and make them say, "We will go with you, for we perceive that God is with you Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." It was thus that the martyrs, by the courage they displayed in their death, drew more to the truth than they had done all through life: persons were baptized for the dead, and the blood of the martyrs became the seed of the Church. And when this principle shall be revived in the bosoms of Christians, it will have the same effect on them, and similar results in the world.

And then, what a death blow will there be to that lust after pre-eminence and authority in the Church, which has so often been the bane of its prosperity There is a desire in men to attain dominion over their fellow creatures; to have their opinions bowed to, and their will obeyed, by men often of equal powers and privileges to their own. And that desire is not eradicated in the Church; it lurks in the heart of some of the best of men. The meekest man upon earth, while he has no temptation to it, by being left in the ordinary ranks of Christians, no sooner is elevated into office than he finds the desire awakened within him. Not content with the influence of his office, and the discharge of its duties, he almost immediately begins to abuse it to the purposes of ambition, and self-willedness, or self-glory. And even persons who have no office in the Church, sometimes thrust themselves forward in this way, on account of something in their rank, or condition, or in their imaginary talents and excellences. And if all will be masters, and none will be slaves, what must be the result but strife, and confusion, and every evil work? But I am sure of all spots on the earth, the Church of Christ is the most unfit one for man to play the tyrant upon; where the emblem is a flock of sheep, and the device, "Be ye meek and lowly in heart, in honour preferring one another;" "If any man be your master, the same shall be your servant;""Call no man master upon earth; for one is your master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." But when the Christian principle shall become strong in the Church, of denying our own honour for the glory of our common Lord, then there will be an end of all this striving about precedence, and rule, and an end of all those divisions and jealousies in consequence. There will be no Diotrephes then "loving to have the pre-eminence;" there will be then no one minister lording it over another; there will be no Christians then, or set of Christians, lording it over the minister: but every Christian society will present the picture of a wellproportioned body; where all the members are in their proper places, and ready to discharge their proper office; when what the head shall suggest the hands shall be prompt to discharge, and the feet to execute. There then shall be no strife but who shall bring most glory to the common Saviour, a holy rivalry in which to be very successful will inspire no contempt for those who are less so, and inspire only joy for those who are more so; and then the Churches, walking in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and the fear of the Lord, shall be multiplied on every side.

And further, what a readiness will there then be to make exertions and sacrifices for the spread of the Gospel; the glory of Jesus Christ occupying that place in the attention of the Church, which has been given to unprofitable speculation. And his honour, being dear to every heart, and the promotion of it, by means of the Gospel, being the obvious way of advancing it; there will then be no want of responding to the call of the destitute villages of our country, and

the waste places of heathenism, saying, "Come over and help us." There will be no need then, as now, of those excitements to missionary zeal-which are of a questionable nature; no need of placarded assemblies, and the expensive collection of ministers from various parts, or of those who are distinguished for rank or talent; no need of long harangues and dazzling poetic description, of elaborate reasoning and eloquent appeal, of coloured and exaggerated successes; and all found insufficient to draw forth any number of devoted persons to the work in request; all found insufficient to draw forth the requisite contributions from the wealthy, to say nothing of the degree that should call for sacrifice and surrender. No, no; but when the principle of the denial of our own love of ease, and quiet, and affluence, for the sake of the service of Christ and the Gospel, shall become strong and prevalent in the Church, then there will be only the occasion to say, "The way for the introduction of the Gospel to the heathen is opened; there is a disposition awakened among them to attend to religion, and men are ready to convey it to them; but means of pecuniary resources are wanting;" when they shall be furnished in abundance. There shall be no need to repeat the question, "Whom shall we send?" but it shall be replied to as soon as it is put, and as often as it is put " Here am I, send me." Then the tide of Christianity shall set in; and the contributions of Christians to the spread of the Gospel shall flow, not languishingly and tardily, but freely, and rapidly, and abundantly; then the wealth of Christians shall be like ripe fruit upon a tree, not waiting for any violent shaking, but ready upon the most gentle pressure to fall into the lap of the Great Owner.

