are of inexhaustible efficacy. In the case also of his inspired interpreters, although they may not have received human instruction, their language is most exact. The expression of their words corresponds exactly with the impression of the things in their minds; and it is so far from being beneath the comprehension of those who hear it, that, rather, they seldom attain to its entire meaning. The apostles frequently deduce conclusions more weighty than the world itself, from an epithet, from a grammatical accident, or even an adverb, as we have shown in our apparatus, Part I. Section I. Chrysostom interprets the particle kai with emphatic precision in the writings of St Paul, and he, as well as other fathers, render many other things in a similar manner, as we have remarked upon his book on the Priesthood, 28 136, 441. It is right to follow these traces. In this spirit Luther says, The science of theology is nothing else but grammar, exercised on the words of the Holy Spirit-a sentiment which has often been repeated since then by other theologians, pp. 43, 44. MUTUAL AID IN STUDY. Any degree whatever of acquaintance with the Greek New Testament is useful and laudable; but they who are less expert therein, frequently see false instances of emphasis, seize on them with eagerness, and publish them abroad, while they pass by those that are genuine. This renders it the more necessary that we should all help each other in turn. Even dull eyes can make use of light for the chief purposes of life; but he who has a peculiarly strong sight, perceives many things more accurately than others do. Thus is it also in Scripture; all see [or may see] as much as is necessary to salvation, but the clearer that the believer's sight is, the greater is his profit and delight; and that which one believer once sees, others who of themselves saw it not, are by his direction enabled to perceive. I have exposed the fallacy of many instances of supposed emphasis, brought forward by other writers: many others I have passed over in silence; genuine instances, which offer themselves spontaneously, I have not neglected. If, however, I should be thought to dwell at times too minutely and too long upon these matters, I shall be readily acquitted by those who have observed the perpetual analogy of accurate and universally self-consistent expression, which pervades alike every portion of Scripture, pp. 45.

MINUTE PARTICULARS IMPORTANT. These 'Mores calmer feelings quiet and composed '] are, for the most part, of such a kind, that you can more easily reach them by a perception of the heart, than by a circuit of words. And this will be a principal reason why our Commentary may be considered frequently too subtile, frequently too frigid. I doubt not, however, that those who have by degrees become accustomed to it, will agree with me in my admiration of the language of the sacred writers. The painter by the most delicate stroke of his brush, the musician by the swiftest touch of fleeting notes, exercises the highest skill of his art; and in the perfection of any thing whatever, those minute particulars which escape the ears and eyes of the ignorant and unrefined, bestow the most exquisite delight on those who are capable of appreciating them--a delight springing from the very root and essence of the thing itself. Such is the case with Holy Scripture. Let each one, then, take what he is capable of receiving, and abstain from meddling with what he is unable to comprehend, pp. 49, 50.

Liverpool,

J. B. R.

Poetry.

VICTORY.

'Tis finished! and the noontide glare,
To midnight gives the darken'd sky;
The heavens affrighted could not dare
To see THE SECOND ADAM die.
'In every pang that rends the heart,'
In every grief that man can know,
'The Man of Sorrows had a part,'

And drank the dregs of human woe.

He bled-to break sin's deadly thrall;
He died-to set the bondsmen free;
The eclipse of nature spread his pall,
But in his death was Victory.
For from the deep sepulchral gloom
He rose triumphant o'er the grave;
The Lord, the Judge of mortal doom,
The Lord,-omnipotent to save.

Angels, to meet the Saviour-king,

Their hymns of rapturous praise prolong;
Heaven's arches with rejoicings ring,

And grateful earth gives back the song:
Worthy the Lamb who death defied,

Praise, power, and glory to receive;

For as in Adam's sin we died,

In JESUS' sacrifice we live.'

Though hard the strife, though rude the shock,
Greater He stands-SALVATION'S GOD!
Rejoice, rejoice, ye chosen flock,

Who tread the paths your SHEPHERD trod.
He, thron'd supreme in highest heaven,
Shall bid your fears, your sorrows cease,
For, though the jarring spheres be riven,
His look is love-his word is peace.

