There cannot possibly be doctrine more seasonable, more wholesome, more awakening than this at any time. It at once comes home to the grand end and aim of all religion, the reformation of the heart and life. It enters, above all, without mystery or circumlocution, upon a consideration of the great business of the Christian vocation, and declares plainly, not only what a man must think, but what he must do, to be saved. There cannot be a subject more useful, more profitable, more edifying than this. There cannot be a subject better calculated to do good, wherever it is entertained, than that which probes the inmost thoughts and secret affections of him, who is occupied, almost without cessation, "with the cares, riches, or pleasures of this life," and being thus weighed down, thus fully pre-engaged, brings but little fruit to perfection'.

Great commendation, then, especial gratitude, must be due to those who in their selection of this and other portions of Scripture for the edification of churchmen, appear to have so well considered the peculiar wants, the besetting sins, the constraining obligations of all that belong to Christ. In the first place, the exhortation to "walk in the Spirit," gives counsel to those who at present "walk after the flesh." There are pro

bably those amongst us, who are thus minded; some perhaps partially so, others altogether. To them the Apostle addresses himself. He tells them to "walk in the Spirit." He tells them to admit into their souls, and no longer to quench, grieve, or hinder in its work, that spiritual influence, which would constrain them to mortify the "uncleanness, hatred, wrath, envyings, drunkenness, revellings," under one or other of which they are now in bondage. He tells them, that these sins are the very reverse of things holy and spiritual; that they are manifest; that they cease not from their demoralizing work. And he tells them, on the other hand, that "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance," are the things holy and spiritual in which they must now walk, and for which they must now mortify things carnal.

And will the carnally-minded hear these admonitions, and become spiritually-minded? Will they remember, that the admonitions of the Apostle are the admonitions of the Lord, and that if they refuse to hear them, they refuse to hear in his word, and acknowledge in their heart, the high, the holy, the mighty God? Let not the words now spoken be deemed the words

1 Luke viii., 14.

either of him who speaks them, or of him who has left them on record. Let them rather be deemed what they are, the words of a divine, eternal Spirit, who calls men thereby to repentance, and bids them "be partakers of his holiness." Invited, exhorted, reasoned with by so good a Spirit, and finding him ready to help us, if we will only desire his help, let us no longer oppose our wills to his; let us no longer work the works that separate us from him; but at once come unto him, take upon us his easier yoke and lighter burden, walk in his ways of pleasantness, and choose his paths of peace.

And shall we ever repent of so doing? No, indeed. As long as God is what he is, as long as spirituality is what it is, as long as Jesus abides a Saviour, as long as the doors of heaven are open, and holiness leads to happiness, so long shall we never repent of having chosen this excellent way. But let us never forget, that there is an alternative, a fearful alternative, for those who are otherwise minded, and continue wilfully disobedient to the heavenly call. For them an inexorable law puts forth its wrath in threatening. For them, spiritually destitute, there is nought but destitution in all things. And strive as the Spirit and the flesh may now in their souls, the Spirit will in time cease from the strife, for God's "Spirit will not always strive with man." And then when the Spirit has taken leave of the soul for ever, must all hope of the soul's restoration depart for ever. The carnal mind will be left to itself, and the carnally-minded remain to perish, shut out from all share in the atonement, shut out from the kingdom of God.

But lastly, the cheering declaration, that "they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lusts," is an encouragement to those who already "walk in the Spirit." Christ owns those for his people, who have "crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts," and in all truth and sincerity, "walk no more after the flesh but after the Spirit." They have consigned all their sins, through grace, to a slow, painful, but certain death, and for the love of Christ, their crucified Lord, have persevered in the self-denying resolution in which they have begun. And how does Christ own them for his people? By giving them of his Spirit in that full measure, which is the special portion of his faithful people, a gift which has already, in their case, been put to a good use, and will be put, if faith fail not, to an equally good use in time to come. And Christ will own

them for his people by answering their prayers, and giving them even more than they desire. And Christ will own them for his people, by never leaving or forsaking them, even when they are forsaken by all the world, even when the world itself is vanishing from their view. And Christ will own them for his people, by making "all things work together for their good'," even for their temporal, as well as spiritual, good. And when the great end of their existence in this world is at length answered, and they have "fought the good fight, and finished their course, and kept the faith"," Christ will own them, finally and once for all, for his people, by admitting them into his presence in glory, and keeping them with him in all bliss and security, in all joy and heavenly happiness, for evermore.

THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

THE EPISTLE. Gal. vi., 11 to 18.

