inheritance in the kingdom of heaven; for he knew only the baptism of John: and John, as St. Paul afterwards told the Ephesian disciples, baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. The baptism of John was the symbolical expression of that repentance, by which sinners were prepared to seek for the remission of sins through the coming Saviour. But both repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ as a Saviour, were required of those, who desired to obtain. that remission; and these were to be testified by that baptism, which was administered in the names of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sanctifier of mankind. This neither Apollos nor the twelve at Ephesus understood: but that they had heard of Jesus, and that they believed him to be the person spoken of by John, cannot, I think, be disputed. This is implied in the expression, that Aquila and Priscilla took unto them Apollos, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly; and by the phrase, certain disciples; for the word disciples, so employed by itself, can only mean, in the history of the Apostles, Christian disciples. We find, in the case of the Ephesian converts, a proof, that the faith, which the Apostles required in those whom they baptized, and about the sincerity of which they could not be deceived, was not always, and of necessity, a fruitful faith. A Christian life did not in every case follow the profession of a Christian faith, even such a profession as satisfied an Apostle. It appears that many of the Ephesians, who had embraced Christianity, continued to practise those arts of sorcery and witchcraft, which prevailed in the cities of Asia; nor was it until the pretended exorcists had been signally discomfited by the evil spirit, whom they adjured in the name of Jesus, that these inconsistent professors of the true religion came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. The story of Demetrius the silversmith, which made silver shrines for Diana, and brought no small gain to the craftsmen, is a perfect instance of bigotry, engendered, or confirmed, by selfinterest and the clamours of the assembly, who were drawn together by his outcries, are a specimen of the arguments, by which popular prejudice, or ignorance, rejects and silences the modest expostulations of truth: When Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people, they all with one voice, about the space of two hours, cried out, Great is Diana of the Ephesians. This complaint of Demetrius proves incidentally the great effect which had been produced by the preaching of Paul. He continued at Ephesus by the space of two years; probably for the same reason that our Saviour appears to have resided much at Capernaum, because it was a place of great resort; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. It was in consequence of a falling off in the demand for the idol-shrines of Diana, which were sold to the worshippers who came from all parts of the heathen world to her temple, that the craftsmen took the alarm. The narrative might easily be paralleled from the history of the relic-mongers and pardon-venders of the Romish Church. In the twentieth chapter is preserved the solemn and affecting charge, which St. Paul delivered to the elders of the Church at Ephesus, whom he had sent for to Miletus, to take leave of them, upon his departure for Jerusalem. He first reminds them, that the whole tenour of his conduct, and the circumstances of his life amongst them, had been such as to evince his sincerity: Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears and temptations which befel me by the lying in wait of the Jews. The first proof of the Christian ministry is, to serve the Lord with all humility; the second, to endure afflictions. The Christian's humility, and especially the Christian minister's, looks towards God and man. Towards God; I am not meet to be called an apostle. But, by the grace of God I am what I am.*-And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me; for that he hath counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Towards man; In lowliness of mind, esteeming others better than himself having the same mind which was also in Christ Jesus;§ putting on, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.|| The Apostle thus continues his appeal: How I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you; but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, (or rather in private houses) testifying both to the Jews and * 1 Cor. xv. 9. + 1 Tim. i. 12. ‡ Phil. ii. 3. Il Col. iii. 12. also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the third point of faithfulness in the Christian minister, to keep back nothing that is profitable to his hearers: not to be deterred-by an unworthy fear of shocking their prejudices, or thwarting their favourite opinions, or exciting their displeasure by the condemnation of practices in which they indulge-from declaring the whole counsel of God; from declaring it, though not without discretion, yet without reserve, and without respect of persons. It is his duty to consider, not what will be agreeable to them, but what will be profitable; to prophesy, not smooth, but salutary things; not to soothe a gangrene with anodynes, but to cure it, if needs be, with the knife and the cautery. To the ungodly and the careless he insists principally upon repentance towards God; to the self-righteous, the rationalist, the asserter of his own meritorious worthiness, upon faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit, (or constrained by the Spirit influencing my determination) unto Jerusalem: not knowing the things that shall befal me there; but anxious, probably, to make one vigorous effort more to reclaim his countrymen from their almost |