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in the spirit.* True images of spiritual things may be useful, if they are a means of stimulating us to seek the realities themselves.

It is comparatively easy to have ideas of spiritual things: it is more difficult to have the realities.-Will images of spiritual things satisfy you when you die?-Ought they to satisfy you now?

How may you obtain spiritual realities? Seek to live near to the only fountain of truth and good. God alone can impart to you reality and life. (Ps. xxxvi. 9.) You may read, you may hear, you may speak much of good and heavenly things-still you may possess but shadows, pictures, images without life.—“ He that followeth me," says our blessed Saviour," shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

* We cannot be too watchful, lest in Religion, we should attach ourselves to the form and shadow, instead of the substance. We hear or read of the love of God, of humility, patience, self-denial, charity; we have images or pictures of these graces in our minds: we perceive them to be beautiful, we look at them till we fancy we possess them, while in reality, we may have made very little progress in the attainment of them.--The present state of Christianity, freedom from general persecution, the extension of religious knowledge amongst all classes, should make us peculiarly apprehensive of resting satisfied with an ideal, or shadowy religion. With Christians in the early ages, the case was different; their religion was not an easy profession, it was maintained in the fire of persecution, and they gave evidence of their sincerity even to death.

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LIGHT.

The Teacher will find Light a beautiful subject of instruction.

Having briefly noticed the effects of natural light, (for of its substance we are ignorant,) he may speak of intellectual, of spiritual, of divine light.

There are numerous passages of Scripture which represent light in different points of view. He who called Himself "the light of the world"-the divine light-is the first essence of natural light. The light "which lighteth every man that cometh into the world," is the Light of Eternity. Rev. xxi. 23.

EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY WISDOM
COMPARED:

1 Cor. i. ii.

The mind may be led to dwell upon the contrast between earthly and heavenly wisdom. What is wisdom?

Is there more than one kind of wisdom?

Is there more than one kind of true wisdom?

EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY WISDOM. 139

Read Matt. xi. 25; James iii. 15, 17; 1 Cor. i. 17-31; ii.

What are the characters of earthly wisdom? What are the characters of heavenly wisdom?

What is the source of earthly wisdom?
What is the source of heavenly wisdom?

In order more fully to enter into the subject, we will endeavour to trace parts of the contrast drawn by St. Paul, in 1 Cor. i. and ii.

In the 17th verse, St. Paul mentions the commission given him by Jesus Christ-" For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel" then the manner in which the gospel was to be preached-" not with wisdom of words" and the reason of this, "lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect."

In the 18th verse, he describes the different effects of the preaching of the cross, upon two different descriptions of persons, those "that perish," and those who "are saved." To the former, it is "foolishness"-to the latter, it is" the power of God."

In the 19th verse, the divine view of the wisdom of the world is brought before us. "For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent." It cannot be true wisdom, or true understanding which God will bring to nought-it cannot be that wisdom

which is spoken of Prov. viii: and which is emphatically said to be "better than rubies." It is not that wisdom which the Lord " possessed in the beginning of His way, before His works of old"-which 66 was set up from everlasting"-and which whoso findeth, "findeth life."-This is a part of the beautiful description of wisdom, in the book of Proverbsthe "wisdom that is from above." But there is a wisdom which is not "from above;" of such it may truly be "foolishness with God."pose, however, that the earthly wisdom shows itself to its followers under its real character. No it transforms itself into "an angel of light," and would deceive if it were possible, even the elect.

said, that it is -Let us not sup

Verses 26-28. After saying, that "not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called"-the Apostle most strikingly adds, that "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world, to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world, to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.'

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In the beginning of the 2d chapter, St. Paul again renounces all pretensions to the vain wisdom of which he had been speaking, and

EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY WISDOM. 141

professes his determination not to know any thing, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Then, in the 6th verse, he points to the true, substantial, heavenly wisdom, which comes from God. "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect."-Let us follow him in our closets, from the 6th verse to the end of the chapter, and pray that the Spirit of wisdom may illuminate and sanctify our minds.

In verse 11, we have light upon the ground of the declaration, that "the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God" (ch. i. 20; iii. 19.)—the wisdom of the world does not proceed from the Spirit of God, and "the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Without the Spirit of God, how can there be true wisdom?

Verses 12, 13.-The Apostle affirms, that he had, as well as his fellow-disciples, received "the Spirit of God"-that he spoke of divine things, in words taught by the same fountain of wisdom he mentions "the spirit of the world," and "the words which man's wisdom teacheth," in opposition, or contra-distinction, to "the Spirit which is of God," and the words "which the Holy Ghost teacheth."

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In the 14th verse, he asserts the incapability of the natural man to receive ❝ the things of the Spirit of God"-adding the reason of his incapability, founded in the case itself" because they are spiritually discerned;" they are

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