would, at that period, have been justly debarred from receiving the sacramental elements. We know of none who contend for the propriety of inverting the natural order of the Christian sacraments, where the nature of each is clearly understood and confessed."

That the priority of baptism to all other church ordinances is the natural order of the sacraments, and that in apostolical times none were admitted to the privileges of church membership who had not previously been baptized, are two admissions which seem to us decisive of the question.

That the apostolical churches were composed exclusively of baptized persons appear from the following considerations :—

1. The language of our Lord's commission. The Saviour's last commission to His Apostles is thus given by Matthew (xxviii. 19, 20):-" Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The first thing to be done was to disciple the nations, then to baptize them, and then to teach them to observe all the other institutions of the religion of Christ, such as the Lord's Supper, and the various ordinances of the church. Mark gives the commission thus::-"Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned." Here we have the same orderpreaching, believing, and baptizing. The words assume, as a matter of course, that all that believed would be baptized. They do not teach that none but the baptized will be saved, but that all saved believers ought to be baptized. Believing and being baptized are coupled as naturally and intimately associated. This is the prescribed order of the institutions, and no mistakes of ours, no new cases that can arise in this changing world, can countenance a deviation from this canon law of the churches. The dependence of church membership upon a previous submission to baptism is evinced from the authority of Christ, which enjoins the one as a preliminary to the other.

2. The invariable practice of the Apostles. How did the Apostles understand their Lord's commission after they had received the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and were fully equipped for their great work? Let the book of their Acts testify. In every instance the convert, as soon as he had received Christ into his heart by faith, was exhorted to submit to baptism, and did so. "Then they that gladly received His word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." First, conversion; then baptism; then addition to the church and the enjoyment of all the privileges of membership. And so, in every subsequent case, as soon as a man repented and believed, he was baptized, and then admitted into a Christian church, if there was one within reach. Church membership was invariably preceded by baptism.

3. The manner in which the members are addressed in the apostolical epistles. In every instance the epistles assume that the persons written to

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had been baptized. In Rom. vi. a powerful argument in favour of holiness is addressed to the whole Church on the ground of their having been buried with Christ in baptism. The church at Corinth had been all baptized, some by one teacher, and some by another (1 Cor x. 13-16). The members of the churches in Galatia had all been "baptized into Christ, and had thus put on Christ" (Gal. iii. 27). At Ephesus all had not only received the one Spirit, but had submitted to the one baptism (Eph. iv. 4-5). Similar statements are found in Col. ii. 12 and 1 Pet. iii. 21. The unities of the Church in apostolic times were one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord [Jesus], one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all" (Eph. iv. 3-6). Hence it is clear that all Christians in those times were bound together, among other ties, by a common submission to the ordinance of baptism. Baptism was then one of the UNITIES of the Church, and it is mentioned among the things which we are scrupulously to maintain, that we may endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." From which it follows that to dispense with baptism as a term of membership is not a course calculated to preserve the oneness of Christian fellowship, but to destroy it. To the same purport is the language of 1 Cor. xii. 12-14, in which the Apostle is arguing in defence of the unity of the mystical body of Christ upon earth. Bloomfield, Doddridge, Calvin, Alford, and many other eminent Pædcbaptists think that the reference in this passage is to the ordinance of baptism. The meaning of the Apostle evidently is that, by the Holy Spirit, all the converts of that period had been induced to submit to the profession of religion made in baptism, and had thus been incorporated into the body of our Lord's avowed disciples.

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But does all this prove that we are still to require baptism as a prerequisite to membership? Is this prescribed order, this natural order, this apostolically observed order, any law to us? If neither prescription, nor the nature of the case, nor invariably inspired precedent, nor even all these combined, constitute a law for the churches in our day, where are we to look for a guide as to their constitution? We might as well be without the Acts of the Apostles, without the Epistles, and without our Lord's commission, so far, at least, as the matter of church government is concerned.

With regard to the admission of new members into churches already formed, it is evident that the particular church which the convert sought to join needed to be satisfied that the applicant was a genuine baptized believer. Each Christian community required to be satisfied of the worthiness of those who sought admission into its fellowship, and in deciding this matter the whole multitude of the disciples voted.─Abridged from "Handbook of Theology," by J. STOCK, LL.D.

he Great Congregation.

REV. vii. 9, 10.

BY S. COZENS, IPSWICH.

