diction of sinners, but love? But the great wonder of his love is this, he died to become our life. Who hath loved me, and given himself for me, says the great apostle St. Paul. And, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, says the beloved apostle St. John. Was it the nails that held him fast to the cross, when they tauntingly bade him come down? No! it was his love, that was stronger than death. But all this was nothing to the angry countenance of his Father, nor would he ever have ventured upon that, if infinite love had not persuaded him. No wonder if the apostle calls it a love that passeth knowledge. That you may know, saith he, the love of Christ which passeth knowledge. Know it we may, and should, but we must know withal, that we can not know it fully. And this is our comfort, that it is greater than can be comprehended; for if it were not so, it would be less than we stand in need of. So much of his love we may understand, as may abundantly inflame our hearts with love to him. For this purpose hath he revealed it, and made his name like an ointment poured out.

As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby.-1 Peter ii. 2.

As the new born babe grows and develops into maturity by appropriating suitable nourishment, so the babe in Christ, should desire and appropriate, that spiritual food which is furnished in the word, that they may advance into all the proportions and beauty of a complete Christian.

Thus are we taught the way to abound in grace and glory, and how to be transformed into the image of Christ. The beam and light of the sun are the vehicles of the heat and influence of the sun; so the light of the gospel of Christ is that which conveys the virtue and gracious working of the Spirit upon the soul. And therefore we are to seek those varieties of which are grace, for meat to satisfy the desires, and for medicine to cure the bruises, of the soul, only upon the banks of the waters of the sanctuary; that is, in the knowledge of the word of truth, which is the gospel of salvation. The more of this glorious light a man has, the more proportion of all other graces will he have

in

too. And, therefore, the apostle puts the growth of these two together, as contributing a mutual succor to one another, "Grow grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ : your grace will enlarge your desires of knowledge; and your knowledge will multiply your degrees of grace. And St. Paul makes the knowledge of the will of God in wisdom, and after a spiritual manner, to be the ground of fruitfulness in every good work; and that again an inducement to increase in knowledge: as, in the twisting together of two cords into one rope, they are by art so ordered, that either shall bind and hold in the other. As, in the heavens, the inferior orbs have the measure and proportion of their general motions from the supreme; so, in the motions of grace in the soul, the proportion of all the rest arises from the measure of our spiritual and saving light. The more distinctly and thoroughly the spirit of a man's mind is convinced of the necessity, beauty, and gloriousness of heavenly things, the stronger impressions thereof will be made on all subordinate faculties; for we move towards nothing without preceding apprehensions of its goodness;-which apprehensions as they more seriously penetrate into the true and intimate worth of that thing, so are the motions of the soul thereunto proportionally strengthened. As the hinder wheels in a coach ever move as fast as the former which lead them; so the subordinate powers of the soul are overruled in their manner and measure of working towards grace, by those spiritual representations of the truth and excellency thereof, which are made in the understanding by the light of the gospel. Thus the apostle tells us, that "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ" was that which made him so earnest to win him; "the knowledge of the power of his resurrection, and fellowship of his sufferings," was that which made him reach forth, and press forward unto the mark and prize of that high calling which was before him.

How important that we give ourselves to the diligent study of the word, and prayer for spiritual illumination, that we may thereby "grow up into Christ our living Head in all things."

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him.Luke iii. 22.

WHEN he sent the Holy Spirit, he manifested him visibly in two ways: by the dove, and by fire: by the dove upon the Lord when baptized; by fire, upon the disciples when met together. For when the Lord, after his resurrection, had ascended into heaven, after forty days spent with his disciples, and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, he sent unto them the Holy Spirit according to his promise. The Spirit, then, coming at that time, filled the place, and when there had been first a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles, there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they began to speak with tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. On the one hand, we have seen the dove descending upon the Lord, on the other, the cloven tongues on the disciples met together. In the one case simplicity is shown, in the other fervency. For there are, who are said to be simple, when in fact they are merely spiritless they are called simple, only because they have no energy. Not such was Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost: he was simple, for he injured no one; he was fervent, for he rebuked the ungodly. For he held not his peace before the Jews; his are those fire-flashing words, Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. A mighty onslaught! but it is the fierceness of the dove in which is no gall. For that ye may know that his was a fierceness in which was no gall, observe that they, at hearing these words, ran and snatched up stones; they, the ravens, against this dove! they have begun to stone Stephen: and then the man who just before with the voice of rage and eager spirit, like one making an onslaught upon enemies, like one full of violence, had set upon them in words of fire, and in such a blaze, (as ye have heard, Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised of heart and ears,) that, to hear the words, one would think Stephen would, if it might be, have had those men consumed in a moment; no sooner do the stones, which their hands had thrown, reach him, but with bended knee he saith, Lord. lay not this sin to their charge. He held close to

