THE CHURCH.

THE subject of this Lesson is one of high importance, doctrinally and prac tically, and can now only be treated in its chief points. Ever since sin entered into the world, it established a SEPARATION: good and evil cannot be in agree. ment; God has a people, and Satan has his followers. The general and broad features that mark these are strongly described in the Bible, and the eternal destiny of each is as clearly revealed; but it is one of the tempter's devices to slur over those differences, and so lull his victims into a false security. This danger is especially great in the present day, when attempts are made to represent all religions as containing truth, and more or less acceptable to God. This is not the language of the Bible, which speaks of but one way to heaven. We need not distress ourselves as to the way in which God will deal with those who have had no such opportunities as we; let us take Scripture as we find it, concerning ourselves.

And of equally vital importance is another truth revealed there,-the difference between the outward, professing Church, and the inward, invisible, and spiritual Church. It is in vain to call ourselves the people of the Lord, if we have no true and heartfelt communion with Him.

I. Let us look, first, at the CHURCH OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, in which we see that from the time when men "began to call on the name of the Lord," they were in the habit of assembling themselves together for worship. In patriarchal times, every household was, in one sense, a Church, and the head of the family was its ministering priest. The instance of Job illustrates this, Job i. 5. A more distinctly recognised priesthood existed, as we know, in the time of Abraham, from the history of Melchizedek, Gen. xiv. 18-20; Heb. vii. Later, the Jewish Church was formally established, and constituted with especial laws and ceremonies for its public services and sacrifices, with rules both for priests and people, by Moses. But this was the Church of a peculiar people, a National Church, and destined only to last for a time. It was limited to the land of Judah, Ps. lxxvi. 1, 2, and to the Jewish people, Ps. cxlvii. 19, and was but the forerunner of a better covenant, Heb. viii. 13.

II. THE CHURCH, UNDER THE GOSPEL, was established on a new foundation, Ephes. ii. 19-21, and became a Church for all time and for all kindreds of the earth. Beginning at Jerusalem (Acts ii.), it soon spread; and from “the church which is in his house," Col. iv. 15, of early days, sprung the Churches in various cities and countries where the faith of Christ had been embraced (2 Cor. viii. 1; 1 Thess. ii. 14; Gal. i. 2). These became National Churches, and formed parts of the one Universal Church (Rom. xii. 5; 1 Cor. xii. 12). Each of these Churches have power to decree rites or ceremonies for the solemnization of public worship, in such things as are not prescribed in God's Word, so that order may prevail (1 Cor. xiv. 40), and that the truth may be taught and maintained: see Acts xv. 22, 23; and it is plainly the duty of each member of the Church to submit to the rules of the community to which he belongs, Rom. xvi. 17-19.

III. But let it never be thought that union with the outward Church of Christ will save us; there is a mixture of good and bad there (Matt. xiii. 24, 47), to be separated hereafter (Matt. xxv. 32). But there is a SPIRITUAL CHURCH (Ephes. v. 25-27) the members of which are sanctified by the Holy Spirit (John xiv. 17; 1 Cor. vi. 11); and 'these only will hereafter be partakers in the blessedness and glory of the members of the Church triumphant, Rev. vii. 9–17; xix. 5—9; xxi.

AN ORDAINED MINISTRY.

WE have endeavoured to collect together the passages of Scripture that give us the idea of a Church in its visible and invisible character. The present point concerns the visible Church or body of professing believers, and the provision which God has appointed to be made for its spiritual welfare.

In patriarchal times, each head of a family was a priest in his own household, the acknowledged head, both in temporal and spiritual government. Under the law, it pleased God to ordain a different state of things, viz., an appointed ministry, set apart for the work of sacrificing, and other religious duties. Under the Gospel, we find the same principle further set forth, and it is both interesting and useful to note the various passages in which the subject is brought forward.

