to us in the likeness of men: and they called Barnabas Jupiter, and Paul Mercurius." And " the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacri fice with the people." In both instances, the apostles' conduct was the occasion of very aggravated iniquity: but are we to infer from this, that they were participants in the guilt either of the individual or of the community? No propensity of the wicked has indeed ever manifested itself more strongly, than their desire to find authority for their evil practices, in the example of the righteous; but this is no reason why good men should be held responsible for every use that may be made of their unimpeachable behaviour. The authority of Moses was adduced by the Pharisees to Christ, as a warrant for putting away their wives. The devil called Scripture to his aid in his contest with Jesus in the wilderness. The conduct of the Son of God himself, did not escape misrepresentation; since they said of him, "Behold a gluttonous man, and a wine-bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners."

It being thus evident that the fact of a community being guilty of some particular species of iniquity, is no infallible proof that every one of the individuals composing it is guilty; the next point for consideration is, what are some of the things that necessarily imply this? and, here may be mentioned,

I. Joining in the sin of another, or in that of a community. It is adding our unit to the number of the wicked; and " when the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth." It is lending our drop to aid in filling up the measure of iniquity; and it is when the measure of sin is full, that God ceases any longer to bear with it. It is a contributing of our mite to swell the amount of that which Jehovah has " laid up in store with him, and sealed up among his treasures." It is a " joining in affinity to a people of abominations,"-a uniting with those who "take counsel against the Lord." In addition, it is an acting of the devil's part, in the tempting of others, inasmuch as, by our example, we induce them also to forsake the Lord their God, and thus by adding to the number of transgressors, increase the aggregate of the guilt chargeable against the collective body of the wicked. In this way, parents may become partakers of their children's iniquities,-husbands of those of their wives-brothers and sisters of those of one another. In this way, too, citizens and subjects, members of churches and of families, may become implicated in the sins of these respective commuities. Every drunkard, when the sin is drunkenness-every liar, when the sin is lying-every Sabbath-breaker, when the sin is Sabbath-breaking--every licentious person, when it is licentiousness that is the prevailing sin of a people, is necessarily a participant in the guilt of that people. The ruler also is guilty, when, instead of being a terror to such things, he is their patron and defence-joining himself in the common wickedness, and lending to it the sanction of his station and authority. Such a ruler was "Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin." Such members of a community were the women of Midian, who "caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaan, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor. Such, also, was every individual of that people, who "lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert”—“ who envied

Moses also in the camp, and Aaron, the saint of the Lord, when the earth opened, and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram."

II. Aiding in the sin of another, or in that of a community, necessarily implies a participation in their guilt. It is a "helping of the ungodly"-a loving of them that hate the Lord"-a "strengthening of the hands of the wicked, that they should not return from their wicked way." Though not an avowed, it is a real-though not a direct, it is an indirect-though not in every case an intentional, it is an actual, joining in confederacy with sinners-a making of ourselves instrumental in furthering their "works of darkness"- -an occupying of the place of a "silent partner" in a copartnership of evil-a being accessory before the fact" to the commission of sin-a carelessly, or covertly "abetting" of what is wrong. Of this sort, is his share in transgression, who is the receiver, although not the actual pilferer, of other men's property-who "makes provision" for their lusts, although he does not join along with them--who holds the cup to the drunkard, although he does not himself partake of it—who administers partially the laws, either of the church, or of civil society-who secretly favours practices in his household, which he avowedly condemns. Of this sort, also, is his, who, "laying hands suddenly" on men unqualified for public offices in the church, or state, lends his aid to elevate them to positions, where they do mischief-where they act unrighteously, and oppressively, or unfaithfully, and discreditably-where they succeed in wounding religion more effectually, or in damaging the interests of society more extensively. Of this sort, also, is the sin of the man himself, who, thus raised to the position of a prince or ruler among a people, becomes a party to schemes of injustice, and oppression. Jehosaphat was guilty in this way, when he joined affinity with Ahab, and was 66 persuaded" to go up with him to Ramoth-Gilead, against the Syrians. Josiah was thus guilty, when he rashly volunteered his services in behalf of Assyria, against Egypt, by the river Euphrates, and perished on account of it; and Aaron, even the saint of God, "sinned after the similitude of this transgression," when, yielding to the clamours of a stiff-necked people, he made for them a molten calf," to be worshipped as the Lord their God.

