can be unmoved. The rise of Puseyism was the sign of evil to the piety of the land. The revival of Popery, for which it prepared, followed fast in its train. Puseyism is but Popery in the bud. The one is, therefore, everywhere the seed of the other. The suddenness of the awful change should excite inquiry as to the circumstances which have proved so fatally favourable to its development. The universality of the deadness which now exists throughout every portion of the Church of God, is proof positive that Divine power is withheld, and that until there be an outpouring of the Spirit from on high, the world will remain a wilderness. Sept., 1851.

X.

GUILT AND DANGER OF "LITTLE SINS."

"Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines; for our vines have tender grapes."CANTICLES ii. 15.

THE figurative style of this composition is everywhere such that evangelical principles are of easy application to it. If the prayer of the Bride, in the language before us, be understood as addressed to the Bridegroom, the meaning is obvious. It is a supplication for strength to renounce and resist the first, the smallest approaches of sin. It is a prayer to a superior, not an exhortation to an equal, nor a command to an inferior. Take us the foxes. Take them for us. Take us the little foxes. Cut off the hateful brood while young and feeble, before they acquire cunning of spirit and speed of foot. The Christian's wisdom is to maintain a regular warfare with incipient sins: over these, by grace, he is master. Young boughs are easily bent, and more easily cut than elder ones. Nor is this a needless work. Little as these foxes are, they are capable of spoiling the vines.

"Our

vines have tender grapes." The Church of God, in a healthful state, has a tender conscience. Tender consciences are boundless blessings. A tender conscience is the only safeguard of the human heart. Let us look at

I. LITTLE SINS IN THEIR GUILT AND

AGGRAVATIONS.

In strict speech no sin is little; and sin must not be looked at only in its effects on the society of this world. Greater and smaller sins are simply sins in different gradations of maturity. Take an example: a clerk in a counting-house has acquired sufficient confidence with his employers to put it in his power to ab

scond with money. On a fixed day he takes his flight, with £5000 in his pocket. Another clerk in the same house thinks proper to be satisfied with smaller gains, and, on a diminished scale, carries on a system of secret plunder. He is always robbing his master, but he is studious of concealment. A third clerk is more abstinent it suits his purpose occasionally to take sometimes a sovereign, more frequently a few shillings. Supposing all these facts to be disclosed on the same day, and the culprits brought before the bar of justice, what would be the judgment of the master or of any honest man respecting them? Though they differed in the manner and the amount of their depredations, would they not be deemed all equally devoid of principle?

1. Little sins are a heinous violation of God's holy law.

The only thing to be looked to here is the authority of the Lawgiver. He has said, "Thou shalt not kill;" "Thou shalt not steal;" "Thou shalt not bear false witness." These injunctions are all absolute and general, in the highest degree. The stealth of a turnip from your neighbour's garden is as much a contempt of the authority of the Lawgiver as the murder of a magistrate. In this view all sins are equal, although in their effects on society they greatly vary. The very essence, then, of the evil of sin is, contempt of the Divine authority. Such is the view of Inspiration: "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

2. Little sins indicate even a greater contempt for the Divine authority than great sins.

The measure of provocation is a most important element in the consideration of an offence. Stealth from mere covetousness is one thing; stealth to supply the wants of famishing nature is another. The stall-fed youth, who demolishes a fence in mere wantonness of mischief, and the friendless orphan, who breaks through a hedge to reach roots or fruits, that he may satisfy his craving appetite, are not to be viewed in the same light. "Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry," Prov. vi. 30.

Look at the first test of man's obedience. It was a small thing to take of the fruit of the tree of life, say some. Well, was it not a small thing to leave it undone? These small sins, therefore, show the greater contempt of the authority that forbids them.

Try the thing on a different principle. You desire a friend-one who has made frequent and lofty professions of friendship for you-on a great emergency, to advance you £500 on your own security. He declines to do so. Granting his ability, he may see what appears to him sound reasons for so doing. He sees that to give it you would only be to put back a day which, in the existing state of your affairs, must soon come; and to injure himself, without materially or permanently benefiting you. He may do all this without the least abatement of friendship for you. He sees that a time will come when he can step in to much better purpose. You may not lose confidence in his friendship under the circumstances. The very magnitude of your demand is his protection. suppose that you are destitute of daily food, and that you implore the veriest trifle to keep soul and body together, till your energies be once more put in motion for the support of your household; and for this your friend refuses to advance you a sixpence! Would you not feel that the small denial was a much stronger proof of the hypocrisy of his friendship than the greater denial? Would you not reason thus,-If it be a small favour to withhold, it is a small favour to confer; and its being nevertheless withheld proves that man to be at heart no friend of mine?