W.

Correspondence.

THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE JUST-QUERY AND REPLY. MR EDITOR,-I read in Prov. xii. 21, 'There shall no evil happen to the just,' and again in chap. xvi. 7, 'When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him,' while to the same import is 1 Pet. iii. 13.

In seeming opposition to the above, the Saviour says to his disciples, Matt. v. 10-12, 'Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,' &c., and in 1 Pet. iv. 16, 'If any one suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed,' &c.

I am perfectly satisfied that all God's words and ways are harmonious, yet in the above I feel a little difficulty. I do not think we could justly infer that when a Christian has enemies because of the truth, his ways do not please the Lord. The Saviour had those who hated him without a cause, and his disciples have also had the same. For the disciple to regard persecution as an evidence that his ways do not please the Lord, instead of leading him to rejoice and be exceeding glad, would rather humble him in the dust, and fill his mind with sorrow and despair.

I shall feel obliged by your giving a few words of exposition in the next Christian Advocate, if space will allow. A BROTHER. Proverbial philosophy, like other general statements of truth, has its exceptions; hence has it become a proverb, that the exception proves the rule.' It will be found that while there is a seeming or verbal discrepancy between the examples given above, each is really or experimentally true. Place the statements one against the other, there appears a want of harmony; yet the truth of each has been realised in all ages by the characters described. No evil happens to the just, not only in the sense of the freedom of the righteous from the evils peculiar to the wicked, but in the sense also that the evils common to man work together for good to those that love God, and so become positive benefits. Things are not always what they seem, and as children under the training of the heavenly Father, we are often the worst of judges as to what is really evil and what good. Prov. xvi. 7 is never without proof. Christians have enemies, often because their ways do not please the Lord. But the passage does not say that he whose ways please the Lord shall not have enemies, but that they will be brought to be at peace with him. And constantly do Christians realize that action on their part pleasing to the Lord, i. e., action according to the precepts of the gospel of peace, does disarm the bitterest opposition. So with the question-Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? It is not intimated that there shall be no attempt to harm, but it is implied, as the context shews, that intended harm to the Christian will be absorbed in the greater good accruing, so that, as this apostle says, Let him rejoice who so suffers; and as the Master said, Rejoice, and be exceeding glad. ED.

INDWELLING OF THE SPIRIT-CONCLUSION.

ON revising and comparing again the remaining letters sent us on this subject, we find, for the most part, so much going over of ground already traversed, that little or nothing new would be elicited by their publication, while our brief space would be taxed for months. Most of the letters are in support of our conclusions, but we commenced with the submission of those that are adverse, our object being not to determine the question by authority, but to afford opportunity, as far as possible, of stating objections to what we had advanced. The chief of these are before our readers, and we suppose that we shall best answer the end contemplated by noting the most considerable of those that remain.

1. One brother urges, that if we are not to receive one who denies

that the Holy Spirit is now given to dwell in those who believe, must we not also refuse such as hold the opinion, that the Holy Spirit, over and above the proclaimed word in the form of positive impact upon the soul, is requisite to the conversion of the sinner. To this we reply, that we never concluded for the rejection of any man for the holding of any opinion merely. It was not the holding of opinion that formed the question, but the denial of a fact unquestionably stated in scripture, namely, that the Spirit is given to dwell in the believing. To hold an opinion is one thing, to deny the facts of scripture another. The former is a man's own private property, which he keeps to himself, and is by no means to intrude upon the Church of God; but denial is action, and that in the sense of teaching, and the denial spoken of in the query is teaching contrary to the admitted doctrine of scripture; for all will allow, apart from Rom. viii., that at the first the Spirit was given as a resident in those who believe.

