the Temple of the Word, and to hear his voice, and receive the Earnest of his Spirit, there. It is like the preaching of Christ, as God manifest in the flesh, directing men to the preaching of God's law, and to that of the prophets, who prophesied beforehand the coming and the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. It is God, varying and corroborating his own testimony, God his own Interpreter, God his own Witness.

Now this Holy promised Spirit, this Earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, is committed to the Church, is vouchsafed to Christians, for the praise of the glory of Christ our Saviour. And the more of it the Church possesses, and the more individual Christians possess, the more visibly the glory of the Redeemer shines, and the more the world is attracted by such a radiance; the more signally and tangibly the Word of God is demonstrated, and the weight and meaning of its great incomprehensible texts of glory are somewhat manifested and brought even to the reach of sense. We ought to be able to show to the world a great degree, an even fresh supply, of this Earnest of the Spirit, this coin of heaven, this fruit from the tree of life, these leaves for the healing of the nations, this water from the river of Paradise, this experimental proof of our inheritance in glory. How otherwise can we win the attention of men absorbed in earthly cares, and seeking earthly treasures? How otherwise can we allure to brighter worlds and lead the way?

If a man should come into the city from California, from the gold region said to be in existence there, bringing with him twenty pounds weight of gold in the shape of the flakes or grains in which it is described as being found, and inviting poor miserable adventurers to go with him on a new expedition, he would perhaps gather thousands of disciples, when, if he came without his baskets of gold flakes as the earnest of the great treasures the company would possess, he might not gain one. And just so, the

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GRACE AND TRUTH, CHRIST IN THE MIND.

Church of Christ will have power over men just proportioned to the glory of that Earnest of her inheritance, which she has in present possession. Just so much of the Spirit of heaven as she now possesses, just so much of the joy of God's Salvation as belongs to her, just so much of the glory of a glowing experience in the deep things of God as is manifest in her, just so much as she can show, prove, demonstrate, of a revelation of the things that hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, which God hath prepared for those who love him; just so many more souls will she be capable of drawing to her Saviour. This is the great principle of David's prayer, Restore unto me the joy of thy Salvation, and uphold me by thy free Spirit; then will I teach transgressors thy ways, AND SINNERS SHALL BE

CONVERTED UNTO THEE.

eye

CHAPTER V.

Effect of unbelief upon the Character.-Illustrations of unbelief in the Pharisees and Sadducees.-Absolute necessity of relying on God's testimony.-Purpose for which that testimony was given, that by faith we may avoid the experience of evil, and secure the experience of good.-Comparison of the experiment of faith, and the experiment of experience.Faith alone can lead the soul to heaven; experience alone leads it down to hell.

Ir the Divine be not acknowledged and reverenced, what becomes of the human? If God's witness of himself be not received, there can remain to be developed in the human character nothing but a spirit of universal distrust, bitterness, and hatred. The likeness of the devil comes out, both in classes and individuals, when man lets go his hold on God and heaven. A man knows himself to be a liar, and believes all others to be the same. The unbelievers in Christ, when he was personally on earth, illustrated in their own character the malignant influence of scepticism upon the soul. They were proofs of what Christ had said respecting men enjoying a great light of evidence, but rejecting it; it became darkness. And if the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness! "The fearfullest penalty," remarks Mr. Carlyle, a man pays for yielding to untruth of heart, is not to know true from false, when he looks at them."

It was a carping, bitter set of men, an envious and jealous set, an evil and adulterous generation, which, when Christ was upon earth, always sought a sign. The Pharisees were formalists and hypocrites; the Sadducees were semi-infidels; both were unbelievers in Christ. They

would not receive the testimony of God respecting Christ. The Sadducees would not receive the testimony of God respecting a future state; the Pharisees were at swords' points with them in this latter article; but both classes were united in refusing God's testimony in regard to the Messiah, or rather in rejecting the Messiah of God's testimony; and so a common enmity against Christ brought them together. They rejected the counsel of God within themselves, not being baptized with the baptism of John unto repentance, not relishing the self-humbling doctrines of the gospel, not being prepared by humility of heart, to see their glory and beauty, and to believe them.

They came sometimes to taunt and tempt Christ in regard to the evidence on which they concluded they would possibly receive him, or might possibly be induced to believe. But they must have everything palpable to their own senses. Theirs was the experimental philosophy of common sense, the coolness of enlightened minds, and not the enthusiasm of an ignorant, superstitious rabble. Have any of the rulers, or of the Pharisees, believed on him? Aye, answer us that. But this people, who knoweth not the law, are cursed.

Come now,

We must have demonstration to sense. and open a window in heaven, raise us a dead man to life, give us manna, as God gave to our forefathers; do something now, here, on the spot, for us, in our presence. The people that you healed yesterday, the bread you created for seven thousand, are nothing to us; we must have present experience and demonstration; we will not take your testimony, nor their testimony, no, nor God's testimony, without sensible, personal, experimental evidence. What sign showest thou then, that we may see it ourselves, and believe thee? What dost thou work? Come, give us a sign, that we may believe.

It was the same bitter, unbelieving, taunting, and malignant spirit, with which the very murderers of our Blessed Lord addressed him, suffering, dying on the cross. If

thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Aye, if he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. And they would not have believed, even if he had come down.

Now this was an evil spirit. There was no sincerity of inquiry in it, no desire after the truth, no preparation for it. It was an evil and adulterous generation that thus sought after a sign. Part of the people ran after the miracles, as they would after the tricks of a magician, or after an alchemist who could produce gold. Ye seek me, not because ye see the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled. To such a spirit it would have been folly for Christ to repeat the demonstrations of his divine power and majesty. Suppose for a moment that a messenger as an old prophet were among us, proving his divine mission by miracles, converting stones into bread; and suppose that a multitude of persons should run after him, with baskets on their arms, calling for signs, begging for the repetition of his miracles, that their baskets might be filled with loaves: would he do right to work a single miracle for such a temper? or, for the spirit of taunting and unbelief and idle curiosity, demanding the display of miraculous power? Would God condescend to notice that? Would it be just to gratify that? But if one came, humbly waiting to see if it were really God that was speaking, God that was sending his Word, if one came to examine and to see and to listen, waiting on God, and comparing all things with his Word, and earnestly imploring his guidance, that would be a very different spirit. God might regard that spirit, and might bring that soul, in his providence, where it would find an irresistible evidence, that would clear all doubt. But no just evidence is clear to a carping, unbelieving spirit, to a heart unwilling to receive divine truth on God's testimony.

Now the characteristic of unbelief and infidelity is to take nothing on God's testimony merely, nothing without