But

Wilfulness and wantonness are measures of guilt; whence it is obvious that multitudes who commit only what they call the smallest sins are the greatest sinners. Satan's chief inducements are pleasure and profit; but where there is neither, what can prompt sin but the love of sinning?

3. Little sins constitute the sum of human transgression.

Great events, like great men, are the production of circumstances necessarily few in number; so it is with great sins. Many small gains make up wealth, and form a fortune; and multitudes of sinners grow rich in iniquity, and treasure up to themselves wrath against the day of wrath, by what you term little sins. The soul of the sinner must have some repose. The ocean does not always rage, nor the wind always blow; but the water and the air are always in being. The drunkard is not always intoxicated; it comes in fits upon him. Small sins, then, fill up the space between one great sin and another. No man deals only in great sins-in wholesale transgression! Sharp

diseases cut off only a part of mankind, and that part small compared with the remainder. Let us next look at

II. LITTLE SINS IN THEIR TENDENCIES.

One thing here deserves special consideration :

1. Little sins open a passage into the heart of man for the greatest sins.

The little thief that creeps in at the window, and who alone may be capable of little mischief, may yet open the door for others that stand without, who may rob the mansion, and murder the inmates! The tendency of every seed, cast into the earth, is to the maturity of the vegetable that grows from it. Sin is a progress onward to hell! The Apostle James sets forth the matter in a clear but dreadful light: "Every man is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust and enticed; then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." This is the sinner's progress to perdition, where

"Fix'd is their everlasting state:

Could they repent, 't is then too late : Justice stands guarding mercy's door, And God's long-suffering is no more!" The reason of this may be found in the fact that human corruption is of a growing and thriving nature. Small sins, like furze, will grow without the aid of culture, and cover the whole soul. By little and little the heart will get brimfull of iniquity, and, sooner or later, from the fulness of the heart the mouth will speak; and when once iniquity is so far matured as to speak out at noon-day, without a blush, the whole man will soon become its servant. Experience speaks loud on this point. The destroyer of souls always drills his victims by little sins, and thus prepares them for larger crimes! The moment any man comes to look on any sin as little, he is undone ! Comparing sin with sin, and not with the law, he is certain to fall into the abyss!

2. There is a bottomless deceit in small sins, which hastens the sinner onward to perdition.

"Failings"-" infirmities" you call them. No; presumptions! rebellions! That is their proper name. "Who can

understand his errors?

Cleanse thou

me from secret sins." Ships may be sunk by sands as well as by milstones. Men shrink at the thought of murder, blasphemy, and the like, but are unconcerned about idle words, petty oaths, small thefts, and commodious lies! It

matters little, however, whether eternal fire be kindled by one flaming brand, or by many sparks. Let us look at

III. LITTLE SINS AS A TEST OF CHA

RACTER.

The allowance and approbation of the least sin is a certain and infallible sign of rottenness and hypocrisy of heart. The Lord Jesus came to deliver us from sin, and destroy the works of the devil. His blood cleanseth from all sin. No man, be his seeming attainments what they may, has ever yet attained to a true state of mind, who does not, with the Psalmist, hate even vain thoughts, Psa. cxix. 6. "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments." To respect some, and not others, is present hypocrisy, and will be shame and confusion at last. The commission of the greatest sins may consist with the truth of grace, but the approbation of the least is not consistent with it. Be assured that if you hate every false way, if you delight in the law of the Lord after the inward man, this single touchstone reaches to the inmost soul. It is a most sure, an infallible test of heart, state, and character.

REMARKS.

1. You may hence learn the awful condition of those who rest on their freedom from gross sins, and reject the atonement of Christ.

You may rely upon it that this is a most fatal delusion. It is destroying many on all sidea. Are you steadily resisting all sin? Are you more concerned to be good than to seem good? If so, that looks well, and shows your heart is right.

2. You may here see the necessity of Christians coming daily to a throne of grace, for the pardon of their hourly shortcomings.