2. It is objected that we did not notice the fact that the apostle employs the article in speaking of divisions and offences, and therefore refers to certain such things previously named by himself in his letter. And that these are stated in Rom. xiv. as 'despising' and setting at nought,' 'judging,' and 'condemning.' But this objection is urged on the false idea that we ever argued for the refusal of any brother because of his mere opinions or doubtful thoughts.' But that the divisions and offences spoken of refer to the state of mind of the parties is evident from the opening words of the chapter-Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations, or to judge his doubtful thoughts. But it is hence clear that if these doubtful thoughts, whatever they might be, whether referring to mere eating and drinking, or the weightier matters of the faith, were introduced by the holder as fit teaching in the church, the party so acting would be doing so contrary to the doctrine of the apostle, and must therefore be avoided as commanded in xvi. 17. So that we were not wrong in regulating our answer by the latter passage. 3. It is further objected that we have not now in the Church those miraculous fruits of the Spirit which indicated his reception in the primitive age. The first reception of the Spirit was indeed miraculously indicated, but his indwelling was as expressly intimated as that of the spirit of adoption or sonship. In Rom. viii. the Spirit received and dwelling in the recipients was the spirit of adoption, whereby they cried, Abba, Father. And most conclusively is this stated in Gal. iv. 4-6, When the fulness of the time was come God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons; and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth into your hearts THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON, crying Abba, Father.' The order of the facts stands thus-1, The sending of the Son to redeem; 2, The giving to the redeemed the adoption of sons; 3, The sending forth into the hearts of the adopted the Spirit of the Son; and lastly, And through the Spirit thus received the cry of sonship, Father, Father! Here prayer in its peculiarly Christian character is the result of the received and indwelling Spirit of Christ the Son-that Spirit is given expressly because of the sonship of the parties receiving it-just as their adoption is the result of their redemption through the Son given

for that intent. Thus, in treating on the subject of the indwelling of the Divine Spirit, we are not shut up in any respect to the number or order of the miraculous gifts possessed by the first disciples.

Entelligence.

ED.

BAPTISMS.-Nicolson Street Hall, Edinburgh. Last month, nine persons having received Jesus as their Lord, and the Messiah of Jehovah, were immersed into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in accordance with the great commission. Several of the nine had previously been communicants in Presby. terian churches, but knew not the Lord; and one or two have had to suffer considerable, reproach and persecution, in avowing themselves the disciples of the Lord Messiah, and no longer the devotees of human systems. A well-known and respected D.D. in the city, finding one of his flock-whom he had never visited since joining his church, fifteen months ago, though repeatedly requested to do so -came at last, by the urgent solicitations of the wife of the person in question. The Doctor wrathfully informed his stray sheep, that he was going amongst persons who act without authority, and that he was on the highway to infidelity and apostacy. To this our brother replied, that as for acting without authority, that of men in religion, by which alone the doctor holds his license to preach, is not cared for by the people he was going amongst, and he was satisfied; that they act by authority of the word of God; and that as to apostacy, if the doctor was correct, he himself must be held responsible, seeing his neglect, as pastor of his flock, was a principal cause in the change of mind of him whom he now denounced as an apostate. Of course, the doctor had no time for argument-denunciatory charges being so much easier; but should he at all feel disposed, and find leisure to attempt the substantiation of his charges, he will be informed by this issue, that we are prepared to meet him on them, either in conversation, by letter, on the platform, or by the press.

PETER'S HETERODOXY.-A popular minister in Edinburgh, who takes texts from the Bible as if it were a book of proverbs throughout, or a thing of shreds and patches,' took for his theme on Sunday 21st March, Acts ii. 37, Men and brethren, what shall we do?' but instead of giving Peter's answer, as stated in verse 38, he supplied one of his own. Peter is not orthodox in modern Athens.

THE BEST GIFT.-The Freeman of Feb. 17, says, 'The best gift we could give to India would be men who, through the civil service, should go forth as secular missionaries--like Havelock, preaching Christianity and living it while engaged in secular pursuits, thus aiding the efforts of those who devote themselves entirely to its propagation.' The proverb says, 'What is good to give, is not bad to take.' So while we concur with The Freeman, that the best gift to India is that of men preaching and living Christianity while engaged in secular business, we think the same respecting home. The best gift for India would not be the worst for Britain.