strangers assembled at the feast, each in his own language, thus not only affording a convincing proof that God was with the speakers, but also enabling them to make themselves fully understood.

II.-The instruction the circumstances convey to ourselves.

The feast of weeks was to be observed by the Israelites. It was symbolical of a greater event. God gives the sunshine and the rain to make the fruits of the earth spring forth. He gives the Spirit to produce spiritual fruit.

1. The gift of the Holy Spirit is one of vital importance to our eternal interest. Our Lord told his disciples that it was to complete the work which He Himself had begun. The chief operations of the Spirit as revealed in scripture are:

a. To enlighten. He shall teach you all things.' (Luke xxiv., 49.)

b. To comfort. 'I will send the Comforter unto you.' (John xvi., 7.)

c. To give wisdom. The spirit of wisdom and understanding.' (Isaiah xi., 2.)

d. To direct in the daily events of life. They being sent forth by the Holy Ghost departed into Selencia.' (Acts xiii., 4. See also Acts xvi. 6, xxi. 4.)

e. To sanctify. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. (Ezekiel xxxvii., 14.) We are changed from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord.' (2 Cor. i., 22.) Also Ye are washed. ye are sanctified, ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God.' (1 Cor. vi. 11.) The Holy Ghost is also instrumental in man's conversion, 1 Cor. ii, 4, 5, direction and ultimate glorification.

Surely we do not pay sufficient regard to the work of the Spirit, for without its influence we could never enter heaven.

We should therefore

2. Seek for it more anxiously. God has promised to give the Spirit to those that ask Him. Nay, He is even more ready to bestow it than we are to ask.

How much depends upon its possession! Heaven, joy, peace, tranquility and eternal glory. We should also

3. Beware lest we cause it to depart. 'Grieve not the Holy Ghost.' The soul from whom the Spirit departs is abandoned indeed. We may grieve the Spirit by indifference, by negligence, by deliberate sin.

God grant that the same gift which was showered upon the first disciples at the feast of Pentecost may also be given unto us this Whitsun season,

TRINITY SUNDAY, MAY 23.

And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His Glory. Isaiah vi. 3.

THESE words form part of the description of a vision which Isaiah saw in the year that King Uzziah died, and are supposed to refer to the Triune Jehovah. The vision is as follows:-The prophet saw the Lord sitting upon His throne, high and lifted up and His train filling the Temple. Above this throne stood the seraphims, each having six wings, and the words which they uttered were the words of our text.

This vision was intended to give Isaiah a glimpse of the majesty and glory of God, and to manifest His greatness, and the position which is His in the world above. Knowing the nature of Him who gave the commission to go and preach, Isaiah would be strengthened for his work, inasmuch as he would be encouraged by realizing whose servant he was, and what Almighty power was behind to assist, support, and comfort.

This description is especially valuable to us as shadowing, faintly it may be, the three-fold nature of God. The word 'Holy' is thrice repeated, and it must be more than a mere coincidence that the angels praising God should thus signify the mystery of Divine nature. We are rather to believe that the circumstance shadows forth one of the marvellous truths which is not expressly revealed. The subject for our consideration is the great truth which forms the first and essential foundation of the Christian Creed, that the Deity we worship is one great person, complete and perfect in Himself, and that this person consists of and includes three distinct and separate agencies or operations:

Let us then :

I. Look at this truth in det vil.-When we look at the term 'Trinity' we must remember that it is a word of human origin. But it was applied to sum up and express a truth which is emphatically implied in the Scripture and by our Lord Himself. The whole doctrine is an inference rather than an explicit revelation. What we are taught is comprised in the following:

1. We have the positive statement that our God is one God.

(Deut. vi, 4.) This unity of God is the first thing revealed. It is I, not We, that speaks. This fact admits of no contradiction. Nay, the unity of creation is involved in it. The welfare of the world bespeaks it. Whatever dissension has torn the minds of persons

who believe at all, this fact remains undisputed 'There is one God.'

2. We find in the Old Testament, instances of different influences or manifestations of this one Being. For instance we read in Genesis i. of the spirit of God, which was the effectual instrument in the creation of the world. We have the influence of this spirit in the direction and instruction of the Prophets. There is moreover a distinct reference to the Angel Jehovah' which is the Son of God. We have an instance of His presence with the young men Shadrach, Mesheck, and Abednego. We have David's obvious reference to him.

