with refining yeast, and a pure, clear wine evoked, which will "cheer both God and man." Every particular Church and separate body of Christians should aim at this purity, by acting upon the rules laid down in Scripture for Church renovation. "Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly." If a covetous, or dishonest, or impure man be called a brother, with such a one "no not to eat," especially the Lord's Supper. This is the decision, not only of the Scripture, but certainly the opinion of the Church of England; witness these words of the prayer-book : 'Brethren, in the primitive Church, there was a godly disciplinethat such as were convicted of notorious sin, were punished in this world, that their souls might be saved in the day of the Lord; and others admonished, &c. until the said discipline be restored again, which is much to be wished," if exercised as of old, by the body of the faithful unitedly, 1 Cor. v. 4. "When nations are to perish in their sins, 'Tis in the Church the leprosy begins." NOW ONE who is able, has given us rules even for curing the leprosy THIS is indeed an emblem of corruption-surely then it is doing harm instead of good, to strengthen and encourage the notion that the Church is to become totally corrupt. Christians need not, will not be afraid, lest no tares be left with the wheat, till the time of harvest; for after all they can do, according to the rule of Scripture, there is sure to be Satan's leaven in the mass, as well as Christ's-only "the Lord infallibly knows them that are His; so," ‚” “kaı”—“let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from all iniquity." και 2 Pet. iii. 5-7 ELUCIDATED. I understand Moses first to say, that the earth is water-born-so said Thales—so Cicero quotes him. We too are water-born, only we are born of Spiritual water, i.e., of that operation of the Holy Ghost, which is like water to the seed; the earth, of that element which is an oxide of hydrogen. (I take John iii. 5, to be the common Hebraism, "Spiritual water," as illustrated in "Scripture Philology, No. III., in this Magazine for June 1859). I understand Moses to say that there existed water, on which the Holy Spirit brooded, and "the deep," on which darkness lay, and which is the same "deep" in which Ahaz was desired to ask a sign, i. e., all beneath our feet, as "the heaven above" is all over our heads, and that "the water" and "the deep" in Gen. i., are two things not one. Then I understand Moses to say that out of this water-St. Peter's ég vdaros—the earth came as described, Gen. i. 9, and when he adds "and by water it consists," I understand him to be insisting upon the agency of water at first, that he may shew the folly of the unhappy men who doubt, as he says, that it can, or will be destroyed "by fire." Where the water came from, Moses is silent upon-no doubt God made it; but he does not say more than that God "gathered it together" by His word. There is a similar reduplication of words to intensify our Lord's making and sustaining the world, &c., in Col. i. 16, 17. As to the air, it will not agree with the Tw coû λóyw; nor with the oupavoì, because the sense forbids that, therefore I do not see it means more than in the following translation: "This they wilfully overlook, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth out of water, and constituted by (the agency of) water; by which (things) it came to pass that the then world being overflowed by water, perished." I add that the fire is as near at hand as the water was, for the ratio of increased heat towards the centre of the earth for every degree of increase of depth in all mines, is so regular and great, that at sixty miles downward, everything must necessarily be in an incandescent state. A little more oxygen mixed with the common air, producible by many conceivable causes, would be attended with the awful results foretold. In other words, the world seems to be red hot within, by all geological examination, which has been conducted carefully in several mines, in different parts of the world. ON THE DURATION OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT. The same words are employed to express the eternity of bliss as of misery, Matt. xxv. 26. et al: freq: The fire is said to be unquenchable; which, taken with the punishment, conveys in another form the eternity of the latter. It appears from Scripture, that only the good and holy will have "a body fashioned like unto His glorious body." Who can tell then, but that the wicked and graceless will not even be capable of suffering in their bodies the terrible effects of burning? The devil and his angels, it is admitted, are doomed to everlasting punishment-now the punishment of the wicked is the same. Future bliss is spiritual, for which a spiritual nature is a necessary qualification; and this is brought about by the Holy Spirit, only through "the preaching of the cross," which preaching and influence will cease before "the last enemy is destroyed, and the kingdom delivered up to God, even the Father." It follows then that, could the worm die, the lost could not be regenerated and made "partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light." The same word also that is used to express the attribute of eternity, which belongs to God himself, is used to signify the duration of punishment. Tenby. G. N. S. The Teacher in his School. BRIEF NOTES OF A LESSON TO ELDER GIRLS, ON NEW YEAR'S DAY.-PROV. IV. 14-27. SOLOMON is speaking as if to his own children, verse 1. Let us take his words as warnings and counsels for the New Year. Two Paths are mentioned, in one of which we are walking. Verse 14.- -"Path of the wicked." All of us are sinners, Rom. iii. 23; but the wicked are those who love sin-who remain in the state in which they were born, Rom. viii. 7, 8. Their way seems pleasant, because they please themselves; but we must think of the end of their way, Matt. vii. 13, 14; Phil. iii. 18, 19. Verse 15.-Not "just go and see," but "pass not by it." The look at what is evil is often the first step to doing evil. If you knew cholera was in a street, you would not go to look, but keep as far from it as possible. should we do with regard to all temptations to sin, 1 Cor. xv. 33. So Girls are known by the company they keep. Verse 18.-The other path, "of the just," or the way in which a believer walks from the time he first seeks the Lord. Not "just" in himself, but in Christ, Rom. v. 1. Why is it compared to light? John viii. 12; i. 4. It may be faint at first, but the nearer we keep to Christ, the more of his light we shall get till we come to heaven's "perfect day," Rev. xxii. 5. Verse 19.