recorded words of God spoken by him through angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, his own Son; and thus having given our ears for awhile to the voice of God, we lift up our voice to him; we utter our adorations, confessions, thanksgivings, petitions, and our unconditional submission to the will, authority, wisdom and goodness, mercy and love of him "who is, and was, and evermore shall be!" Thus our spirits ascend to the heavens and commune with God. This is the delightful fellowship which the Christian indeed, has with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ; "praying always, with all prayer and supplication in the spirit;" in the closet, by the way, in the field, morning, noon, evening, he prays "without ceasing." My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord! in the morning will I direct my prayer to thee, and will look up." "In the morning shall my prayer anticipate thee." "As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice." Seven times a-day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments." "His praise shall be continually in my mouth." By Jesus let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually." Thus speak the saints of both Testaments.

Men may talk about religion, about sound doctrine, about ordinances, about institutions, about every thing present and future; but without this communion with God, this habitual devotion of mind, these constant aspirations, ejaculations, and soarings to the throne of mercy and favour, man is unfit for heaven, and unworthy of the Christian profession. A zealot he may be, orthodox in doctrine, moral in demeanour; but he wants the life and power of Christianity. Meditation on what God has spoken to us, and the outpourings of our spirit to him, is to the moral man what free respiration in a pure atmosphere is to the physical man-life, health, vigour, beauty.

These musings remind me of a devotional reading of the xii. chapter of Romans, which was overheard from the closet of an Israelite indeed, reported by a brother who dated his conversion from it. As a specimen which illustrates the above remarks, we shall transcribe it from our pocket-book of memoranda. He read from the common version, and mingled his readings with the following ejaculations:

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you

present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

"Yes, Lord Jesus, it is most reasonable that I give myself to thee; not my body only, but my soul; for hadst thou not made thy soul an offering for my sins, and given thyself for me, I had sacrificed myself to my lusts and sold myself for vanity. My body, Lord, is thine; a living sacrifice offered by my soul to thee. O, sanctify it wholly!

"And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

"From the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and the pride of this life, which are of this world, O, my Father and my God, deliver me! And let my mind, O Saviour! reflect thy moral image as thou didst reflect on me the brightness of thy Father's glorious image.

[Here is a hiatus of six verses.]

"Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

O Lord, thy love to mankind was without dissimulation! So let my love to the saints and my good will to mankind ever be !

"Be kindly affectioned one to another, in honour preferring one another.

May my affection for the saints, be as tender and as kind as was that of thy servant Paul, who endured all things for their sakes; and always may I rejoice to see them honoured, and honour them without one envious thought. Lord, thou knowest my natural pride and frowardness; may I regard myself as nothing, that thou mayest be all.

"Not slothful in business.

May I rise betimes and redeem time, that I may, by industry in my family, provide for my household, and have something to give to him that needs; and while I do so, may I be fervent in serving the Lord!

"Rejoicing in hope.

"Of being delivered from the bondage of corruption, and the evils of this life; may I "be patient in tribulation," and "continue instant in prayer."

Distributing to the necessity of saints, given to hospitality.

"O Lord, may thy poor saints share my bounty, and may I be often honoured with showing hospitality to thy people. May they who know me regard my house as thine, and ever feel themselves at home under my roof. Lord bless the labour of my hands, and prosper the industry of my family, that I may have it in my power to be more like thee, who went about on earth doing good!

"Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not.

"Heavenly Father, forgive all my enemies, if enemies I have, and reconcile them to thyself for Jesus' sake.

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. "O Lord! may I be more full of thy divine sympathy! "Be of the same mind one to another. Mind not high things; condescend to men of low estate.

"Deliver me, O my God! from the spirit of this world! May I choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the company of those called great and noble here. May I never be ashamed of the poorest of thy poor, but esteem them as rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom! "Be not wise in your own conceits.

