To

anointed; and, thirdly, as a Priest.
all these offices he was, as St. Peter tells
us, "anointed of God with the Holy
Ghost and with power," Acts x. 38.

B. C. 1165.

P.-Who is the Priest meant hereby?
C.-Jesus Christ, I suppose; but

THE TWELFTH PROMISE OF A might it not mean Samuel, who did so
SAVIOUR AS A PRIEST.
soon become the faithful servant of
God?

1 SAMUEL II. 27-35.

P.-When Hannah sung her praises of God, in which she spoke of the Saviour as the Christ, to whom did she commit the child she brought with her?

declares, from ver. 30, to ver. 34. But now read verse 35, and tell me what God promises there?

C. To raise up a faithful Priest, that shall do according to that which is in God's heart and mind.

P.-At first it seems to point at him; but there are things spoken in the prophecy that were not, and could not be fulfilled in Samuel. Thus it is said, "I will build him a sure house;" yet Samuel's sons turned out so badly, that their sins and oppression drew the people to ask a king of God, when the Lord their God was their King. Of our Saviour, however, it is written, "instead of thy fathers thou shalt have children, whom thou mayest make princes in all lands," Ps. xlv. 16; and He it is of whom "the whole family in heaven and earth is named," Ephes. iii. 15; so that in him, and for him, most truly is built of God a sure house, a kingdom not of this world, but one that shall

C.-To Eli.

P.-And whose house does he mean endure for ever! Again: it is said, that by his father's house?

the faithful priest should walk before God's Anointed; that is, those whom

C.-I do not know.

P.-Who was the first High-priest he should sanctify with his Spirit, for appointed of God?

ever. Yet Samuel died, and therefore has ceased to do so. But he who is our faithful Priest and Saviour is alive for evermore; and though he died and Iwas buried, yet "He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, that we also, like him, should walk in newness of life," Rom. vi. 4.

C.-To Eli.

P.-And Eli was the High-priest at this time, but his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were very wicked. God therefore sent a prophet to warn them of the judgment he had prepared for them; and this prophet at the same time proclaimed the coming of our Lord as a faithful Priest. Read in the first book of Samuel, chap. ii. 27-29. To whom does he thus speak?

C.-Aaron.

P.-And the priesthood was to continue in his family, which it had done now down to Eli; but since he had become so indifferent to the welfare of his children, and they were so wicked, God determines to punish them, as he

THE PASTOR AND TEACHERS.
(Continued from page 151.)

THE SECOND MEETING.
Subject," THE SABBATH."

On the following week the attend-
ance was much more numerous.
The minister had issued a general
invitation, and most of the teachers
gladly availed themselves of the

privilege of his instructions. After the usual devotional exercises, the minister stated he was glad to find that the previous meeting had proved useful in settling the convictions of those for whose special benefit it had been held; and he earnestly hoped the establishment

of a weekly meeting for the general welfare of the teachers would prove to be a mutual blessing.

Agreeably to a former arrangement, The obligation of the Christian Sabbath was the subject for consideration; and the minister opened the conversation by inviting the teachers freely to propose any inquiries which might suggest themselves to their minds, as best calculated to elicit a scriptural investigation of the subject. As the eyes of

From this you clearly see that the appropriation of one day in seven to rest and religion, was co

all seemed directed to the superin-eval with the creation of man. The tendent, he commenced by inquir- first day after man's creation was a ing, "What do you, sir, consider religious day-a day of devotion. the principal ground on which the It was a day sanctified and blest by perpetual obligation of the Sabbath God himself, immediately on finishis based?" ing the stupendous and glorious work of creation, and ordained to be a perpetual memorial of his power, wisdom, and goodness, as the Author and Lord of the universe.

Minister. The principal ground of obligation lies in the fact, that the observance of one day in seven, as a day separated from worldly toil, and consecrated to religious purposes, is a moral duty; and like all moral duties, is of original and perpetual obligation. It belongs to man under all dispensations-to Adam in Paradise, to the Patriarchs, to the Jews, to the Gentiles, and to Christians-to man in all ages, and in all climes.

F.-Then, sir, you do not consider that the injunction to keep holy the Sabbath, as expressed in the fourth commandment, was the origin of that institution?

turn with me to a few passages: in Genesis ii. 1, 2, 3, it is stated, "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.”

Minister. Certainly not. The first word in that commandment implies that the Sabbatic institution was not a new one. God said to

D.-I see it is quite clear, sir, that the Sabbath was ordained from the creation, and was observed by man in paradise; but permit me to ask, Is there any scriptural evidence that it was kept by mankind during the ages intervening between the fall and the giving of the law?

