in the chain which holds the ship to her moorings as effectually casts her adrift as if every link in the chain were broken; and so, by breaking one link in the chain of commandments, the transgressor as effectually separates himself from the favour of God as though he had broken the whole. By snapping the one link he in effect breaks the entire chain, and casts himself utterly adrift.

But although we have all thus violated the holy law of God, as embodied in the Ten Commandments, and the whole world thereby become guilty before Him—through the abounding mercy of God, we may yet be freely justified by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, Christ having redeemed us from the curse of the broken law, "being made a curse for us." He who knew no sin was made a sin-offering for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him; so that through the atonement thus provided in the sacrifice of His Son, God can now be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. And being thus "made free from the law of sin and death"-free from the penalty of the law which convicts us of sin and death--we become servants to God, bear fruit unto holiness, and the end to every true believer is "everlasting life." Let us, then, be grateful to our Father in heaven for having thus pitied our fallen condition, and provided so suitable a remedy. Why should we be rebellious still? Why should we longer live in a state of sin and condemnation, since it is written, "He hath borne our sins and carried our griefs for us, and that there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit "? Arise, then, fellowsinner, arise, if consciously oppressed with guilt and sin, and with the true humility of the prodigal go to thy Father and

say, "I have sinned, and am no more worthy to be called thy son, make me as one of Thy hired servants," and see if He will not with Fatherly love receive thee with open arms, and bid thee, through Christ, "go in peace and sin no more." A child-like faith and confidence in the word and promise of God will instantly remove all sense of condemnation; and "walking not after the flesh but after the Spirit" will be the means of our retaining an assurance and a consciousness of our election unto eternal life. A continued hungering and thirsting after righteousness, a constant longing after entire conformity to the image and will of God in all things, will be the means, moreover, of filling the soul with a degree of heavenly peace, love, and joy, of which the unbelieving world knows absolutely nothing, and compared to which their joys are but passing, unsubstantial shadows. It will also enable the believer to meet his last enemy, death, in triumphant anticipation of an immediate entrance into the kingdom of glory, where, met by its King, he shall hear from His own lips the well-known but heartthrilling words, "Come in, ye blessed of My Father, come in, to go no more out for ever!" Who would not aspire to this to such a greeting from heaven's great King as an introductory to a state of blessedness which shall know no end, rather than to the ephemeral, fading glories of earth? But the trouble is "all men have not faith." demnation of a faithless, unbelieving people, Jesus exclaims, "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!" And, sad to relate, Renan, poor, talented, unbelieving Renan, is among the number. "Learn of Me," said Jesus. Has M. Renan learnt of Him? he had he would not have been "so slow to believe" what

In con

Oh, no; for if

1 Matthew xxiii. 37.

the prophets have said; he would, like Jesus, have unhesitatingly believed Moses and the prophets. But the Law of Moses is holy, pure, and perfect, and he does not like it. And the prophets tell him that he has a deceitful heart and one that is "desperately wicked," and he winces at the idea. But in thus doing he but proves the prophets' words true, who knowing, by the inspiration of God, man's native blindness to his heart's inherent wickedness and deceit, exclaims, "Who can know it?" Who can know it? Not certainly the self-righteous one who, ignoring man's fall in Adam, and inherited corruption through him, thinks himself naturally pure and good; or, if not exactly perfect in purity, thinks himself able to put the finishing stroke to God's handiwork and perfect it for Him-not the man whose pride of virtue, pride of intellect, and pride of innate all-sufficient moral power, leads him to reject all the fundamental, vital, and saving doctrines of Holy Scripture. No, not to such a man is it given to understand and know his own heart; this wisdom is, by the decree of God, reserved for the humble, the lowly, and the contrite, while he who, through the pomp of position, pride of intellect, or from any other cause, trusts to his own heart, the Scriptures assure us, is a "fool." And Jesus, tender and loving, meek and lowly, as He is, nevertheless in the following words pronounces the doom of all such as are not only thus deceived themselves, but who, assuming the character of "blind leaders of the blind,” seek to lead others into the same whirlpool of sin and destruction: "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte."- How much sea and land has philosopher Renan compassed between Paris and Jerusalem, with a view to making proselytes to his visionary theories ?-"ye compass

sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of hell than yourselves."

Had M. Renan taken the sensible view of "the Law of Moses" that a converted infidel in America took, instead of being a "blind guide," he might have been a bright ornament to the Church of Christ, and, dying, after having "turned many to righteousness," found himself among the number who are destined to "shine as the stars in the firmament of heaven for ever: ".

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"In a neat and beautiful city in one of the northern states of the American republic lived a lawyer of eminence and talent. I was not informed as to the particulars of his moral character, but he was notoriously profane. One day he met an elder of the Presbyterian Church, who was also a lawyer, and said to him, 'I wish, sir, to examine into the truth of the Christian religion; what books would you advise me to read on the evidences of Christianity ?' The elder, surprised at the inquiry, replied, 'That is a question, sir, which you ought to have settled long ago. You ought not to have put off a subject so important to this late period of life.' 'It is too late,' said the inquirer. I never knew much about it, but I always supposed that Christianity was rejected by the great majority of learned men. I intend, however, now to examine the subject thoroughly myself. I have now upon me, as my physician says, a mortal disease, under which I may live a year and a half or two years, but not probably longer. What books, sir, would you advise me to read?' 'The Bible,' said the elder. 'I believe you do not understand me,' resumed the unbeliever, surprised in his turn. 'I wish to investigate the truth of the Bible.' 'I would advise you, sir,' repeated the elder, to read the

1 Matthew xxiii. 15.

6

Bible. And,' he continued, 'I will give you my reasons. Most infidels are very ignorant of the Scriptures. Now to reason on any subject with correctness we must understand what it is about which we reason. In the next place I consider the internal evidence of the truth of the Scriptures stronger than the external.' 'And where shall I begin?' inquired the unbeliever. At the New Testament?' 'No,' said the elder, at the beginning, at Genesis.' The infidel bought a commentary, went home, and sat down to the serious study of the Scriptures. He applied all his strong and well-disciplined powers of mind to the Bible, to try rigidly, but impartially, its truth. As he went on in the perusal he received occasional calls from the elder. The infidel freely remarked upon what he had read, and stated his objections. He liked this passage, he thought that touching and beautiful, but he could not credit a third.

"One evening the elder called and found the unbeliever at his office, walking the room with a dejected look, his mind apparently absorbed in thought. He continued, not noticing that any one had come in, busily to trace and retrace his steps. The elder at length spoke. 'You seem, sir,' said he, 'to be in a brown study. Of what are you thinking?' 'I have been reading,' replied the infidel, the moral law.' 'Well, what do you think of it?' asked the elder. 'I will tell you what I used to think,' he answered; 'I supposed that Moses was the leader of a horde of banditti, that having a strong mind he acquired great influence over superstitious people, and that on Mount Sinai he played off some sort of fire-works to the amazement of his ignorant followers, who imagined in their mingled fear and superstition that the exhibition was supernatural.' 'But what do you think now?' interposed the elder. 'I have been