have an unction from the Holy One, and know all things-it (ver. 26) abideth in you, and teacheth you all things."

This (though blessedly connected with the person of Christ being made "Wisdom" unto us; as also with that blessed liberty God uses towards his friends, of telling them all his thoughts about things around them—as he said, "Shall I hide from Abraham the thing that I do ?") yet in itself is something really greater than either Christ for wisdom, or God the Father for friendly communicator; for it is innate-being God, the Holy Ghost, acting within, on the new nature given, and so fulfilling his place of guardian to the saints (John xiv. 16--18), opening their hearts to the word.

Beyond this the labourer for God has the knowledge that he is ovveρyos Oεov-a labourer together with God (1 Cor. iii. 9; 2 Cor. vi. 1); and as such he sees and knows what is right to be done on earth in the vineyard.

A SECOND point I would touch upon is the certainty of truth as revealed in Scripture for guidance. As I said once before, dear Sir, to you, "The road from London to York is the road to York; and the road from London to Dovor is the road to Dovor; and they are in opposite directions. Any one that knows the country, knows that; and also knows that no measure of persuasion of my own mind that I am on the road to York will get me there, if I am tracing my way on to Dovor." God may and will bear with my ignorance, perhaps, if in ignorance I accredit “ persuasion of my soul after prayer” in the place of the instruction his standard, the Bible, affords: but still his standard has a voice of its own, and it is a FIXED standard; and so far as I am not conformed to it I am in the wrong, and a loser. And moreover, every one that judges me by it can see that I am wrong and a loser, though I may not do so myself. Both these points, but especially the latter, I find overlooked in the present day almost universally by Christians in England.

A THIRD point is, "individual responsibility;" or, responsibility as individuals— as the only proper state of soul in which to decide on the path to pursue. Naked came we in, and naked must we go out of this world, and naked stand in judgment; not even a wife will be allowed to interfere in these things; here there is no confederacy allowed; every word of the Lord is written, and every object of God, as revealed, comes from God as Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer to me as though I were a solitary being in the world-or as John in the Isle of Patmos, This is to be seen in the first parable in Matt. xiii.; in which (if you read chap. xii. and connect its close with chap. xiii.) you will see Jesus was setting forth the principles of the new kingdom he was about to establish in the place of that earthly Jewish one which had just rejected him. See also Isaiah viii. 11-18, exhibiting the same truth, i. e., individual responsibility to the testimony, as the only principle of blessing in the church; of which Isaiah and his two children were types (Heb. ii. 13). Obedience to God's word is the only guide I have set before me; and I had better go to Patmos, an exile, for obedience to it and helping of it on, than stand in any sphere of usefulness or testimony with the very least compromise of obedience to it or manifestation of fellowship with it in its course through the world or the church. Whenever God works, the first point with him is to secure manifestly his own glory in what he does. When unrenewed man works, or when renewed man works like an unrenewed man, God's glory is left out of the question. When Christ, or his Spirit in the church, acts (it may be upon the discovery of sin and wretchedness among men, for the delivering men from it), mercy may flow to man; but, first of all, glory to God in the highest. The chief character of the church's labours has of late been "action to meet necessity in man, without due care whether the way of so doing glorified God;" i. e., was his own way of doing, or only the best way they could find.

FOURTHLY. I Would just notice that there are four things, which, when in action, we must attend to. First, to be "in obedience;" secondly, "to God and not man ;" thirdly, to expect to have the mass around us against us; and, fourthly, to have to suffer for Christ. All this is beautifully presented in Acts iv.

With results, as a Christian, I have nothing whatever to do. I am to obey God rather than man, always; and then to suffer for it here; remembering, however, that my present conduct, if thus, is a joy to God the Father and Son in heaven, and to the Spirit who is with me; and will be told with joy before men and angels, and devils too, as well as at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

People tell me now-a-days they would like to act so or so, and would do so, if alone; but they want to effect something on the mass in which they have been. Did reformation ever so begin? or must God reverse his principle of dealing with us as individuals? and, to please them, act upon the tout ensemble? Did not Abraham, and Moses, and Daniel, and the whole household of faith (see Heb. xi.) take their stand with a "Lord, here am I, what wilt thou have me to do?" and was not everything around them, ostensibly of God as it might be, always found a drag upon them, and often in opposition to them? or, again, will they refuse to act upon the mass (so much do they desire it), because the only way in which they can do so is by shouldering the cross themselves as individuals? The weakness of God is stronger than man, and the foolishness of God is wiser than man. May we know this, and be content to be fools for Christ's sake, that we may become wise. People make their position, and peculiar circumstances, and the feelings of earthly friends of more authority, practically, than God's word, the power of the Spirit, and the feelings of the man Christ Jesus-who, with all the feelings of a man, though Son of God, is now looking down from the throne of God to see how the poor weak members of his own body upon earth now get on. Alas! how little of pastorship does he see over them! how badly fed; yea, starved by the hireling under-shepherds too oft! and how left in the dark pits of ignorance concerning his finished work and salvation!

