extinguished the fire, and raised an admiration in all the people, to consider what a difference there was between the infidels and the elect; one of which this great martyr, Polycarp, most certainly was; being in our times a truly apostolical and prophetical teacher, and bishop of the Catholic church which is at Smyrna. For every word that went out of his mouth, either has been already fulfilled, or, in its due time, will be accomplished.

"But when the emulous, and envious, and wicked adversary of the race of the just, saw the greatness of his martyrdom; and considered how irreprehensible his conversation had been from the beginning, and how he was now crowned with the crown of immortality, having without all controversy received his reward; he took all possible care, that not the least remainder of his body should be taken away by us, although many desired to do it, and to be made partakers of his holy flesh. And to that end, he suggested it to Nicetas, the father of Herod, and brother of Alcé, to go to the governor and hinder him from giving us his body to be buried. Lest, (says he,) forsaking Him that was crucified, they should begin to worship this Polycarp.' And this he said at the suggestion and instance of the Jews; who also watched us, that we should not take him out of the fire: not considering, that neither is it possible for us ever to forsake Christ, who suffered for the salvation of all such as shall be saved throughout the whole world, the righteous for the ungodly; nor worship any other besides him. For him, indeed, as being the Son of God, we do adore: but for the martyrs, we worthily love them, as the disciples and followers of our Lord: and upon the account of their exceeding great affection towards their Master, and their King. Of whom may we also be made companions and fellow-disciples."

171

Our Lord's

Promise of

with his Church.

CONCLUSION.

It is impossible to look back on the scenes which we have been continuance reviewing,--the efforts of the primitive Church, to preserve the sacred record of the Gospel; to perpetuate its evidence; to dispense its truths; to convey its promised grace; and, lastly, to preserve itself as the temple of Divine manifestation, and the holy of holies, where the blessed gift has been deposited-it is impossible to look back on all this, without acknowledging the continued fulfilment of Matt. xviii. the Saviour's promise, that he would be with his Church always, even unto the end of the world.

20.

171 This, then, is the indignant avowal of those very persons, whose authority is insisted on for the primitive custom of worshipping relics! Augustin has nearly the same sentiment: "Non sit nobis Religio cultus hominum mortuorum; quia si piè vixerunt, non sic habentur, ut

tales quærant honores; sed Illum a nobis coli volunt, quo illuminante, lætantur, meriti sui nos esse consortes. Honorandi ergo sunt propter imitationem, non adorandi propter Religionem."-Lib. de vera Relig. Sec. 109.

fulfilled

Church.

For, together with the efforts of man, the silent measures of How co-operating Providence have borne a part too important and too to the manifest to escape notice. They are recognised in all those collateral Primitive events, which were beyond the forethought and control of men,-in the seasonable removal of the sceptre from Judah; in the universal empire, permitted for a time to the Romans; and in the very struggles for the imperial dignity, which occurred during the first era of the Gospel. These, then, have been pointed out in the progress of this inquiry, as the main features of that portion of the mighty work, on which the finger of God is apparent; while others more minute, but not less certainly discernible, have continually presented themselves.

Still more will the presence of Christ with his Church be apparent, And as we trace its onward course, through the long lapse of time which afterwards. separates the first age from our own. In each successive period, we shall see the Church, sometimes languid and feeble in its efforts, sometimes awakened and refreshed like a giant from sleep. We shall see, too, the successive appointments of Providence, operating to aid the efforts of men in accomplishing the great scheme of the Gospel. As the distance has increased between the events recorded in the New Testament, and the several generations of those whose best hopes rest on the faithfulness of the record, a new art has been given to the world, and printing has furnished additional and ample security against all danger of corruption. This provision for checking the injurious effect of time on the authenticity of a record, has indeed been beautifully commensurate with the need. Science, art, commerce, all the shiftings of scene which have occurred in the world, have proved, often unexpectedly, the means of fostering or extending religion. Other instruments, more important than this, may be even now in action, in scenes and measures which we are imperfectly surveying; or may be reserved for a future age.