Do I err, my brethren, in ascribing these results to the revival of this principle in the Church of Christ? This is what Christianity has already done. Behold, this is what she actually did when she was in her vigour: then "the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul; neither did any of them say, that aught of the things he possessed was his own." They went forth freely, taking nothing of the Gentiles; and the word of the Lord was successful in every region round about them, in every place. The quick result was, the conversion of the world to the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ. And when this principle shall return to its vigour, and Christianity regain its strength, the same effects will follow; and the world a second time, more fully and effectually, will yield to her early conqueror.

This is our subject; and it furnishes us with a ground of remonstrance, and a ground of congratulation.

First, a ground of remonstrance. We see that Christianity is capacitated to make great characters. It inspires us with all the principles of true greatness; it lays before us a generosity unparalleled in the skies. I see the Lord of glory giving up all for me; I see him raising me, by the means of his truth and grace, from meanness, and degradation, and error, to happiness, holiness, and heaven. I am filled with zeal, and fired with love; I live no longer to myself, but unto Him that died for me, and rose again, in seeking the conversion and benefit of my fellow-creatures by his Gospel. My heart is no longer an island, separated from others, but a continent that is joined with them; into that expanded heart, the voice of misery finds a ready entrance, and excites a prompt attention. Is not this the legitimate influence of Christianity, when properly received? Look at the Apostles of Jesus Christ; where was philanthropy, where benevolence,

-disinterested benevolence, comparable to theirs? They loved the world that hated them; they emptied themselves to enrich others. They resembled those comets, or wandering fires through the skies, having no particular orbit, or system, to benefit, but exhausting themselves to replenish, with life and health, the systems at large; they were men of whom the world was not worthy; such as whom the world never saw before, and never has seen since. And how were their characters formed, but on the legitimate influence of the Christian religion? Is it so, brethren? Is this the direct consequence of the Christian religion? Then what are we to say of the worldly-minded Christian; of those, who, baptized in the name of Christ, are living only for themselves, and their families here? What are we to say of tame Christians, those whom a little difficulty in the service of Christ makes to shrink, and a little danger affrights, and a little discouragement disheartens? And what are we to say of those Christians amongst us in every place, who cry Lord, Lord," with their lips, but never do any thing for the cause of God in the earth; never do the thing that he has commanded? Lord, what a shaking off at the last day, will there be of a vast number of this description in the Church, with a "Depart from me, I know ye not." And of the rest that remain, when we consider how much there is of self-seeking, and doing things for the obtaining of a name. When we think of our petty rivalries, and of the little jealousies of each other, and how we are separated by slight shades of sentiment, and divided one from another-when we think of the difficulty there is to enter with sympathy into the operations and successes of other parties than our own-when we think of the eager contentions that have been manifested about things, confessedly not important or essential to salvation-do we not see that the Church itself needs to be revived? Do we not see, that if we have any part of the particular spirit that belonged to the Apostles of Christ, we have principally the spirit of Peter; and do we not need, as a Church of the Son of God, to be baptized more liberally with the spirit of the Apostle John? The Church must be revived, in order to the conversion of the world.

Then, secondly, here is a ground of congratulation. I hope I shall not be supposed to flatter, if on this occasion I offer the humble meed of my commendation to the Baptist Missionary Society. As far as I am acquainted with your proceedings, you have in your conduct, your missionaries, and your servants, supplied some of the best illustrations of the principle advocated this morning. In your conduct, you have avoided, in a great measure, ostentation; and if your assemblies have been less splendid, and less numerous on this account, they have not been the less dignified in the sight of God, nor the less efficient. I hope that you have none of your missionary stations called by your own names. And with regard to your missionaries, they have furnished some of the best instances of devotedness to the service of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am aware of the difference of opinion respecting some of these, but I shall withhold my admiration from no such men as Ward, and Carey, and Marshman, in the East, and from no such men as Knibb, and Coulthart, and Burchell, in the West, and a host of others. When I think of the sufferings of these latter, of the persecutions and imprisonments which they endured, rather than forsake their swarthy converts; when I think of their bold appeal to this country, on behalf of that enslaved race, and of the extraordinary success that has followed; when