"And now I commend you to God and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified" (Acts xx). May we know the service of God and of his Christ, and his sheep here below; and complete freedom from the cruel thraldom and servile fear of man's day, and ways, and thoughts.

I am, in Christ Jesus, very affectionately,

A servant and brother.

MILTON ON LIBERTY OF MINISTRY.

"HE that holds himself in reverence and due esteem, both for the dignity of God's image upon him, and for the price of his redemption, which he thinks is visibly marked upon his forehead, accounts himself both a fit person to do the noblest and the godliest deeds, and much better worth than to deject and defile, with such a debasement and such a pollution as sin is, himself so highly ransomed and ennobled to a new friendship and filial relation with God. Nor can he fear so much the offence and reproach of others, as he dreads and would blush at the reflection of his own severe and modest eye upon himself, if it should see him doing or imagining that which is sinful, though in the deepest secresy. How shall a man know to do himself this right? how to perform this honourable duty of estimation and respect towards his own soul and body? which way will lead him best to this hill-top of sanctity and goodness—above which there is no higher ascent but to the love of God, from which this self-pious regard cannot be asunder. No better way doubtless than to let him duly understand, that as he is called by the high calling of God to be holy and pure, so is he by the same appointment ordained, and admitted to such offices in the church, to which his own spiritual gifts, by the example of apostolic institution, have authorised him. For we have learned that the scornful term of lay-man, the consecrating of temples, carpets, and table-cloths, the railing in of a repugnant and contradictory Mount Sinai in the gospel (as if the touch of a lay Christian, who is nevertheless God's living temple, could profane dead Judaisms), the exclusion of Christ's people from the offices of holy discipline, causes the rest to have an unworthy and abject opinion of themselves-to approach to holy duties with a slavish fear-and to unholy doings with a familiar boldness. For seeing such a wide and terrible distance between religious things and themselves; and, that in respect of a wooden table, and the perimeter of holy ground about it, a flagon-pot, and a linen corporal, the priest esteems their lay-ships unhallowed and unclean; they fear religion with such a fear as loves not, and think the purity of the gospel too pure for them, and that any uncleanness is more suitable to their unconsecrated

But when every good Christian, thoroughly acquainted with all those glorious privileges of sanctification and adoption, which render him more sacred than any dedicated altar or element, shall be restored to his right in the church, and not excluded from such place of spiritual government, as his Christian abilities, and his approved good life, in the eye and testimony of the church, shall prefer him to; this, and nothing sooner will open his eyes to a wise and true valuation of himself, which is a high point of Christianity; and will stir him up to walk worthy the honourable and grave employment wherewith God and the church have dignified him; not fearing lest he should meet with some outward holy thing in religion, which his lay touch or presence might profane; but lest something unholy from his own heart, should dishonour and profane in himself that priestly unction and clergyright whereto Christ hath entitled him. Then would the congregation of the Lord soon recover the true likeness and visage of what she is indeed a holy generation, a royal priesthood, a saintly communion, the household and city of God.

ANTICHRIST.

ROGER DE HOVEDEN thus describes Antichrist, according to the expectations of the 12th century :—