Little sins, so called, are just those from which they have most to fear. We should humble our souls before the Lord continually on account of our corruptions, and mortify them to the uttermost. They cleave to us in prayer, praise, benevolent exertion, and everything. Let us then rejoice that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous!

3. We should further learn from this to make light of no sin.

The heart ought at all times to be deeply impressed with a sense of the evil of sin, as a contempt of the authority of the great God! As one means of safety, it behoves us to entertain an awful and

THE PROMISE OF LIFE. "According to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."-2 TIM. i. 1.

THIS is a part of the commencement of
the Second Epistle to Timothy. Paul
speaks of himself as an apostle of Jesus
Christ "according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." We
might, therefore, now insist from the
text upon the manner in which the mini-
stry of Paul contributed to the communi-
cation of the knowledge and the benefits
of the promise of eternal life which is in
Christ Jesus. But though this might be
to some an interesting subject, we
rather aim at general usefulness by con-
fining ourselves to the consideration of
the promise, and of its being in Christ
Jesus. We, as individuals, if Christians,
are receiving our support from this pro-
mise. We who are united together in
church-fellowship, build our hopes upon
it. Those that join us join us under
this hope, and it is the incumbent duty
of us all to walk worthy of it. We shall
attend, then, to these two particulars:
I. The promise of life.

II. To its being in Christ Jesus.
And first as to the promise of life.

All the promises of God are cheering and encouraging, and worthy of himself. But there is something in the promise of life particularly so, whether we consider the nature of the benefit promised, or its duration. In offering a few observations on the promise,

1. We remark its richness and gloriousness. It is, as it were, with respect to our own happiness, the promise of promises. It is comprehensive of all felicity. To live-to live for ever! and in all the happy, holy, and glorious circumstances connected with the promised life, is felicity indeed. To serve God here by Jesus Christ, renewed in the spirit of our minds, and then after the dangers, fears, and toils of this state, to enjoy eternal rest and peace in the worship of God in a future heavenly state, with the eternal banishment of sin, sorrow, and death,

what prospect can be so delightful? We are apt to be pleased with a view of a few hours of happiness in this mixed state of things. We have found sometimes in the service of God pure and elevated joys above this world; but to live-to live for ever!-with God and Christ, disencumbered of the cares, and pains, and sins of this life, in the mansions of the blessed, with all the capacities for holiness and blessedness, is the rich and glorious hope of the Gospel.

2. The promise of life is adapted to our circumstances.-What are we? Sinners, in the darkness of death. Condemnation alarms our souls, and death awaits us. But if the promise of life have cheered us, we have felt relief. Pardon for sin has been our joy, and the terrors of death are scattered. Whereas the men of this world who put by the promise of life, and go on struggling with a guilty conscience and the fears of futurity, have nothing sufficient to satisfy them or give them rest. It is not the world can afford it, for it must be forsaken.

3. This promise of life is free and undeserved. If men be sinners, and as such subject to death, they cannot, in such circumstances, be entitled to life. Some persons seem to speak of heaven as if man must possess it. But assuredly he is not entitled to it by his innocence or his merit. Man in a state of perfection must have depended upon a promise; man in his state of sin must receive eternal life as an entirely free and undeserved gift. The greatness and necessity of the gift do not render it less a gift, but only show us more of the undeserved and rich mercy of God in granting it. This, however, is plainly and manifestly the promise of God, that he will give eternal life to believers in the name of his Son. Great as is the gift, undeserving as we are of it, wonderful as is the grace of bestowing it, there can be no doubt of enjoying it if we be found believers in Christ Jesus. The matter is made plain. He that runs may read. The repetition of the promise is abundant. The meaning of it is clear. There is no ambiguity about it. It is not a scarcely discernible streak of light in a dark cloud, it is a blazing sun filling the whole Christian horizon. There is great room for thankfulness in this matter. He that followeth me, says the Lord, shall have the light of life.

4. The promise of life is Divine and sure. It is the promise of God. It rests for its accomplishment upon Divine faith

fulness and power.

God will accom

plish his word; his power knows of no difficulty, and therefore whatever apparent obstacles may arise to the fulfilment of his promise, still that fulfilment is sure. Creation itself bears witness to this-all the miracles of Jesus and his Apostles do the same. The wonders of the Holy Ghost and the course of nature testify the same great truth. Look to the beginning of the Epistle to Titus, and compare with this Abraham's faith according to the fourth chapter of the Romans.