-What a contrast to the former verse. Far from Christ, and therefore all darkness-and then the end, Jude 13. Verse 21.-The right place to keep God's words--in the midst of the heart. Verse 22.-Life-health-what blessings for the New Year. These words of course, if attended to, give spiritual life, and are as "medicine" (see mar ginal reading), not always pleasant, but so good for us. They benefit not those who only "hear" them, but those who "find" them in their own experience. Verse 23. (See marginal reading). Why is the heart to be kept "above all keeping ?" In our body it is the centre of life-so, in spiritual life, the first step is a change of heart, Ezek. xxxvi. 26; 2 Cor. v. 17. The state of our heart is the point which decides whose we are. How is it to be kept? By prayer, and watching against the first risings of sin. We cannot keep it ourselves-Ask God, Ps. xix. 13; cxix. 117. Verse 24.-Here are practical tests as to the state of our heart, Matt. xii. 24; Jas. iii. 6. Great danger of getting so accustomed to hear bad words, loose, bold expressions, that we lose the dread of them we ought to have. Be very watchful in this. ' Verse 25.-The eye shows attention. Teachers notice the wandering eye. 'Right on to the path of duty; each day think "What is my duty ?" and do it as unto the Lord. Christians have one object in view, Salvation, and they cannot be looking after the pleasures and vanities of the world, Ps. cxix. 37. Where to look, Heb. xii. 1, 2, 26. "Look where you are going;" there are many snares-some hidden, Eph. v. 15. Verse 27.-The way to heaven is a strait and narrow path-there are bye LESSON TO AN ADULT FEMALE BIBLE CLASS, ON THE FEMALE SERVANTS OF SCRIPTURE. I TOLD you, when we last met, that it was my wish that for the next few evenings, we should study together the female characters of Scripture, and I will tell you why I have selected this subject; we are so in the habit of seeing men do all the great works in the world, such as govern our armies, and guide our ships, and direct our manufactories, and erect our buildings, and many other things, that I am afraid we sometimes forget how very important are the duties which God has entrusted to us. Now I believe that women have more influence in the world than the men who do all the great things of which we have been speaking. Can you tell me why? A. Because so many of them are mothers. Yes, almost all children, even boys until they are seven or eight years old, are chiefly under the care of women, either their mothers, nurses, or governesses, and I believe that whether a child grows up to be a blessing to his country and his family, or whether he grows up a source of misery and trouble to all around him, depends in a great measure upon the women who had the care of him in those early years of his life, and upon the impressions then made upon his heart. Now I believe you all know what is to be the subject of our first evening's study of the female characters of Scripture. A. Female servants. Let us remember that there is a great difference between that which we read in the Bible, and that which we read in any other book; what is it which makes every word in the Bible of such great importance? A. It is God's word. True, so we may be sure that nothing is written in vain, and therefore, however short the verse, or however slightly a person may be mentioned, there is something for us to learn. Now what does St. Paul tell us that the things which were written aforetime, were written for? A. For our learning. Then what are we to learn from them? Are all the persons we read of in Scripture, set before us as examples for us to imitate. ? A. No, we are to imitate the good. We are to study the characters of those who were placed in similar circumstances to ourselves; some are set before us as examples for us to follow, others as warnings for us to avoid. Can you tell me who is the first female servant mentioned in Scripture ? A. Hagar. What sort of a family was it she lived in, large or small, rich or poor? A. There were only Abraham and Sarai. They were very rich. Now you would think that in such a situation, with only a rich lady to wait upon, she might have been very happy indeed; let us see whether she is so. Read Gen. xvi. 7. A. "And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the Wilderness in the way to Shur." How came Hagar to be in the Wilderness? A. She had run away from her mistress. Why had she run away ? A. Her mistress was angry with her. Well, go further back, and tell me why her mistress was angry with her : read the end of verse 4th. A. "Her mistress was despised in her eyes." Then where did the fault begin, with the mistress or the servant? A. With the servant. I dare say you all know that Sarai was now of a great age, and had no children ; according to the custom of those times she gave her maid Hagar to Abraham, to be a second wife to him, but it is not in that character that I wish to speak to you about her, but as Sarai's maid, which was the character in which the angel addressed her. Hagar in her pride of heart despised her mistress, what was the consequence? A. Sarai dealt hardly with her. A. Hagar fled from her. What a lesson it teaches us of the sinfulness, and weakness of our hearts, when we see such a melancholy picture in the household of Abraham, the father of the faithful, and the friend of God. But Hagar is in very different circumstances now; in the wilderness she is desolate, humbled, and sorrowful. What would be the saddest thought of all in her trouble? A. That it was all her own fault. Yes, those troubles are always the hardest to bear, which we bring upon ourselves by our own misconduct. When her mistress dealt hardly with her, was she right or wrong to run away? A. Wrong. How do you know that she was wrong? A. Because the angel said "Return to thy mistress and submit thyself under her hands." She was to return, for that was her proper place; to submit, for that was her duty. Is Hagar an example or a warning to us? A. A Warning. A warning to all proud hearts and hasty tempers. There are many who, like Hagar, if anything crosses them, if their mistress seems hard, are ready in their haste to say they will leave directly; perhaps if an angel met them, the first words he would say, would be what the Lord said to Hagar, "Return and submit." Let us now look at the next female |