3. When we come to the New Testament, we have the fullest and plainest statements and facts, bringing before us the three agents which it is possible to conceive. Here is the Son born into the world, sent by the Father, promising the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the essential essence of both. At the baptism of Christ the Three were ostensibly present. The Son, personally the Spirit in the form of a dove, and the Father in the voice from Heaven. In more than one passage the three are mentioned together. (Matthew xxviii., 19-20.)

Hence we cannot, if we believe the scripture doubt as to the fact that, pertaining to the mighty God whom we worship, there are three persons or agents whose office is different, and whose operation diverse.

But the fact is especially brought before us that these three persons or methods of manifestation are one, I and my Father are one' And in reference says Christ (John x. 30).

to the Holy Ghost, he says 'The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send you in My name (John xiv., 26).

Thus we learn that the one God consists of three persons, and the Catholic Faith is that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.' Further explanation is denied us, and all we can do is to rest in simple Faith on the declarations of Divine Truth. We now come to notice :

II. A few lessons suggested by the subject. The subject is a practical one. If we deny or forget the application of the doctrine we become

1. Worshippers of three Gods. This happened in many cases during the early history of the Church. If we separate the justice of the Father from the sacrifice of the Son, we forget the Trinity. But how many there are who unintentionally do so, in thought, in sermon, in belief. Rather think

of Christ as revealing God and the Spirit, teaching of both.

On the other hand we may become

2. Practical infidels. What else is a man but an infidel who denies the Divinity of Christ and the Godhead of the Holy Ghost? What does God then become? What can we make of Him? What is salvation but a vague, indefinite trust in the mercy of that God who we are elsewhere told is a God of justice? These two qualities are utterly incompatible with the atonement of Christ. Man then would become hopeless. The Bible would be a myth, and our God little better than the Gods of the heathen-an assembly of contradictions, and a formula of uncertainty!

Let us then adhere very closely to the 'Doctrine of the Trinity.' It is the very foundation of God's revelation, and without it in all its fulness religion is a farce, and the hopes of salvation vain.

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY-MAY 30,

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the Ark of the Covenant stood. Joshua iv. 9.

THE event referred to here is one of remarkable interest. It relates to the crossing over Jordan by the people of Israel when they entered the promised land. The forty years of painful toil in the wilderness were ended. The promise of rest was soon to be realized. The narrow river of Jordan which separated the land of Canaan from them alone had to be crossed. By the miraculous interpositions of God through his servant the waters of this river were arrested in their course, and a path was opened on which they could cross it dryshod. But the entrance to the promised land was not to take place without some ceremony to render it impressive and to commemorate the conclusion of the long and painful journey. The Ark of the Lord passed partly on before the people, and as soon as the priests who bare the Ark arrived at the centre of the river's bed they stood still, and the people passed clear over. When this was the case Joshua appointed twelve men, out of every tribe a man, and commanded them to take every man a stone out of the place where the priest's feet stood firm, and leave them in the lodging place where they went to lodge that night. He also commanded twelve other stones to be taken and placed in the midst of Jordan on the spot where the Ark was stayed. Now this act was performed as a memorial of the event and it had a two-fold signification.

I.-It was a remembrance of the past. What a past it was that was now about to be ended! Forty years of toil and trial, of mercy from God, and rebellion on the part of manof miraculous intervention and mysterious revelation. And the whole was crowned by the marvellous passage of the river. Of all this past the two monuments of stones were to be erected. Notice

1. That every man, and especially every Christian, has a past to his history. The story of our life begins from the day of our birth. Daily and hourly we are led by the Providence of God through scenes of danger and difficulty-through trials and toils. And the history of the soul's life is as thrilling in its interest as was that of the Israelites who were a living type of Christian course.

2. That God requires some memorial of the blessings we have received. It is not intended that we should forget the past. 'Look at the pit whence ye were digged.' From the Divine direction of the past we are to learn the lessons of God's tenderness and love.

3. That the memorial God requires is such as every man has in his power to bestow. God commanded to take stones. The people had no other possessions. They possessed neither silver or gold. The rude heap of stones were a sufficiently stately monument to the mercy of God. The Almighty does not ask for what we do not possess.

II.-It was to be a reminder for the future. Generations that were to arise were to look upon this memorial of stones and to learn what God had done for their forefathers. The people themselves were to regard the monument and to think upon the mercies they had experienced.

The great lesson we learn is that we make the past a warning and an encouragement for the future.