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III. Approving of the sin of another, or of that of a community, necessarily implies a participation in their guilt. There is such a thing as a "consenting to" iniquity, as well as an aiding in it; A "bidding God speed" to the sinner, as well as a joining with him in his evil deeds. Time, and the feebleness of the human faculties, necessarily limiting the power of the most wicked, it is comparatively little that he can sometimes do in this world against God. His guilt, however, may far outstrip his ability, for there is a fellowship in sin, and a sympathy between sinners, which knows no limits from time or space. There is a fellowship also in righteousness; and hence the principle on which Jehovah acts when" visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate him," he shows merey to thousands of them that love him, and keep his command

NO. VIII. VOL. III.

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ments and that which he proclaims, when charging with, and threatening a nation for, a national sin: " Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they, indeed, killed the prophets, and build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the Wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation; from the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily, I say unto you, it shall be required of this generation."

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IV. Failing to do all in our power to prevent the sin of another or that of a community necessarily implies a participation in their guilt. "No man liveth to himself." Every man is his "brother's keeper." No man is to "look only on his own things; but every man also on the things of others." To our being pure from the blood of all men," it is not enough that we have neither tempted them to sin, nor aided them in it, nor approved of it, nor joined them in it,—it is not enough that we have done nothing whereby they "could stumble, or be offended, or made weak :". —we must "in anywise rebuke our neighbour;" must give him warning; we must speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way to save his life ;"-nay, even, if necessary, we must come out" of the society to which he belongs, that we "be not partakers of his sins." Although no relationship implies guilt, every relationship implies responsibility. As relatives, as fellow Christians, as fellow subjects, as fellow men, we have each an influence which, we can exert for the prevention of sin, in the communities to which, we respectively belong. In a land like Britain, for example, there is scarcely any man who may not, in some degree, be instrumental in stemming the tide of national transgression. In an age like the present, there is none who who may not do something, to lessen the amount even of the world's iniquity. By being forgetful of this, then, we may become participants in the guilt, both of the one, and the other-in that of the infidelity, and intemperance, and covetousness, and ungodliness, which disfigure so lamentably our native country; as well as, in that of the "revellings and banquettings and abominable idolatries," of those places of the earth that are the habitations of cruelty." In this way, too, we may become participants in the guilt of our rulers. They being our representatives, to the extent to which they act for us, and to the degree to which we have influence over them, their deeds become ours. By being remiss, then, in watching over their political procedure, and failing to wield aright the power reposed in us as citizens, we may homologate their acts, and become sharers in their sin. Moreover, in this way we may have a share in the sins of our families, and churches, for it was for this reason God performed against Eli all the things which he had spoken concerning his house, "because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not." It was the sin of Thyatira-that she suffered that woman Jezebel, which called herself a prophetess, to teach, and to seduce God's servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols."

AH.

NOTICES OF THE REV. DAVID ROBERTSON
OF KILMAURS.

(From Funeral Sermon by the Rev. James Meikle of Beith.)

