glorious kingdom: but love, freed from the trammels of sin and the temptations of Satan, shall then live and sing and triumph throughout eternity; for God is our salvation, and God is love. Love is the more excellent way. O follow after love. Desire spiritual gifts indeed; but follow after love. I show you a more excellent way-"Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts."

"Be

This is no new doctrine. Have I any Jews in this congregation that hear these words? This doctrine was taught of old: it was taught in the tabernacle service: it was commented upon in the book of Psalms. hold," says the Psalmist, "how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments." Now, how is this? O ye who value the Old Testament Scriptures, ye children of Abraham, how is it that brethren dwelling together in unity is like the ointment flowing upon Aaron's beard? There is no natural similitude between the two things. Ointment flowing down the beard of Aaron, even to the skirts of his garments-how is that like brethren dwelling together in unity? Now, I will shew you the meaning of that Psalm. Aaron was the type of Jesus Christ the great High Priest of the Church; and that ointment was the type of the Holy Ghost, with which Jesus Christ our great High Priest is anointed; and the Holy Ghost descending from him to the members, is the Spirit of love by whom the brethren dwell together in unity. Therefore the brethren dwelling together in unity was beautifully exhibited by the ointment poured upon Aaron's head and flowing down to the skirts of his garments. Behold, I show you a more excellent interpretation than your Rabbies can give of this Psalm.

But to proceed. Having thus dwelt upon the fruits of the Spirit comprehended in this love, and having insisted upon it as a more excellent way, the Apostle returns to the spiritual gifts and then he makes a preference, a choice amongst them of PROPHECY as the most important; and goes on

to show upon what principles he declares prophecy to be the most important. By prophecy here we understand teaching by the Spirit, an immediate gift of teaching by the Spirit for the edification of the Church. I now call your attention to the fourteenth chapter. "Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts; but rather that ye may prophecy. For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the Church. I would that ye

all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied; for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the Church may receive edifying." The main point in striking a balance between the comparative value of valuable gifts-the main point taken into the account was, benefit to the Church: that gift which is most valuable to benefit the Church is the most to be desired. Therefore, said the apostle, Prophesy rather, because by prophecy the Church is edified: whereas by the other gift the man only is edified. This is the meaning of the whole of the remainder of the chapter. He says, If there be no interpreter let a man speak to himself and to God and at the conclusion of the chapter his language marks the comparative estimate of the two things; -"Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. Let all things be done decently and in order.”

Now we have seen from the prophecy of Christ, from the fulfilment of that prophecy in the history of the infant Church, from the language of the Apostle to the Gentile Church-we have seen this great truth, that God the Holy Ghost was given to the Church of Christ-given to exercise gifts-given to produce fruits-given for power-given for holiness. Now, has that Spirit ever been removed from the Church? has the gift ever been recalled? Is it possible in the very

to all who are acquainted with the Scriptures. That they do not exist now, in any large measure, is equally a matter of notoriety. But at what periods, and in what degrees, the declension took place is a matter of extreme difficulty: it seems to have been gradual and intermitting; sometimes all seemed darkness-then a few bursts of light and again darkness greater than before. A reference to some of the circumstances which took place during the Arian persecution in the fifth century, will make more clear what I intended by this last observation.

In the second volume of Milner's Church History, at page 505, he says, "In the Arian persecution under Huneric at Typasia, the Secretary of Cirila was ordained Bishop by the Arians. The inhabitants seeing this transported themselves into Spain, as the distance was but small: some who could meet with no vessels remained in Africa. The new Bishop laboured by courtesy to win their favor; but they, in contempt of his ministry, assembled themselves in a private house for public worship." They would not compromise with the Arian Bishop: they were not of that stamp that could make light of truth for the sake of peace. These men, according to the historical account, loved peace if they could have truth with it; but when peace and truth were put the one against the other, they held for truth though war should follow. This was right. "Huneric hearing of this by a message from the Bishop, ordered their tongues to be cut out, and their right hands to be cut off, in the public market place." Now, Mr. Milner says, and I marvel at such a man having condescended to say it in his History—" Shall I, in compliance with modern prejudices, throw a veil over the rest, or proceed according to historical veracity?" Why, proceed according to historical veracity to be sure, if you are an historian: and so he does. He says, "A miracle followed worthy of God, whose majesty had been so daringly insulted, and which must at that time have much strengthened the hearts of the faithful, who needed indeed some consolation amidst such scenes of horrible persecution. The miracle itself is so well