I. Let us look at the SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY for our Church government. Our Saviour first selected his twelve Apostles, and afterwards the seventy disciples, to preach in Judæa during his ministry on earth, and after his resurrection gave a distinct commission to his Apostles (Matt. xxviii. 19, 20). They, having selected by lot Matthias in place of Judas (Acts i. 26), afterwards found so many converts joining the Church as to need assistance in carrying on their work, and therefore took from among the disciples seven men, who were appointed to the office of deacons by a distinct ordination and imposition of hands (Acts vi.) Elders or presbyters (from which our word "priest" is derived) were existing in the Church at Jerusalem within ten years of its formation (Acts xi. 30), and similar ministers were ordained elsewhere in every Church by the Apostles (Acts xiv. 23.) Subsequently, when the preaching of the Gospel had made further progress, persons were appointed to preside over the different Churches as bishops, and express directions given as to their ordination (see 1 Tim. iii.) and the importance of a succession of competent teachers is shown by St. Paul's injunction in 2 Tim. ii. 2.

II. And this leads us to consider THE ADVANTAGES we enjoy from this ordained ministry. A regular and continued establishment of persons, to whom were committed the oracles of God, authorised to instruct the people, to enjoin obedience to God's laws, and to maintain the unity of the faith, has been the means by which the true religion has subsisted in the world from the beginning. Nor could public worship and teaching be properly performed, or fail to fall into disorder and contempt, unless duly qualified persons were specially set apart, as we see they were, for this especial purpose; and further, even among ministers of religion, it is needful that there should be proper degrees of order and subordi nation, and, in our own Church at least, we know that we adopt the same mode as that followed in Apostolic times.

III. But authority and obedience are ever reciprocal, and we are RESPONSIBLE for making the best use of our privileges in possessing such a ministry. We are taught in Heb. xiii. 7, 17 the duty both of obedience and of imitating the faith of our spiritual guides, 1 Cor. xi. 1; Phil. iii. 17. They are to be held in esteem and affection for their work's sake, Phil. ii. 29; 1 Thess. v. 13; 1 Tim. v. 17; and we are not to forget that they are ambassadors of Christ, 2 Cor. v. 20, and messengers from God, 1 Cor. iv. 1; Gal. iv. 14, who are necessary to us, Rom. x. 14, to teach, exhort, warn, rebuke, or comfort us, according to our need, 2 Tim. ii. 2; Titus i. 9; Acts xx. 31; 2 Cor. i. 4-6; who are to give account of their charge of our souls, Heb. xiii. 17, and who, if faithful to their Master's service in declaring the whole counsel of God, will eventually reap their reward, Matt. xxiv. 46, 47; 1 Pet. v. 1—4.

THE SABBATH.

THERE are few points of Christian PRACTICE more important than the observance of the Sabbath, and few PRIVILEGES more valuable than the possession of such a day. Christians less favoured than the British nation, must not be condemned as utterly ungodly because they make the day only partially sacred; but one thing is certain as they learn more of Divine truth they prize the Sabbath more highly, and keep it more reverently. And our own duty is clear-to hallow the day in spirit ourselves, and to do our best to lead others to do the same.

WHEN WAS THE SABBATH INSTITUTED? It is a mistake to suppose that it was first appointed at the giving of the law on Sinai, Exodus xx. 8—11; for the fourth commandment enjoins the Israelites to remember to keep the Sabbath, which was kept holy, as we see from Exodus xvi. 23, soon after the people left Egypt, before the tables of the law were given, and had its origin in the completion of the work of creation,—that Divine rest which was observed on the seventh day, and was sanctified in consequence, Gen. ii. 2, 3. We know not on what day of the week, as we now number them, God ceased from his work; but He claims one day in seven, and the change made at the foundation of the Christian Church (Acts xx. 7), from the last day of the Jewish week to the first (the day on which the Lord arose), cannot affect the original authority of the Divine institution of a seventh day as holy unto the Lord.

BY WHOM was the day thus set apart? By the Maker of the world, when it first proceeded from his hand, to commemorate his love in creation, Exodus xx. 11; to be kept holy unto him, Isaiah lviii. 13, 14; and to be regarded as made for man's benefit in this life, Exodus xxiii. 12; and as a type of his heavenly rest hereafter, Heb. iv. 4, 9.