the

Meanwhile, did the primitive Church, has any Church, arrived at Future all that spiritual eminence on earth, for which the Gospel seems to progrhurch. have designed us? There are various scruples, by which men are commonly deterred from candidly meeting this question. Some look back with blind admiration on the past; others regard all improvement, not yet made, as chimerical, and not contemplated in the Gospel scheme. That the provisions made-not indeed for the salvation of Christians-but for the perfection of the Christian body, the Church, have been hitherto gradual and progressive, there can be no denying; and if so, the primitive Church itself is not to be regarded as the exact counterpart of that holy pattern, which God in his last Revelation has given us, for this mysterious workmanship, -his Church. The purest Church will hardly abide the test of such an admeasurement. It may, perhaps, be called chimerical, to look for a more perfect realization of those glorious visions, which the Holy Spirit has left with us; but if it be fanciful, let us at least

pause, and candidly confess in what the illusion consists. It is, to dwell on a scene, where every man shall be a Christian, and every Christian shall live, as if the Son of God were his daily companion, at home in his family, abroad in his intercourse with the world. It is, to hope for a period, when that awful feeling which deterred the Israelitish worshipper from profaning the holy vessels of the temple, and from polluting its altar, shall be even more strongly felt by the Christian in his use of himself, that vessel made unto honour, in the living temple of the Holy Ghost; when every member of Christ's Church, conscious that he belongs to a society with which God is mysteriously united, shall shudder to do aught that may be sacrilege therein. And, if all this be indeed fanciful and unfounded, be it excused for the sake of Him, who set no boundary to our hopes of improvement, bidding us purify ourselves even as He is pure; be perfect, even as our Father who is in heaven is perfect.

But why should this state of things be unattainable? Is it because the Christian is already under the best and most advantageous circumstances for profiting by that Divine grace, through which alone, all acknowledge, that such an event, if practicable, must be accomplished? Or, is it from a view of the corruption of human nature,— the strength of evil in man? One of these suppositions must be the ground of our doubt. The latter may be more fully stated thus. The natural corruption of human nature, it may be said, has all along prevented a more effectual and perfect operation of the Holy Spirit; and as this corruption must exist to the end of time, no future circumstances, however advantageous to the use of God's grace, ought to be supposed capable of advancing us much nearer to this perfection, inasmuch as they cannot remove that corruption. Now this view does really involve a denial of the sufficiency of Divine grace to accomplish the very object for which it was given: it implies a distrust in those promises and assurances which, in one sense, are extended to all Christians: " My grace is sufficient for thee," "My strength is made perfect in weakness, ̧” “ With man this is impossible, but not with God, for with God all things are possible," "Without me ye can do nothing," but "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world," "I in you, and you in me." If therefore we believe the assurances of God, we cannot, consistently, maintain that the strength of evil in man is so great, that under no circumstances the promised help of God will completely counteract and overpower it. We cannot, as Christians, doubt that this is practicable; although we may differ about the conditions which may be requisite for rendering it so.

Taking then the other view as the ground of our doubts, we must suppose, that our present condition admits of no such improvement, as would make it much more easy for us to obey God. On a survey of all the existing institutions of the Christian world-of the constitution of every Church, and of the means it provides for dispersing

the seed and bringing to maturity the fruit, of true religion-can it be said that all these are, in any instance, so perfect, as to justify this despair?

If so, we must be content to explain away, as best we may, the brilliant pictures of prophecy. We must be content to do more-to confess that Christ has put into our hands an instrument unsuited to our powers; that his gift of the "shield of faith" and the "sword of the Spirit," is like the weapons of a giant presented to a warrior of ordinary stature; and that an angel only could sustain the whole armour of God, or wield with effect the heavenly weapon. Surely this is a view of the Christian scheme not easily to be adopted.

It is indeed a peculiarity of the Gospel, that, unlike a system of philosophy, or the dream of a theorist, it proffers the means of attaining perfection, instead of dwelling on Utopian plans for unassisted nature to aim at realizing. The philosopher and the theorist give a map of Elysium, to those who are separated from it by an insuperable barrier; the Gospel promises us that help which shall enable us to surmount the barrier,-to " 'pass over the great gulf." Luke xvi. 26. Precise description of the scene is no part of its office.

It is THE

WAY; let us pursue it in faith, not doubting the goodness of the promised land to which it is said to lead.