attested that I see not how it can be more so. The reader shall have both the fact and its proofs. Though their tongues were cut out to the root they spake as well as before. If any one doubt the fact,' says Victor of Vita, 'let him go to Constantinople, where he will find a Deacon, called Reperatus, one who was thus treated, who speaks plainly, and who has a particular respect shown him in the palace of the Emperor Zeno, especially by the Empress.' Æneas of Gaza, a Platonic philosopher, a cautious and prudent man, was at that time at Constantinople, and writes thus in the conclusion of his Dialogue on the Resurrection: I myself saw them, heard them speak, and wondered that their utterance could be so articulate. I searched for the organ of speech, and not trusting my ears, was resolved to have the proof of the eyes. Causing them to open their mouths, I saw that their tongues were plucked out even by the roots, and was then more surprised that they could live than that they could speak.' Is this sufficient evidence? Hear more: Procopius the historian, in his History of the Vandalic War, says, Huneric ordered the tongues of many to be cut out, who were afterwards seen in the streets of Constantinople when I was there, talking without any impediment, or feeling any inconvenience from what they had suffered.' Count Marcellinus, in his Chronicons, says, 'I have seen some of this company of faithful confessors at Constantinople, who had their tongues cut out, but spoke nevertheless without any impediment in their utterance.' To name only one more witness: the great Emperor Justinian, in a Constitution published by him for Africa, after it had fallen into his dominion, testifies that he had beheld the same."

This was in the year 483. I mention it to show, that, as far as historical evidence goes, there is not the slightest foundation for the common opinion circulated amongst us, that the miracles wrought by the Holy Ghost ceased with the apostolic age: and I believe that that error, that great error, has gained circulation amongst the Protestant Churches for want of knowing how rightly to meet the Popish pretensions to miracles; and that because they

thus plainly that I may get the subject to your apprehensions; and I am willing to transfer this part of it in a figure to myself, for your sakes.

There are gifts, then, of the Holy Ghost in the Church still. I have said, and repeat now, that they are but small indeed. There are fruits of the Spirit; but they are few and far between. Alas! it is only a little love; it is cold and feeble; the atmosphere by which it is surrounded is uncongenial to it. There is a qualifying of Christian honesty among us, a mingling of Christian truth with error, a denial by many of the immediate inspiration even of the Holy Scriptures by the Holy Ghost. There is an ascribing of it to the natural wisdom of man, merely superintended by the Spirit and the plenary inspiration of the very language of the word of God by the Holy Ghost, is called fanaticism by some of our professors. Then in point of practice there is suspicion abroad; Christians are hardly able to trust one another and exercise love, lest they should be taken advantage of, and their secret betrayed. There is so much of bearing false witness against our neighbours, that we can scarcely treat them as brethren; and so suspicion has frozen up the very sources of love. This should not be.

Yet still, there is a little of this love. We see occasionally in families and small circles, where the leaven of wickedness has not exalted itself, something of what the Church of Christ should be, something that gives a proof the Spirit of God is here. We know that men by nature are hateful, and hating one another that they cannot love one another with pure hearts, but by the Holy Ghost: and in this respect we have occasional proof that the Holy Ghost is still on the earth in the Church. But instead of the Church being filled with the Spirit as it was, and instead of its being seen to be the power of God in the earth, alas, my brethren, the power of the Church is driven back; the holiness of the Church is restrained; the Church herself is despised; she has been so long quenching the Spirit, that she has all but filled up her unpardonable iniquity by sinning against the Holy Spirit. And her Lord and Master is about to come to take back that nation which

sinned against the Son of God, and to cast into hell those apostates who are sinning against the Holy Ghost.

My beloved brethren, "follow after Charity, and desire spiritual gifts," says the Apostle in our text. Have you ever been exhorted to desire spiritual gifts? Have you ever been exhorted to seek for all that the Holy Ghost did in the Church? You hesitate not to ask upon the thirteenth chapter of this epistle-you hesitate not to ask of the Lord to give you that love which suffereth long and is kind: hesitate not, then, to ask of the Lord to give to one amongst you the word of knowledge, and to another amongst you the word of wisdom, and to another amongst you faith, and to another amongst you the gift of healing. Will you stop there? Will you ask of God for knowledge, and wisdom, and faith, and the gift of healing; and will you stop there? Will you separate what God has joined? Will you not ask for all the gifts? If you do not, how then can you expect to have them? The Holy Ghost is restrained by your unbelief; just as when Jesus went down to Nazareth, it is written, "He could do there no mighty work because of their unbelief;" he mourned at their unbelief. So the Holy Ghost is come down among you, but can do no mighty work among you because of your unbelief. O, ask of God to bestow on one among you the word of knowledge by the Spirit; to another the word of wisdom by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gift of healing by the same Spirit: and ask for another of you to have the working of miracles by the same Spirit; and for another among you the gifts of teach. ing, prophecy, by the same Spirit; and for another the discerning of Spirits: and ask of God for another, that he would grant to speak with divers kinds of tongues; and for another that he would give the interpretation of tongues. Let it not be asked, What is the use of these things. He, who has described them as the gifts of the Spirit, knows what use he intended to be made of them, and would make of them if they were asked in faith.

I have set now before you, my dear brethren, a most important subject. I have opened to you from the Holy