I think of their readiness to return to the scene, where they have been so calumniated and ill-treated, and how they long to be fanned by the breeze that shall bear them to the converts they have left behind; and when I think of the heroism displayed in many instances among these converts themselves -that not only the missionaries have manifested a readiness, by the grace of God, to lay down their lives for the sake of the Gospel, but that many of their sable converts have manifested such a fortitude in suffering, and such a fidelity to the truth, and such a forgiveness of their bitter adversaries, as almost, I was going to say, imitated that of heaven, and have furnished ample materials for another book of martyrs; I feel, when I consider these things, I am not wrong in representing your society as furnishing some of the best illustrations of the principle I have advocated.

Yours is a denomination which has been honoured by many eminent names; some of whom yet remain, though many of them are gone; men who, for profundity of thought, acuteness of intellect, brilliancy of genius, and zeal for the propagation of the Holy Bible, have rarely been equalled, probably will be never surpassed. But great as that honour is, I think it a greater honour to you, to have such devoted missionaries, and such extraordinary success both in the East and West. And is this a society that Christians of other denominations shall hesitate to sanction and countenance? Is this a society whose resources shall be crippled, and that shall languish in its operations? If it were so, if this society were crippled for want of resources of a pecuniary nature—if it were so through the services of this anniversary, then I am bold to say, it would. be a dishonour to the denomination, and a reproach to the whole Christian world.

Dear brethren, (I call you such, separated as I am from you in nothing whatever but a single shade of sentiment; and the preacher that addresses you this morning, and the pulpit that he addresses you from, are guarantees of a unity of spirit and sentiment among us all,)-dear brethren, go forward; I wish. you success in the name of the Lord. Go forward, dear brethren, the Lord. of Hosts is with you, the God of Jacob is your refuge. Your past successes are -(or if I may not utter a prediction, at least let me breathe a fervent wish)— may your past successes be but as the dawn of a bright morning which, however welcome for the light and joy which accompany it, is still more for that of which it is the harbinger, the growing splendour of the meridian day.

THE RECEPTION OF CHRIST CONSEQUENT UPON BELIEF IN

MOSES.

REV. H. MELVILL, A.M.

CAMDEN CHAPEL, CAMBERWELL, JUNE 15, 1834.

"Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, eve Moses in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"— JOHN, v. 45-47.

THE transactions of the day of judgment, as well as the joys and pains of the invisible world, can only be delineated to us under imagery, and by expressions, derived from our present state of being. We do not therefore feel bound to give a literal interpretation to the various statements of Scripture concerning it, though we are sure that the figures employed approach as nearly as consists with our condition whilst on earth, to realities overpassing description. It is thus in reference to the details of trial, when the whole human race shall be congregated at the tribunal of God. There is set before us all the ceremonial of one of our own courts of judicature: the judge is represented as taking his seat, and books are opened, out of which the indictment may be read; and witnesses are summoned, and the prisoners plead, and verdicts are pronounced, and then execution goes forward.

How far this judicial process shall be literally enacted we are not competent to decide: but the great truth which we gather from such representations is, that in the awardments of the future there shall be a most rigid observance of justice; so that no sentence shall be given without the very nicest investigation, and none but on the principles of righteous impartiality. This indeed is the main thing pourtrayed by these sketches: and whether or no there will be any thing analagous to the proceedings of a human tribunal, is a point of little moment. But since these proceedings are made to furnish the imagery by which the transactions of the last day are depicted, we learn assuredly, that the retributive economy under which we are placed, will be wound up with an awful solemnity; and that with every verdict there will be given reasons which shall satisfy the intelligent creation.

But we learn yet more than this general truth, seeing that some important information must be conveyed by the minutest particulars. If we read of the opening of books and of the standing forth of witnesses, we may be sure there will be some testimony against the sinner, which he shall not himself be able to contradict; and that whether by the external evidence, or internal consciousness, he shall be forced to confess the sentence most equitable. It seems to us far enough from improbable, that the conscience of the sinner will be at the last