1. Our past failures will teach us humility and distrust of self.

2. God's goodness will encourage us for the future to trust in him more fully.

3. Having arrived so far on our journey we may well hope to be led safely to the end.

Where the Ark of God passes in our journey let us erect a monument to the mercy and grace which have led us thither!

Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way. Judges v. 10. WHITE asses were regarded as symbols of dignity, and even now in Egypt a high-bred and well-trained white donkey is considered a very superior animal, and is held in such high esteem that it sells for double the usual price.

Miscellaneous Outlines.

RESTORATION TO JOY.

Outline of a Sermon by the EDITOR. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit. Psalm li., 12.

We know that this Psalm is the prayer of of a backslider-the lamentation of a fallen saint. David fell, and how great was his fall! But the depth of his disgrace was not in the shame he felt in the sight of the world, but in the agony of his humiliation in the eyes of God. No words can speak the intensity. of his soul's anguish. Consider here,

I.-Something lost! Not a wordly name. That is a loss to demand many a bitter tear. Not an earthly fortune; that might be lamented. Not the favour of a human friend; that might be recovered. But more than all the favour of God, the peace of a pure conscience, the joy of Faith, the consciousness of salvation.

Can all the riches of earth make up for such a loss as this?

II.-Something desired. And that is the restoration of the privilege lost.

We do not know the blessing of what we possess until it is gone. It is so with health. Who values his health till age and infirmity threaten to take them away? It is so with life. Who appreciates his life till its sand is almost run? It is so with opportunities. No man knows the value of opportunities for selfimprovement, etc., while they are his or till they are gone for ever.

And if this is the case with these things, how much more with the smile and favour of God? That may be valued while possessed, but a thousandfold more when it is forfeited.

It was natural that David should long to be restored to the condition he had lost. A woman when she hath lost even one piece of silver, says our Lord, seeks diligently till she finds it. How much more with the pearl of great price.

III.-Something looked forward to. A fall will make a man more cautious in the future, more anxious to avoid the cause of his fall. Hence David not only prayed to be restored to the position he had lost, but desired, when restored, to be kept from stumbling again. Uphold me with thy free spirit.'

It is a blessed thing to think that God is able to restore his people, and more blessed still that by the Holy Spirit he can uphold and sustain them in the heavenly way.

We have here

1. An intimation of the work and office of the Holy Ghost mentioned in the Old Testament. There are not many references to the Third Person of the Trinity in the Old Testament scriptures, but here is one. This Spirit is capable of holding up the anxious soul. We learn

2. That the gift of this Spirit is in the hands of the Father. It proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is the Comforter. I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter.' Notice

3. The condition of the gift. Uphold me with thy free Spirit.' The privileges of the gospel are without money and without price. Ho, every one that thirsteth,' &c, We have only to ask and receive. David sought and obtained. It may be the same with us.

CONCLUSION.-It is a fearful thing to fall from grace. Pray God that you fall not utterly. If down, seek restoration. And pray that, learning from the bitterness of past experience, you may walk more cautiously in the future, upheld by the free Spirit of God.

THE HERITAGE OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters. I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off. Isaiah lvi., 5.

The

WHEN God comes to us in mercy we must meet Him in duty. In the previous chapter we have exceeding great and precious promises of Gospel grace-typified by temporal deliverances. In the present chapter we have a solemn charge to fulfil our duty as we hope to have the benefit of those promises. prophet then encourages all classes and conditions of persons who fulfil this requirement, even the most unlikely (as represented by eunuchs) should share in the promised blessing. There are none so abandoned, or destitute, or despised, but what they may hope to obtain the privileges which come from Christ.

We learn that God is no respecter of persons. Under the Gospel dispensation He admits all classes however degraded in the estimation of men. Consider

I. What is meant by the position spoken of within God's house and walls.

II. The blessedness of those who attain that happy privilege.

1. The meaning of the term is different in different connexions. We often meet the phrase in scripture, House of the Lord,' House of God,' &c. It means

a. Any place where God vouchsafes His presence. Jacob, travelling into a far country,

laid down under the canopy of Heaven with a stone for his pillow. Then he had a vision of God. When he awoke he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place, none other but the House of God.

Moses, keeping his sheep, saw a flame of fire in a bush, and the Divine voice commanded him to put off his shoes, for the place was Holy ground.

The Patriarchs built an altar upon all places when any particular manifestation of God's mercy occurred, and we are told that where two or three of His people meet in His name He is in their midst,'-it may be a cathedral or the mountain top.