the unity of the Dove. For his Master before him, upon whom the dove descended, had done the very same thing. Father, forgive them, he saith while hanging upon the cross, for they know not what they do. We learn, then, that those who are sanctified by the Spirit should be without guile; this is shown by the dove that their simplicity should not be left to wax cold, is shown by the fire. Nor let it disturb any one that the tongues were cloven. For tongues are diverse, therefore the appearance was that of cloven tongues. Cloven tongues, we are told, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Tongues are diverse the one from the other, but yet the diversity of tongues does not constitute schisms. Fear not separation and dispersion in the cloven tongues; in the dove recognize unity.

Thus, therefore, thus it behooved the Holy Spirit to be manifested, when coming upon the Lord, that every one might understand, that if he has the Holy Spirit, he ought to be simple like the dove; to maintain true peace with the brethren, which is what the kisses of doves signify. Ravens, it is true, have their kisses; but in ravens is a false peace, in the dove is the true peace. Not every one, therefore, who saith, "Peace be unto you," is to be listened to, as though he were a dove. How then are the kisses of ravens distinguished from those of doves? Ravens kiss, but tear. The dove's nature is guiltless of tearing. When, then, there is tearing, there is not true peace in the kisses. Those have true peace who have not torn the church. For ravens feed upon what is dead; this the dove doth not. The dove lives on the fruits of the earth, its food is innocent: a circumstance, brethren, justly deserving admiration in the dove. Sparrows are very small birds, but they kill at any rate flies. Nothing of this sort doth the dove; for it doth not feed on what is dead. They who have torn the church, feed upon the dead. God is powerful; let us pray that they may come to life again, who are devoured by them, yet know it not. Many acknowledge that they come to life again; for at their coming we daily give them joy in the name of Christ. Be ye harmless, but only so that ye be fervent withal and let your fervency be in your tongues. Hold not your peace: speak with glowing tongues, and set those who are cold on fire.

AUGUST 10.

Depart from evil.-Psalm xxxiv. 14.

J. TAYLOR.

LET every man abstain from all occasions of sin, as much as his condition will permit. And it were better to do some violence to our secular affairs, than to procure apparent or probable danger to our souls. For if we see not a way open and ready prepared to our iniquity, our desires oftentimes are not willing to be troubled, but opportunity gives life and activeness to our appetites. If David had not from his towers beheld the unvailed beauties of Bathsheba, Uriah had lived, and his wife been unattempted; but sin was brought to him by that chance, and entering at the casement of his eyes, set his heart on fire, and despoiled him of his robes of honor and innocence. The riches of the wedge of gold, and the beauty of the Babylonish garment, made Achan sacrilegious upon the place, who was innocent enough in his preceding purposes: and therefore that soul, that makes itself an object to sin, and invites an enemy to view its possessions, and lives in the vicinage, loves the sin itself; and he that is pleased with the danger, would willingly be betrayed into the necessity and the pleasure of the sin: for he can have no other end to entertain the hazards, but that he hath a farther purpose to serve upon them; he loves the pleasure of the sin, and therefore he would make the condition of sin certain and unavoidable. And therefore holy Scripture, which is admirable and curious in the cautions and securities of virtue, does not determine its precepts in the precise commands of virtuous actions, but also binds up our senses, obstructs the passage of temptation, blocks up all the ways and avenues of vice, commanding us to "depart from evil," "to make a covenant with our eyes; not to look upon a maid; not to sit with a woman that is a singer; not to consider the wine when it sparkles, and gives its color rightly in the cup: " but to "set a watch before our mouths, to keep the door of our lips; " and many more instances to this purpose, that sin may not come so near as to be repulsed; as knowing sin hath then prevailed too far, when we give the denial to its solicitations.

We read a story of a virtuous lady, that desired of St. Athanasius to procure for her, out of the number of the widows fed from the ecclesiastical corban, an old woman, morose, peevish,