"Lord save me from conceit! May I have a due regard to the attainments of others, and respect the gifts of wisdom and knowledge which thou hast vouchsafed them. To 'no man let me recompense evil.'

"Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

"May I not only be honest in fact, in eating, drinking, and wearing my own labours (and when I give may it be my own which I give), but may I, by my diligence in business and constant industry, appear to all men to be honest, lest I should bring reproach upon thee, O Lord! and may I be honourable in my dealings with all mankind!

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all

men.

May the God of peace enable me to live peaceably with all mankind. May I rather suffer wrong than be overrighteous in exacting what mere justice awards me, and by civility, courtesy, and all manner of kindness, rather propitiate than irritate the evil tempers and dispositions of men. "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto

:

wrath for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

"O Lord! this is a lesson not easily learned. May I in spirit and in truth cultivate this temper; and when I am injured by my fellow-man, may I not take thy weapons into my hand, nor assume what belongs to thee, the avenger of them who suffer righteously. May the example of thy martyr Stephen, and of my Saviour, be ever before me in such times of trial. And when I have an opportunity of requiting good to them who have injured me, may I do it, not in appearance only, but in reality and with all my heart! Lord Jesus, may these excellent precepts, all of which my soul approves, be written on my heart, that I may from the heart yield obedience to them all!"

This is a pretty fair specimen of that communion with God, and with his Son Jesus Christ, enjoyed in reading his word and in calling upon his name. This is a way of reading the Holy Oracles which commends itself to all; and incomparably transcends all commentators in giving to the mind the true meaning of the word, and in confirming it in the faith of all its exceeding great and precious promises. Prayer, without the use of means necessary to the object desired, and the use of means without prayer, must be equally unsuccessful to the attainment of Christian excellence. A. C.

THE HOLY SPIRIT.-No. IV.

HAVING shown the operation of the Spirit in the church, we proceed to the development of the "Baptism of the Spirit." This, to many, may seem an unnecessary undertaking, inasmuch as they have always considered it to be one with the ordinary influences of the Spirit; but a little attention to the Sacred Oracles will show this to be an erroneous impression, the result of apathy, or an indifference to a sound knowledge of the Christian system.

In the bright days of the Jewish institution, when prophetic lore was communicated to man through the ancient heirs, these "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."-2 Peter i. 21. John the Baptist, the

forerunner of the Messiah, than whom, amongst those born of woman, there had not arisen a greater, was "filled with the Holy Ghost from his birth."-Luke i. 15. Zacharias and Elisabeth, the honoured parents of this greater than the prophets, were filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied of the coming of the "Highest," and the greatness of their son (41, 67). Old Simeon, too, was by its influence apprized of the glad tidings, that he should see the Lord's Christ before he entered the dominions of death (ii. 26). The disciples of Jesus were under the influence of the words from his own lips, which he told them were "Spirit and truth;" and had the power of working miracles imparted to them; yet, not one of these ancient prophets-not one of these Jewish worthies-not one of these favoured disciples had then received the "Baptism of the Holy Spirit;" they had received much of its influences but not the baptism. Before the Saviour's ascension he expressly told his disciples that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost was then future, "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."-Acts i. 4, 5. Nay, it was expedient that Jesus should go away before the Spirit could be bestowed; for, said he, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you, that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you."-John xvi. 7. We must then examine the fulfilment of this promise, as it took place on the day of Pentecost, which was not many days hence" from the time referred to. From Acts ii. we learn that when the disciples were baptized with the Holy Ghost it came as a mighty rushing wind, and filled all the house where they were sitting; cloven fiery tongues appeared on their heads, and the power of speaking in foreign languages was bestowed. On this occasion the disciples were baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire, according to the promise of Jesus recorded in Matthew iii. 11, and Luke iii. 16.

We have no account of a similar outpouring until the opening of the kingdom of heaven to the Gentiles, by Peter, in the house of Cornelius (Acts x. 44). The inspired Peter considered this manifestation to be the "baptism" of the