FOR WHAT PURPOSES was the Sabbath designed? The commandment (which as a part of the moral law is binding for ever, Matt. v. 18), explains its double purpose-for PHYSICAL REST, "Thou shalt do no manner of work;" and for SPIRITUAL PRIVILEGES, " remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.”

The goodness and tenderness, the wisdom and forethought of our God in making this provision for his creatures, should fill our hearts with gratitude. Labour which exhausts the frame, "the sweat of the brow" is the consequence of sin; yet He, whose law was broken, mercifully provided this antidote to the curse which the transgression brought upon the sinner. Many a spirit would have been crushed by the tedious unceasing monotony of worldly labour for an exacting master; many a strong physical frame would have been made weak and feeble by the want of salutary rest and relaxation from exertion, but for this blessed provision made by God for the rest of the body.

But how much more is the Sabbath "a delight" when we regard it as a day of SPIRITUAL PRIVILEGES! It was sanctified that man, prone to forget God altogether, might thus again and again be reminded of Him, and of his Providence; that so he might be recalled to his allegiance, and preserved from that final separation from God in the life of the world to come, which estrangement from his worship and service in this life involves. And the Christian recalls on this day of quiet rest that his Lord gained for him, as on this day, an entrance into his eternal glory, and he seeks the presence of his Father in heaven, with the joy of a child going home to his fond parent's roof, there to receive gifts of grace, assurances of pardon and of peace, in answer to his prayers, which will fill his heart with praise and thanksgiving.

A promised blessing rests on those who keep the Sabbath, Isaiah lvi. 2, 6; and God's people should not only rejoice in it themselves, Psalm cxviii. 24, but should testify against those who desecrate it, see Neh. xiii. 15, 20, 21.

DIVINE WORSHIP.

WHEN God made man, in his own image, pure and holy, He doubtless received from him a pure, holy, and heartfelt worship. Sin, that separates us from Him, (Isaiah lix. 2), had not then made Adam an enemy, (Rom. v. 2), nor deadened the sense of love and gratitude. WE can scarcely realize those feelings, so imperfect are our best prayers and praises, but we should AIM at doing so; and in those efforts the people of God find a priceless aid in PUBLIC WORSHIP. They cannot live without their own individual worship, and communion with God, but besides their secret service (such as described by our Lord in Matt. vi. 6, and as practised by Him, Matt. xiv. 23), God has enjoined on us all the celebration of Public Worship, united Prayer and Praise, the preaching of the Word, and the administration of the Lord's Supper.

Let us notice first the express commandments on the subject, and the promises of blessing attending the fulfilment of this duty. Our Lord's invitations to prayer, and promises of answers to it, were very frequent, see Matt. vii. 7, 8; xxi. 22; John xiv. 13, 14; xvi. 23, 24: while of old time God directed His people to pray that he might bless them: see 1 Kings iii. 5: Isaiah lv. 6. Nor is praise to be forgotten: Deut. viii. 10; xxvi. 10, 11: Col. i. 12: for as we ask, and receive what we ask, shall we not give God thanks? Luke xvii. 18.

Next, let us consider the advantages of PRIVATE and PUBLIC worship.

In our PRIVATE WORSHIP we give utterance to our most secret thoughts in the presence of Him to whom they are already known, Ps. cxxxix. 2. All that our hearts crave, every desire which we may rightly cherish, is a subject for this secret communion with Him who is the source from whence every good and perfect gift descends. We know the peculiar weaknesses of our own hearts, the temptations by which we are most strongly assailed, the sin which doth most easily beset us, the special graces in which we are most deficient, the kind of strength we most need, the outward difficulties which most perplex us, the secret sorrow which weighs upon our hearts. Like Hezekiah we may, and should "spread it before the Lord," and by His mercy, we may look for strength sufficient to support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations, for the merits' sake of our great Mediator and Intercessor. And there are daily providences in our individual lives, deliverance from cares, anxieties and dangers, the bestowal of peace happiness and prosperity to ourselves and those dear to us, which may well lift up our hearts in special praise and thanksgiving to the Father of all mercies.