2. Any particular place or building set apart for worship. Such was the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. Such was the Temple of Jerusalem, and such are all our churches in which we worship God in spirit and truth. These buildings, consecrated to God, are known with the appellation House of God.' It means3. The Spiritual Church, both in Heaven and on Earth. One great house divided into two parts, one perfect and complete, the other on earth, imperfect. Still it is all one, though diverse and torn into sections.

Now those spoken of in our textare those who form part of this spiritual house, and are adinitted members. They share in all the privileges also of the presence of God, and worship in the material building spoken of before. II. The blessedness of these persons. Even unto them,' &c, We learn

1. The privileges of the New Testament Church are not to be confined to any class or nation. At the time this chapter was written Gentiles, Eunuchs and others were excluded from Jewish privileges, but this is all done away in Christ. My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.' All grades, classes, and conditions. Learn

2. These privileges are obtained in the Church. If you join the family in Heaven, you must join it on earth; there is no salvation out of the Church, which is the arms of Christ. Learn

3. These privileges are eternal, an everlasting name that shall not be cast off.'

The names of kings and warriors that once struck terror into the hearts of millions shall be buried in oblivion. Poets and Philosophers shall be forgotten. Names embla zoned on the escutcheon of honor shall sink to nothingness. But the names of the members of the Church of Christ shall not be cut off. It is an everlasting name which shall last on earth and shall endure in heaven. E. G. WILLIAMS.

VOL. IV.

Leading Sermon.

JESUS CHRIST AS A PUBLIC TEACHER

By REV. J. CYNDDYLAN JONES (Of Cardiff).

Matt. vii., 28, 29.-And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

6

STUDENTS of our Saviour's history generally observe that the first year of His public life was chiefly remarkable for the mighty works' He performed, and the last year for the mighty words He delivered. At the outset, miracles; at the close, sermons. We are able partly to discover the reason for this procedure. The Saviour's first duty was manifestly to arrest public attention, and call together a crowd; and this He could more successfully do by performing miracles than by delivering sermons. Works always impress the untutored more deeply than words. Someone has compared miracles to a bell,' and the comparison is a very felicitous one. In the verses before the text we see Jesus Christ going round about all Galilee,' ringing the bell of miracles. To whichever neighbourhood He went He rang the bell-He healed the sick or cast out devils. As a natural consequence people turned out eagerly from their houses and villages to ascertain the cause, to learn why the bell was ringing, especially the great bell, the bell which had not rung before for five or six centuries. They had often heard the little bells of the Scribes and Pharisees ring, but this is the first time for them to hear God's bell ring. Consequently, they flocked from all the hamlets and towns to enquire the reason. 'There followed Him great multitudes from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan.'

Here is a large congregation gathered together by the bell of miracles; now then for a sermon worthy of the occasion. A congre

No. 5

gation first, a sermon afterwards. · And seeing the multitudes. He went up into a mountain; and when He was set His disciples came unto Him; and He opened His mouth and taught them.' That is the Evangelist's introduction to the sermon, generally known as the Sermon on the Mount. 'And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine; for He taught them as One having authority. and not as the Scribes.' That is the Evangelist's criticism on the sermon after it was delivered a very fine criticism, a very fine sermon. Now, if we put the introduction before the sermon, and the criticism after the sermon in juxtaposition, we shall learn that this remarkable discourse was delivered, not only in the hearing of the disciples, but also in the hearing of the people. The subject, therefore, which presents itself to our meditation is-Jesus Christ as a Preacher; in other words, Jesus Christ as a Public Teacher. The subject divides itself naturally into three parts:

I. JESUS CHRIST SPEAKING.

Two sentences are used in the text to describe His great power and skill as a speaker.

1. He opened His mouth and taught them :' words denoting the naturalness of His speech. 'He opened His mouth.' Many ingenious conjectures have been made respecting the precise meaning of these words. Stier explains them thus: Humanity is the mouth of creation, Christ is the mouth of humanity. Luther explains them thus: Open thy mouth, speak boldly, finish quickly'-a very necessary exhortation to preachers who are apt to spin out their sermons longer than the hearers can spin out their patience. But they seem to me to contain a clear intimation that to Jesus Christ to speak was no effort. He had not to elaborate His discourses before hand. He had only to open His mouth, and Divine thoughts at once flowed out in a deep river of golden speech. Read the sermons of men and you everywhere discern signs of effort; symptoms of a certain straining after effect. Read the sermons of Jesus Christ