latter-day presbytery on its own merits. It is called, The United Elderian Presbytery.' A presbytery is a meeting of old men, seniors, elders. But in these degenerate days, many juniors are misnamed elders, presbyters. Perhaps, then, this presbytery, having seen the folly of calling a junior an elder, is composed entirely of seniors, and has the name Elderian' to intimate its own reform, and as a protest against all juvenile-senior presbyteries? Not at all, for this Theological Hall has for its object the conversion of juniors -however juvenile when admitted-into seniors in four years, and seniors of such importance, too, that they take presbyterial and ecclesiastical precedence over all the old men and fathers in the churches! With such halls at hand, no need to go to Indur for transmigrations, nor to Rome for transubstantiation! Certainly the speech of this presbytery bewrayeth it.

BAPTISMS.-Berwick. Brother Lees immersed five converts on Lord's day morning, July 12.-Edinburgh. One was added to the Church in Nicolson Street Hall by baptism same day.

Printed by J. Taylor, Edinburgh.