"AFTER." I want to look at that word a little. After the settlement of the Apostolic churches, John saw a throne, and a rainbow round about the throne. (See chap. 4.) The dispensation before the Flood was a dispensation of judgment. Hence we find but a solitary godly man, like Enoch, in an age. The fact that we are told that, "Enoch walked with God," proves that his conduct was exceptional. The rainbow was seen after the Flood, and was a sign of mercy to men; and henceforth, mercy widened her range of operation-from individuals to a family, and from a family to a nation; and now, under the rainbow-glories of the Lamb, from a nation to all nations. The rainbow round about the throne will signify that Christ reigns in mercy, within the radius of covenant arrangements. The elders, sitting round the throne, will probably indicate that the godly fathers of both ages accepted, and rested on, and were glorified by the reign of Christ. The full-visioned beasts round about the throne will signify that ministers are what they are in knowledge and usefulness, by their relation to the throne of Christ. The sea of glass before the throne will signify that before the throne is the place of undisturbed tranquillity, where not a wave of trouble rolls across the peaceful breast of the Church triumphant. In the Gospel of John, Christ is set forth in His conflict with the world, and His victory over it, even when apparently defeated. In this book we have the Church of Christ in her conflict with the world, and her victory over it.

When the world nailed Christ to the cross, no doubt they said: We have got Him now-we have finished Him now-it is all over with Him now. But even then He was a Conqueror-like Samson, who slew more in his death than in his life-for, by death, He slew death, and destroyed him that had the power of death. After He was buried, there was great unrest in the guilty hearts of the chief priests and Pharisees, and they would have His tomb guarded, and His resurrection prevented by Roman soldiers. But death's Captive arose and brought our heaven to light. And His kingdom came in power and manifestation at Pentecost. And Lucifer fell-and his synagogues, the pantheons of the gods many, fell; and the once despised Nazarene prevailed over all the institutions of Paganism, and struck all their idols dumb.

When the world made a holocaust of the martyrs, they only put them into a fiery chariot that should bear them to the skies, and reflect a glory upon the world that should inspire others to follow in their steps, and be faithful unto death. The glorified elders cast their crowns before the throne of their all-creating Lord. We lay our highest honours at His feet, and "Crown Him Lord of all."

In the fourth chapter we have the throne of sovereignty. The beasts being in the midst of the throne, will signify that their ministerial testimony centres in the throne rights and sovereign acts of God. In the fifth chapter we have the book— the book sealed with seven seals-in the hand of the Lamb that had been slain. The Lamb slain interprets the book—yes, the book of God's Word, and the book of the Church's history. Take the Lamb out of the book, and what a dark enigma the Bible and the whole history of suffering humanity would be. What was the effect of the Lamb taking the book? Why, "the four beasts "-i.e., the ministers of His Word-and the "four and twenty elders"-.e., the representatives of the whole ransomed world-" fell down before the Lamb." And they sang a new song, saying, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals

thereof; for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth"-read on to the end of the chapter.

In the sixth chapter we see Him opening the seals, and fulfilling His high decrees. The horses are the agencies that He employs. As man uses the horse for the accomplishment of his purposes, so the horses are symbolical of the agents by which He fulfils His purposes. We have here the white horse of victory, on which "He went forth conquering and to conquer." It seems that the wide commission given to the apostles to “ go into all the world," was fully carried out by them. And they went abroad-went everywhere preaching Jesus and the resurrection. Then we have the red horse of war, to whom was given a great sword to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another. Following the red horse of war is the black horse of famine, whose rider holds a pair of balances in his hand, indicating that, because of the scarcity of food, they would have to live by weight and measure. Then came the pale horse of pestilence, whose rider was Death, and whose follower was-Hell. Then follows the great martyr age, when the whole of Europe was ablaze with human sacrifices, offered not to appease the God of heaven, but the burning wrath of the enthroned and deified Man of Sin. O! what days were those, when the booted apostles of Rome hunted down Protestants like bloodhounds.

