counsel," let him "open his grief" to the priest (as his Church most lovingly admonishes)-but God forbid that any of you should put these thoughts from you, and spend this Lent in ease, or worldly enjoyment, or pleasure! Think what your ill-prepared souls require-and resolve and do; it may be, that your eternal state will be fixed, by the solemn weeks now approaching!-How shall it be fixed? The decision must be your own. Sit down and "consult " what are your prospects for eternity, and how you shall meet the Last Enemy when he cometh against you with a thousand thousand terrors, and no "embassy of peace can be sent on to stay his coming!

W. J. I.

SERMON XXV.

THE LAW DEPENDENT ON THE PRIESTHOOD.

St. Matthias' Day.

HEBREWS VII. 12.

FOR THE PRIESTHOOD BEING CHANGED, THERE IS MADE OF

NECESSITY A CHANGE ALSO OF THE LAW.

THAT the Law should depend upon the priesthood, and not the priesthood upon the Law, is a sentiment contrary to the opinions of the present day, but, nevertheless, true; as may be seen from this passage of Scripture. Men look upon the Bible as the whole, instead of being a part only of their religion: as if the Scriptures taught us our religion, instead of proving it. The Bible, undoubtedly, makes known unto us doctrines, which we could not have known so clearly without it; but then the facts on which these doctrines are built were previously made known and taught by the Church. The Church first taught them, the Word of GOD afterwards proved the truth of them. This is abundantly clear, from the commencement of St. Luke's Gospel, which was written in order that Theophilus "might know the certainty of those things wherein he had been instructed," or catechised. He had been catechised by the Church, taught the Christian religion by her ministers; and 1 St. Luke, i. 4.

then afterwards (but not before,) had the Word of GOD put into his hands, not to teach him his religion, for that he knew before, but to prove the truth of itto be an additional confirmation of it. This passage of Scripture may help to show us the folly of attempting to convert men to the faith by the mere distribution of Bibles, instead of by sending ministers among them. The Bible is of no use to a man who has not had some previous instruction in our religion. It is a wilderness of mystery to him-he cannot see the meaning of it. When the Ethiopian Eunuch read the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, which contains so clear a description of our SAVIOUR, that you could almost fancy it had been written after his death, instead of before it; when the Ethiopian read this splendid passage of Scripture, he could make nothing of it, though there is scarcely a child here who does not know to Whom it refers. And why was this? Because he had had no teacher. When Philip asked him, "Understandest thou what was obliged to confess that he did not. except some man should guide me?"" Chamberlain of the Queen of Ethiopia, proselyte, could not understand one chapter of the Old Testament without a teacher; how is it to be expected that heathens and infidels should understand the whole Bible without one? Is it likely that they would treat it with that reverence with which it ought to be treated? Our SAVIOUR'S words are very applicable to this subject: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." The Word of GOD is not to be treated in such

1 Acts viii. 30, 31.

thou

readest?" he "How can I,

Now if this

who was a

2 St. Matt. vii. 6.

"For "for

an irreverent manner, as to be put into the hands of those who do not believe in it. They will trample it under their feet, and it will do them no good. this cause," says St. Paul to the Thessalonians, this cause also thank we GOD without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it, not as the word of man, but as it is in truth the Word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." It worked effectually in the Thessalonians, because they believed it to be the Word of GOD; it would not have had that effect, if they had not believed. "And how shall they believe in HIM, of Whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher ?" The Gospel must be preached first, before the written Word can be of any use. The Bible is meant for Christians, and not for Heathens. Our SAVIOUR and His Apostles preached first to the Jews, who had been prepared for His coming by the Prophets; and when the Evangelists and Apostles wrote, it was for the benefit of those, whom they had converted to the faith by their preaching and miracles. When St. Paul writes, it is in these words: "To all that be in Rome, beloved of GOD, called to be Saints;' "Unto the Church of GOD, which is at Corinth;" "Unto the Churches of Galatia."" And St. Peter, "To the Strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of GOD the FATHER, through Sanctification of the SPIRIT, unto obedience, and sprinkling

St. Paul evidently means the Word preached, but, as St. Paul's writing and preaching would embrace the same doctrines, the argument will hold just the same in both cases. 1 Thess. ii. 13. 2 Rom. x. 14. * Rom. i. 7. 41 Cor. i. 2. 5 Gal. i. 2.

of the Blood of JESUS CHRIST;"" "To them that have obtained like precious faith with us." All showing, that the Bible is meant for Christians, and not for Heathens; that men must be converted to Christianity before the written Word can benefit them; that the Bible is not our religion, but only the history of it; that our religion is not founded upon the Bible, which is only a book, but upon living men,-" upon the Apostles and Prophets, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF being the chief corner-stone." These living men, (of whom St. Matthias, the Apostle we commemorate to-day, was the first chosen and sent after our LORD's Resurrection,) preached the Gospel, wrote the Bible under the inspiration of GOD, appointed a succession of bishops, priests, and deacons, to interpret it, and hand it down to us; and, in consequence of their exertions, we are now all enabled to "search the Scriptures," which we never could have done without such a succession. For, if we reflect, that, from the time of our SAVIOUR to Constantine, a period of 300 years, the Church passed through ten persecutions, in rapid succession; in each of which the churches were pulled down, and all the Bibles burnt that the Heathens could lay their hands upon; how could this book have escaped, and come down to our time, if it had had no appointed guardians ?-if there had been no succession of men, who were willing rather to perish than give this book up into the hands of the Heathens? Many of the most celebrated works of antiquity, which never excited the hatred of men, have perished; while the Bible still remains, though the whole Roman Empire tried to destroy it. How has this come to pass, except that the Church was appointed to watch 3 Ephes. ii. 20.

1 1 Peter i. 1, 2.

2 2 Peter i. 1.