THE Rev. David Robertson, the late pastor of this church, was born in 1786, at Kinross. His father was an elder in the second congregation of that town. He studied at the college of St Andrews. He entered the divinity hall at Whitburn, then under the superintendence of the Rev. Archibald Bruce, in 1805, and completed his studies at the hall, under the professorship of Dr Paxton in Edinburgh, his predecessor in the office of the ministry in this church. He was licensed to preach the gospel by the presbytery of Kirkcaldy in 1809, and placed in Kilmaurs in 1810. He died in his own house on the 16th of June, in the 61st year of his age, and when he had just completed the 36th of his ministry. The disease of which he died was, I believe, angina pectoris. He was first seized with it about three years ago. He had several attacks of it since that time; but these, though sometimes severe, did not continue long, and never unfitted him for the discharge of his official duties. The last attack which occasioned his death was of short duration. After about half an hour's illness he expired. His end was peace. He did not survive his public usefulness. He preached on the Sabbath day from Psalm lxvii. 5,-" Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people praise thee;" and concluded the public services of the sanctuary by singing the 43d paraphrase—

"You now must hear my voice no more,

My Father calls me home," &c.

On Monday evening he attended a meeting of the religious tract society of Kilmaurs, and passed into the eternal world that same night about one o'clock. His death was affectingly sudden, but he was not unprepared for the event. He trusted exclusively on Christ, and on his righteousness for salvation, and lived soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world, keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. And in the holy character of his life, we have the best evidence, and most satisfactory proof, that his end was peace, and that he now enjoys the blessedness of the dead who die in the Lord, who rest from their labours, and whose works do follow them. His death was sudden, and God by this act of his providence, speaks plainly to the people of this neighbourhood, and especially to his brethren of the presbytery, and the members of this congregation, saying to all, "Watch, therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Let us all, then, hearken to his voice, and stand upon the watch-tower, and daily look for the coming of the Son of man, and prepare to meet him in death, for we know neither the day nor the hour when he cometh.

Your late pastor was a man of an enlightened and liberal mind-of integrity and truth-and actuated throughout life by high moral principle and a sense of duty. He possessed great decision of character, and was not awed by the fear of man, either from saying or doing what he judged

to be right and proper. His disposition was cheerful, and his manners affable and unassuming. He was respected, esteemed, and beloved by all who knew him. As a minister of the gospel, it may he said of him, that he was a scribe well instructed unto the kingdom of heaven. His attainments as a scholar were of a high order. It was a rule with him always critically to examine the passages of scripture on which he was to discourse, in the languages in which they were originally written. Though he properly availed himself of helps for understanding the scriptures, yet few men were less influenced by the authority of names than he was, in forming his judgment on questions of christian doctrine and law. He possessed a sturdy independence of mind, and thought for himself. His knowledge of the system of Christianity was extensive and well-digested. He understood the words of the law, and was never at a loss either to vindicate its fundamental principles, in opposition to Socinian, Arminian, Pelagian, and other heretics, or to illustrate its doctrines, and enforce its duties, for the instruction and salvation of his hearers. He was a most judicious and acceptable preacher of the gospel. His sermons, in preaching Christ, were distinguished by simplicity of style, logical arrangement, richness in scriptural truth and illustration, and by their practical character and tendencies. A retentive and ready memory enabled him to avail himself of those numerous and interesting facts and incidents which the Bible records in its history of the church, and in its biographical sketches of the lives of men, whether saints or sinners; and he aptly applied these in administering instruction and counsel, and comfort and reproof, to his hearers. He attentively discharged the other duties of the ministerial office. He was diligent and persevering in training up the young, by means of class instruction, in the knowledge of the holy scriptures, which are able to make them wise unto salvation, through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. sympathised with you in your trials, and visited you in trouble. Though his labours in these, and in every other department of his work, in common with those of every minister of the gospel, were undoubtedly mingled with many imperfections and sins; yet I am sure you will agree with me when I affirm that, on the whole, he faithfully discharged the duties of his office among you. Ye are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblameably he behaved himself among you; and ye know how he exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.

He

In all the other relations of life, as a member of the presbytery, as a husband and father of a numerous family, as a neighbour and citizen of the state, his conduct was most exemplary. I have been his intimate friend about thirty-nine years, and I do not know an instance, in which the foul breath of calumny sullied his reputation. He was an example of the believers in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Be ye the followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Your late pastor was also a man of a public spirit, and took a deep interest in all those questions of the day which were designed to pro