Minister. From the prevalence of sin in the world, the evidence of man's neglect and rebellion is always more conspicuous than the evidence of his duty and obedience; and if there were no historical evidence at all of its observance during that period, the proof already fur

the Israelites, "Remember the Sab-nished of it as an orignal and a bath-day to keep it holy." You need primeval institution, would not be not be told that to "remember" im- shaken thereby. But short and plies previous knowledge of an ob- compendious as are the historical ject; and if the object be previously records of the first book of Moses, known, it must have previously there are proofs that the original existed. Sacred history fully con- division of time into periods of firms this view, and accounts for weeks, or seven days, continued to the use of the term, "Remember." obtain from Adam to Moses, Gen. You are each supplied with a Bible; xxix. 21-30. Here we find the

That it is spoken of as a day "holy to the Lord." Thirdly, That the injunction to keep it holy is expressly called "God's commandment and law." Fourthly, That the miraculous supply of manna was withheld on this day. Now all these circumstances occurring prior to the giving of the law, prove that the Israelites were familiar with the Sabbatic institution prior to its formal announcement from Sinai. Looking, therefore, at the original institution of the Sabbath, on the first day after the creation, and the general acquaintance which mankind must have had with its origin and design, we can easily perceive the reason why the fourth commandment begins with the word,

Let us turn to Exodus xvi. 22," Remember." God called their

term "week" used familiarly as a common and well-known division of time. Now every mention of the period of a "week" includes the mention of a Sabbath-for what is a week but six days of work, and one of rest?

It is manifest, too, that the Israelites not only were familiar with this divison of time, and the Sabbath comprehended therein, but that they kept and observed the Sabbath, prior to its being proclaimed on Sinai. Indeed, almost as soon as they had left Elim, and a considerable period before they approached that sacred mount, we find them observing the Sabbath, and speaking of it as a duty to God's command.

23, "And it came to pass that on
the sixth day they gathered twice
as much bread, two omers for one
man and all the rulers of the con-
gregation came and told Moses.
And he said unto them, This is that
which the Lord hath said, To-mor-
row is the rest of the holy Sabbath
unto the Lord." -25, "And
Moses said, eat that to-day; for
to-day is a Sabbath unto the Lord:
to-day ye shall not find it in the
field."-26,
Six days ye shall ga-
ther it; but on the seventh day,
which is the Sabbath, in it there
shall be none."-27, "And it came
to pass that there went out some of
the people on the seventh day for
to gather, and they found none."-
28,"And the Lord said unto Moses,
How long refuse ye to keep my
commandments and my laws?"

66

Now I call your attention to the following facts, which are clearly embodied in the passage we have just read. First, That the Sabbath is here introduced by the sacred historian, not as a new institution, but as one with which the people previously familiar. Secondly,

were

solemn attention to a duty which they previously knew, and because that duty was of moral and permanent obligation, he assigned it a place among the precepts of the moral code.

Superintendent. It would be interesting to know, sir, whether there is any concurrent testimony of a totally separate kind among heathen nations.

Minister. A very important intimation. For if the Sabbath be indeed an institution of such high antiquity as to date its origin with the commencement of our race, it is probable that as mankind diverged and spread themselves abroad on the face of the earth, they would carry with them, and hand down to posterity, some customs which would, at least perpetuate the original division of time into weeks, and some traces of the importance and sacred character of the seventh day. Now this probable supposition is made fact, by the clearest evidence. We have the singular coincidence of all nations using the periodical division of time

into weeks, and many of them assigning some superiority to the seventh day. The Egyptians, Arabians, Greeks, Celts, Indians, Assyrians, Italians, used this division. Look at our own custom of reckoning by seven days, and this custom is evidently not of Christian origin: it existed among our pagan fore

NEVER

J. R. CRAWFORD, who died July 14, 1847, aged twenty-six years, had formerly been about seven years under the influence and instruction of the teachers in one of the Sunday-schools of this town. After he left the school, about twelve years ago, he became sceptical and deistical in his sentiments. His character formed an epitome of his creed. When spoken to on the subject of religion, he was uniformly repulsive and morose.

DESPAIR.

by what agency I could not tell. On returning home, a few days after, I found him a truly broken-hearted penitent. On inquiring how such a change in the entire constitution of his moral sentiments had been brought about, he told me that all the kind visits of religious friends he could refuse without any feeling of compunction or uneasiness whatever. But, he said, (and here is the pertinancy and force, the unmistakable character of the whole case ;)"But the counsel, advice, and instruction which I received in the Sunday-school, I could not resist." Those impressions which he had received more than twelve years before, and of which no person knew anything but himself, and the All-seeing Spirit, those impressions haunted him in his moments of reflection, and during his midnight hours, until he became a broken-hearted penitent. He found peace with God through the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ; and a greater change in the disposition ¦ and demeanour of any person I never saw. He died in the full triumph of faith, "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life!", What is the appeal made by this case to every earnest Sunday-school teacher: "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand, for thou canst not tell which shall prosper, this or that."

fathers, prior to the introduction of the gospel into this island. The names of the days are heathen, and prove a heathen origin. It is worthy of notice too, that Aristobulus, Clement, and Eusebius quote heathen writers who speak of "the seventh as the sacred day."

During the winter of 1846, this young man became conscious that consumption had fixed itself in his frame, arising, it is supposed, from the rupture of a blood-vessel in the lungs. Although his illness was lingering, medical aid seemed to be of no avail. Several persons who were anxious about the salvation of his soul waited upon him, and wished, if possible, to bring the gospel message home to his conscience; but he resisted all their efforts to do him good, and treated both them and the subject with ingratitude and contempt. He was removed into the country, his friends hoping that a change of air might produce a favourable effect upon his health. But, no! the arrow from the quiver of the king of terrors had gone too deep into a vital part to be removed. Still he remained firm in his unbelief for some time: at length, however, I received a letter from him, which indicated to me that a change of views and feelings had taken place on the theory of a future life; but how or

J. DRESSER. Darlington, April 5, 1848.