11 Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand.

12 As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised; only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.

13 For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. 14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world

is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. 16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

The Apostle here, in his usual forcible manner, draws a contrast between his own method of obtaining converts to the faith in Christ, and the method pursued by others. He shows, that there were certain apparently very zealous teachers among them, who gained many proselytes to the faith, and used great seeming diligence in accomplishing the work. But he shows, that they mixed up with this appearance of zeal for Christ, a zeal for a form wholly abrogated by the Gospel, even for the form of circumcision. And why, says the Apostle, did they follow this course? Evidently for their own worldly advantage. They desired to Rom. viii., 28. 2 2 Tim. iv., 7.

have the converts circumcised, that they might "glory in their flesh," and themselves "not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ." The Jewish priesthood and people persecuted with implacable malice and animosity all Christian teachers, who proclaimed the expiration of the Mosaic covenant and its complete nullity. And hence the Christian teachers, who, like the Apostle and others, preached the cross of Christ alone, and declared it to be "the only name under heaven given to man whereby he might be saved'," were in danger of persecution both from Jews and Gentiles. To avoid. this, and gain favour from the Jews, was doubtless the aim of these time-serving teachers; and both the end they aimed at, and the plan they pursued, are here well exposed by the Apostle, who declares "the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" to be the only badge or distinction in which he or any should glory.

And he declares, further, that according to the rule of doctrine and duty laid down in the Gospel, circumcision is not beneficial or uncircumcision hurtful to the soul's eternal interests, but that the great practical truth which mainly affects them, is, the state of the inner man, its new creation in Christ Jesus unto good works, or its "hardness and impenitence." He concludes by invoking the blessing of God on those who walk according to the former rule, and beseeching those who have been actively engaged, with a view to their own personal ease and worldly credit, in persuading the converts to be circumcised, to trouble him no more with their desires of vain glory.

The question now is, how may this subject be made edifying? What is the spiritual lesson which it teaches? And this we may safely affirm to be, the obligation imposed upon all Christ's disciples, to make the motive, on which they labour to advance religion either in the world or in their own hearts, not temporal or carnal, but spiritual and religious. Let those, then, in the first place, whose motive would be found, if they searched their own hearts, to be temporal and carnal, take instruction from the Apostle's doctrine, and amend their motive. The Christian teachers thought to escape persecution and gain favour, by inculcating the exploded doctrine of circumcision. Christian people still hope to obtain worldly applause for their religious strictness, and especially in the matter of forms and ceremonies. They talk, and sometimes even write much, upon the subject of Lord's Day observances, bap

1 Acts iv., 12.

tism, confirmation, churchmanship, the Holy Communion, and other externals of religion, but not so much upon the subject of inward change, vital godliness, personal holiness. And their practice very much accords with their preaching. They are diligent, punctiliously diligent in the observance of all forms of religion. The minister never misses them from their seat at church; never notes their absence from their place at the Communion. They are attentive listeners; they are audible worshippers. But no further than this can their praise go. Every thing that meets the eye and the ear is decently, nay, scrupulously, done. The world applauds; the multitude admires; the superficial observer burns to imitate, and glories in commending them. Not a reproach is heard, not an action suspected, not a motive called in question.

But what, perchance, all the while is the state of the heart? What does God think of these formal disciples? How does the Lord regard them? Beneath all this outward appearance of decent religion there lies hid covetousness, and the heart is not in the prayer, the desire for information in the hearing ear, the inward approach to the Lord in the outward presence in his house. There is not the worship in spirit and in truth, the faith in him who is worshipped, the love of a crucified Saviour, the entire renovation of soul, the hopeful anticipation, in and through Christ, of all grace, approval, and acceptance, which is really and only needful. There is not the new creature, which throws off, daily and hourly, the trammels, disguises, and scanty coverings of the old nature. There is not the crucified creature, which looks with indifference on a world to which it will soon be dead, and receives nought but indifference, perchance scorn, from that world in return. There is not, in a word, the desire to glory in what the Apostle desired to glory, the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, or indeed any ambition at all to glorify or serve him acceptably, except in a manner not burdensome to conscience, not distasteful to the world.

Let that worldly motive, then, be amended, for it cannot be acceptable with God-consonant with the Gospel-becoming in the Christian. Let covetousness be rooted out, and the heart as well as posture given to God. Let the love of the world be rooted out, and the love of the Redeemer substituted. Let the fear of the world be rooted out, and the fear of the Lord take its place. Let the whole heart be given to him who alone looketh upon it, and the whole glory be not in the praise