And the advantages of PUBLIC WORSHIP, though not so essential as private prayer to the sustenance of spiritual life, are very great and precious. It binds the people of God into one communion and fellowship, Acts ii. 46, 47; and a special promise of an answer to united prayer was given by our Lord, Matt. xviii. 19, 20. "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together," is enjoined in Heb. x. 25, for another reason—the strengthening of each other by mutual exhortation, encouragement and sympathy, "to provoke unto love and good works,' and to induce others to follow our example: Ps. xcv. Another advantage is that we are thus ensured stated times for worshipping God, free from the distractions of the world's business and pleasure, and the pressing calls of daily life. Those who have studied the Psalms will have seen the delight which David found in the Public worship of God, and what a cheerful spirit it shed over all his feelings Ps. xlii. 4; lxxxiv. 1—4, 11; cxxii. 1.

THE LORD'S SUPPER.

THE Sabbath and the Ordinances of Divine Worship have been the privileges of God's people at all times from the beginning of the world. But when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John i. 14), He poured out richer blessings than had been realised before, and one of the chief of these was the institution of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. There is neither wisdom nor piety in exalting one of the means of grace above the rest-ALL are God's gifts for man's good-but neither can ONE be neglected without injury. They who refuse (and neglect is refusal) to eat the bread and drink the wine that the Lord hath ordained in remembrance of His death, must be sadly wanting in true heartfelt love to Him. ("Is this thy kindness to thy friend ?")

Before the institution, our Lord had spoken of Himself as the living bread, and as spiritually to be received, (like as bread is taken into the body), John vi. And "in the same night that He was betrayed” He gave his apostles broken bread, and poured out wine, as emblems of his crucified body and shed blood, leaving the celebration of that last Supper as a command to be continually observed "till He come."

The CIRCUMSTANCES of the institution were such as to render it most solemn and affecting. Our Lord knew all that was about to come to pass concerning himself, that the betrayer had begun his work, that the rest of his followers would flee, and that He would, in his own body, unfriended and unaided, be made the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, paying the penalty for the transgressions of mankind by his own bitter agony and death. His faithful and loving, though weak and timid, followers, were gathered around Him in peace, for the last time before all this was to come to pass; and their gracious Lord and Master seems to have forgotten for a while the bitter cup He was himself about to drink, and to have thought only of the means of comforting and cheering his followers. He knew that they needed physical strength for the trials which were before them in that dark and fearful night; and so He fed them with his own hand: He knew that they needed, even more, spiritual strength, and He gave it them by bringing them into nearer union with Himself.

And thus we are led to consider THE PURPOSES of the institution. We are taught by our Church that the Lord's Supper was instituted "for the continual remembrance of the death of Christ, and of the benefits which we receive thereby,” in accordance with his own words, Luke xxii. 19, and St. Paul's instruction, 1 Cor. xi. 26. To commemorate the love of our only Saviour dying for us, is plainly the duty of all who believe that they have been redeemed from the curse of sin and the power of death by the blood of Jesus. More than this, it is a token of his love and tenderness which none who love Him truly can refuse. He reminds us even of his saddest hours by a feast, which, while it strengthens us, is to show us that He wishes his dying love to be remembered by all who love Him, that so He may have proof of their devotion to Him, and bring them into nearer union with himself. He had taught beforehand that perfect union with Him was needful to all his disciples (John xv. 4-6), and in John vi. yet more plainly insisted upon the same blessed truth. This, too, was the theme of his prayer before He suffered, John xvii. 21-23. So that all means of grace must be used for this end-to nourish our souls by bringing us into nearer communion with Christ; and while they all have the power of so strengthening us, especially must that Sacrament be effectual, when applied by the active power of faith, to which the Saviour has Himself promised his blessing, and which binds his people together in one holy bond of union with Him (1 Cor. x. 16, 17).