Then the night comes on, when all the lights of heaven will be blotted out, and the heavens shall depart. This sixth chapter explains Matt. xxiv. 7-9, 29. “After this ”—that is, after the sealing of the twelve tribes. Twelve tribes came into the old Temple, and twelve tribes come into this temple. They were not all Israel, that were of Israel. And here you have the remnant according to the election of grace. Twelve is a number of sufficiency of fulness. And this "It shall come

definite for an indefinite number shows that all Israel is saved.

to pass that all Israel shall be saved." There are many things in this heavenly state that synchronize with the things in the old Temple. For instance, in this new Jerusalem Church we have twelve foundations, in which are the names of the twelve apostles. This agrees with the twelve precious stones, in which were the names of the twelve tribes. Those stones represented the basis of the priest's office; for he was ordained to offer gifts for those men whose names he bore upon his heart. The twelve loaves synchronize with the twelve fruits of the Tree of Life. The doctrine of life was taught to Israel by the bread, and the same doctrine of life we see in the fruits of the Tree of Life.

Well, we must hurry on to the numberless number. Here we have Pentecost in full development (Acts ii. 5, 12). There you have the seed time; here we have the glorious harvest home. Here, too, the Saviour's words are fully realised: "Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd" (John x. 16). And in this fold will be a great number of all nations— Arabians and Africans, Britons and Burmese, Galileans and Grecians, Egyptians and Esquimaux, Medes and Mongolians, Parthians and Persians, Indians and Italians, Prussians and Russians-some of all nations-Greeks, Gentiles, and Jews-the publicans and harlots that ate with Him shall be there. People talk about the prophets and apostles and martyrs being there, as if these were almost the only people in heaven. These will only form a very small part of that vast congregation, which no man can number; that no human figures can represent. Heaven is a far bigger place than we can measure. Christ shall have the preeminence in salvation.

These saved ones were clothed in white. There is something very significant in this. New-born babes, who are not stained by actual sin, are clothed in white. Hence white is the emblem of innocence. Black is the symbol of mourning and

death. White is the emblem of life and joy. The white robes tell us that the days of mourning are ended; that there shall be no more death.

Having palms in their hand. Palms mean victory. Those palms said, Victory through the blood of the Lamb. In the ancient world people went forth to meet and welcome the conquering hero with palm branches in their hands. And before the conquering Captain of salvation the glorified wave the palms of a glorious victory that came to them through Him. It was not simply because Wellington had defeated Napoleon that he was glorified, but because he had thereby saved the nation from invasion. It is not merely because Christ has defeated the Devil, but because we are thereby delivered from him, that leads us to wave the palms of our homage and our gratitude before Him.

And they sang, with a loud voice, "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb." We have songs for the astronomers, about the heavens; songs for the agriculturists, about sowing in tears, and reaping with joy; songs for the bride, about her home-coming to the bridegroom; songs for the bereaved, about the brevity of human life, and the eternal dwelling-place for the righteous; songs for the sailors, about the perils of the deep, and the Divine Pilot who brings them to their desired haven; songs for the soldiers, about the God of battles, who teacheth our hands to war a good warfare, and giveth us the victory over all our enemies. In a word, we have songs for the day of gladness, and songs for the night of sorrow. But in heaven there is but one song for all, and all sing that one song-that everlasting song of "Salvation to our God." The Syrophenician woman; the Ethiopian eunuch; Matthew, the publican; Magdalene, of ill-fame; the dying thief; the murderers of Christ; Rahab, the mother of Boaz; and the Moabitish damsel, Ruth. Yes, all shall sing, "Salvation to our God." To be with God, after being tormented of the Devil-to be in glory everlasting, after being in great tribulation-to be in heaven, after being so near to hell-to be saved, after being almost damned, will be cause enough for an everlasting song of gratitude. We learn to sing this song in the partial victories we obtain on the battlefield of life. It is recorded of Henry V., that, after a great battle, he commanded the army chaplain to read a Psalm, that they might give God the glory of their victory; and when the chaplain came to the words, "Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto Thy Name give glory," the king and his soldiers dismounted, and, blood-stained as they were, they knelt down in that Alcedama, between the living and the dead, and echoed back their solemn and grateful responses, saying, "Not unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto Thy name give glory.' It must have been an imposing sight to see those sturdy warriors, with the heat of battle upon their brows, kneeling to ascribe their conquest and their salvation to the God of battles. Even so it shall be with all the holy warriors. They ascribe their conquest to His death-their victory to His blood; and again they sing, Hallelujah. God grant that our gratitude may swell the Hallelujah chorus in the congregration that ne'er breaks up! Amen, and

amen.

Brom Saint to Saint.

No. 30.

To the beloved of and in the Lord. Accepted in the Beloved, complete in Him, and always, and at all times, kept by the power of God, and preserved from all evil unto His heavenly kingdom, to be presented faultless before the presence of His glory.