"Antichrist will be born from a father and mother like other men; not, as some assert, from a virgin only. But nevertheless, he will be wholly conceived in sin, begotten in sin, and in sin will he be born. In the very beginning of his conception, the devil will enter into his mother's womb; so that he will be fitly styled the son of perdition; because, as far as he will be able, he will destroy the human race, and he himself will be destroyed at the last. He will send his messengers and his preachers through the whole world. And his preaching and his power will extend from sea to sea, from the west to the east, from the north to the south. Many wonderful things will he perform, many and unheard of miracles; so that the very elect if it were possible should be deceived. Against true Christians and all the elect he will raise up a persecution under the whole heaven; and he will endeavour to corrupt the faithful by three modes: by terror, by bribes, and by miracles. To those that believe in him, he will give heaps of gold and silver. Those whom he cannot corrupt with gifts, he will overcome by terror; those whom he cannot subdue by terror, he will endeavour to seduce by signs and by miracles; those whom he cannot move by signs and miracles, he will cruelly destroy by wonderful modes of torture in the sight of all men. Then every one who shall be found to be a faithful Christian will be called on to deny God, or will perish by the sword, or the furnace, or serpents, or wild beasts, or some other mode of torture, if he shall persist in adhering to the faith. But this terrible and dreadful tribulation will continue in the whole world for three years and a half. Antichrist moreover will sit in the temple of God; that is to say, in the holy church, making martyrs of all Christians; and he will be lifted up and greatly exalted, because in him will be the devil, the head of all evils, who is king over all the sons of pride. But lest he should come without warning, and thus deceive and ruin by his deceptions the whole human race, two great prophets will be sent into the world before his appearing, Enoch and Elias, who will arm beforehand with the arm of God the faithful servants of God, and prepare them for the assault of Antichrist, and will comfort them, and prepare the elect for the warfare; teaching and preaching for three years and a half."

Roger de Hoveden was a monk of Howden, who flourished in the reign of Henry II.

LUTHER'S OPINIONS ON THE COMING OF THE LORD, ETC.

"AH! loving God," said Luther, "come at once. I wait continually for that day, when early in the morning and in the Spring, when day and night are equal, I shall see a very clear morning-red. For these are my cogitations, (whereof I pur

pose also to preach), that swiftly out of the morning-red will come a black thick cloud, out of which will issue three flashes of lightning, afterwards there will come a clap of thunder, and in a moment will strike heaven and earth all on a heap. The name of the Lord be praised, which has taught us to sigh and to yearn after that day! and in truth we ought to desire the speedy approach thereof. I hope truly that day is not far off. Christ saith that at that time he shall hardly find faith upon earth; we have it already but in a corner. Let us make our account, and we shall truly find, that we have the Gospel now only in a corner. The whole of Asia and Africa have it not: the Gospel is not preached in Greece, Italy, Hungary, Spain, France, England, nor in Poland. And sure I am the little corner where it is (the House of Saxony) will not hinder the coming of the last day of judgment. It is come already, so far as to the white horse in the Apocalypse. The world cannot stand long: the Lord deliver us from evil! Amen.

"When the Turk beginneth a little to decline, then certainly the last day will come, for then it must be, by the necessity of Scripture. The loving Lord will come, as the Scripture saith, When I come I will shake heaven and earth, and then shall come the desired of all nations.' At the last there will be a great alteration and commotion, for then all the elements shall be melted to ashes--the whole world shall be made a vast lump again, as in the beginning. Then there shall be a new heaven and a new earth, and we shall be changed; but the devil shall remain as he is, for he hath nothing of the elements, as St. Paul sheweth, who had great revelations. But I hope, seeing the Gospel in such sort is contemned, that the last day is not far off. Two hundred years hence God's word will decrease and fall, and there will be a great darkness for want of upright faithful servants of the Word; and then the whole world will be wild and epicurean, as then the voice will come and sound, Behold the bridegroom cometh!" The world will not have Him to be God that took upon him our flesh and blood,-who for our sins was crucified, died, and was buried, and who rose from the dead, and who preacheth, teacheth, and threateneth. 'Oh, no!' say they,' away with him! kill him, kill him!' But they will have such a God as with their natural sense, wit, and wisdom they are able to comprehend. The world is like a drunken beggar set on horseback; when you attempt to prop him up on one side, he falls off on the other: they cannot keep him right, do what they will. The world chooses to belong to the devil. God forbid that the world should last fifty years longer: it would be far worse than it hitherto has been. Many sects would arise in that time which are now concealed in the heart of man. May the Lord come! and may he cut short all that with the last judgment; for there can be no more amelioration. It will be so hard a thing to live upon earth, that they will be crying out from all corners of the earth, Good God, come with the last judgment!" As Luther said these words, he held in his hand a string of white agate beads, and added, " O God grant that that day may soon come! I would just now eat this string of beads if that day might be to-morrow. There is every need that the day of judgment should come. As for the Papal Church it is impossible that it should reform itself: the Turk and the Jews will never be any better. There is no amelioration in the empire. Thirty years have they been assembling the Diets without deciding anything.......I see no remedy for all this, but to pray Thy kingdom come! I think that we (the Protestants) are that last trumpet which prepares and ushers in the coming of Christ. Therefore, feeble as we may be, and small as may be the sound which we make to be heard in the world, we are powerful in the assembly of the angels of heaven, who will take up our work (i. e. blowing the trumnpet) after us, and will finish what we have begun."

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