5. The life promised could only be obtained by promise.-The Jews had an erroneous notion that it could be obtained by law; but the fact clearly and decidedly is, that if any man have life, it must be by promise. Compare what our Apostle says, Gal. iii. 18. with Gal. iv. 28.

6. I will observe once more, that the promise of life received by faith is calculated to guide, to console, and to support the Christian through all the difliculties and dangers of life, and the terrors of death.

Laying hold of this he is safe. His little tossed vessel is anchored in safety. He has no reason to be dismayed at any of the threatening storms or howling tempests of this uncertain life! All is well, and shall be well for ever. Confident of this, a Christian may walk through the world undismayed by wars and unmoved by victories. He may hold on his steady course unallured by honour, emolument, and pleasure: whose glaring blandishments and fascinating charms have brought thousands to perdition Disciples of Jesus Christ, though poor and slighted and despised, are in the sure way to everlasting blessedness. Every one that has forsaken houses or lands, &c., for my name's sake, shall inherit everlasting life: "I am the bread of life, he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever." Let us consider,

II. The promise of life is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men.' He has done and suffered that which was necessary for the grant of this life to sinful, perishing men.-Compare Rom. iii. 11, and Hebrews ix. 11. Christ came that his servants might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. We admit that the promise of life existed previous to the coming of Christ, though dependent upon him. But the glorious manifestation of it is since his coming, and by him.-Compare Eph. iii. and Titus i. 3

The life was manifested, and the Apostles declared that eternal life which was with the Father. Life and the promise of it are published in the name and in connection with the faith of Jesus Christ. It is only in union with and believing his Gospel we possess it. Whatever we know, if we know not him, life is not the consequence: "This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." He procured this life:

"It cost him death to save our lives;
To buy our souls, it cost his own:
And all the unknown joys he gives

Were bought with agonies unknown." He gives this life; produces it in us; quickens, renews, and comforts us; gives us the earnest of it in our hearts: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life," says John the Baptist; and "This is eternal life to know thee, the

only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent," says our Lord; meaning that the disciples of Christ enjoy a measure of heaven upon earth, and have in grace a foretaste of glory.

It is in him the promise of it is sure. He is the Mediator of the covenant in which it is granted. He has authorised his servants to proclaim it through himself to the ends of the earth. And oh that the time may soon arrive when all the ends of the earth shall see his glory! So much interested is he in the grant of this life that this is one great purpose of his reigning. He will also come again to bestow the benefit of the promise in all its fulness: "Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many: and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. R. R. Hall-Fold.

Christ connected the intimation of his pleasure with the intimation of his power -a power which extended to heaven and earth, and pervaded both. On this power he rests his procedure, when he gives his commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, and teach every recipient of it the "observance of all things whatsoever he had commanded them." The things which he spake were those which he commanded,-and we learn his commands to them from theirs to us. His was the authority under which they acted;-he armed them with his power when he charged them with his commission: "He that receiveth you receiveth me; whatsoever ye bind in earth shall be bound in heaven; whatsover ye loose in earth shall be loosed in heaven; whose sins ye remit shall be remitted, and whose sins ye retain shall be retained."

1. The King.-Jesus tells us that in order to be a King he was born-God hath anointed him to this, and made him King of Zion. By type, by prediction,

and plain statement, this is shown. It is obvious from the nature of the case. The office he sustains required omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence -nothing short of these sufficed for its scriptural character - its extension to universality in spite of its various op posers, and its superintendence in that capacity. The Apostles then spake, and acted only in his name, and under his authority. His was the message, his the command to receive it, and his the prerogative to punish the disobedient! In their capacity of Apostles they knew man only as man, and treated all men equally; testifying to small and great repentance towards God and faith in Christ

the slave and his master, subjects and kings, were treated in the same manner. These in the sight of Christ were one. The terms less and greater were confined to themselves, but extended not to the King. All ranks were by nature one, one in state, one in character-the same boon was conferred on each, when they came to the cross; the same grateful obligation rested on each; the same rule of life was given to each, and in the house of God the same laws of discipline were applied to each; it was at their peril to do anything by partiality, preferring one before another. As subjects they were