If an estate were given to me in a distant land which I . had never visited, and the title deeds were put into my hand as the evidence of possession, they would be counted in lieu of the property; but the estate itself would be my real and not imputed property.—

So is it with "inheritance in Christ." (Ephes. i, 11.) It is a real possession. He Is the believer's righteousness and perfection in all things, for it is written, "as He is, so are we" even whilst we are in this world. And again, "Christ IS MADE unto us wisdom and righteousness." "This is the name whereby He shall be called, the Lord our righteousness."

The present evidence to ourselves is faith-as also to others when evidenced by fruits.-It is, so to speak, our charter of blessing.-If asked on what our claim is grounded, our answer is "Faith on Jesus." It is not itself righteousness, but it is imputed, or reckoned, or counted for righteousness, its value being derived from its object,—even as it is written, "to them who have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ." But the same objections which the Friends urge against the imputed righteousness of Christ, hold also against the imputed righteousness of faith-which shews that their objection lies not against the expression but the thing.

NOTE TO CHAPTER VI.

At the present season, when those who profess to have been taught of Christ have departed so widely from the faith once delivered to the saints, it deeply concerns all His servants who minister in His name to prove their ministy, lest by any means it fall short of the glorious gospel of the grace of God.

In the first place it is very easy to take all the passages which speak of forgiveness, and the blessed consequence which flow from faith in the Lamb slain for sin, and apply them undetected to faith in that, which Penn denominates "the Quaker's Christ, or Christ within." And whilst the language which conveys the exhortations and the promises remains unchanged, the substitution of another object instead of Christ crucified is unperceived, and thus the soul is deluded by "another gospel which is not another."

The fearful consequences of this delusion to the unregenerate, who are taught to believe that Christ is in them, (and that too as an object of saving faith,) have been already referred to; and I am thankful in knowing that the minds of many among the Friends have been awaked

to a conviction of the danger. But even in the case of the regenerate who have the Spirit dwelling in them, Christ, in the perfectness of His person and work, is thus removed from His place as the great object of faith; and faith is vainly expected to exist and its effects to follow after its

object has been removed, for what is the soul of a believer, unless it can look out of itself and say the Lord my righteousness? It must be either in ignorance or otherwise in despair both of itself and God.

II. It is possible to avoid this error and to preach that a way of acceptance unto God is opened to every sinner by the blood of the cross, and yet to hold back the fulness of forgiveness (as typified by the scape-goat.) and to represent it as partial or conditional ;-or, lastly, we may preach the full and unconditional remission of past sin, but neglect that change of relation which causes us to be regarded as sons instead of rebels; and teaches us to look to a Father's love and faithfulness for the perpetuity of the blessings received. The acceptance of our persons, and not merely the forgiveness of sin, is the great and distinctive blessing proposed to us in the gospel of Christ and if we fall short of this, we shall proportionably fail in separating our brethren from the world, and comforting them in the faith.

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NOTE TO CHAPTER XXII.

The case of Socrates is frequently quoted, even by later writers among the Friends, in support of their doctrine of Universal Saving Light! But to what was Socrates led thereby His friendship for Xenophon is well known, and if on any occasion we can expect to find a development of his real sentiments, we may surely seek it in the private and confidential advice he gave to his pupil. Ac

cordingly Xenophon himself relates, that being in doubt respecting a step of great practical importance, he consulted Socrates, who recommended him to consult the oracle of Pytho. Xenophon complied-received an answer, and was again directed by Socrates to sacrifice to the deities whom the oracle had named-i. e. (to use the lauguage of the Apostle) "to sacrifice to Devils." (1 Cor. x, 20.) But, moreover, we learn from the book of Acts, that this very oracle thus consulted was under direct Satanic control; for the unclean spirit whom St. Paul cast out is said to have been the Spirit of Pytho: (Acts xvi, 16.) so that Socrates, at an advanced period of his life, was seriously and earnestly supporting the worship of Devils.*

No one can doubt that God can, by various means, restrain the power of Satan in the dark places of the earth, and prepare the way for the knowledge of Jesus. Two such instances are mentioned of Asiatic tribes in the late journal of Mr. Wolff; but there never was an instance, either in the scriptures, or in any other record whatsoever, of any nation or individual being brought to the knowledge of Jesus, or to peace in Him, without the intervention of the Gospel message. Surely our wisdom is to be silent— to indulge in no inferential reasonings, but simply to act on what is revealed.

Another passage frequently quoted in support of universal implanted grace is the parable of the leaven; but it is manifest that the parable does not, in the most remote way, allude to the question whether few or many hearts are leavened.

* The instance from modern history given by Mr. Gurney, is not more satisfactory. It is that of a tribe of Indians, who repenting of their bloody warfare, threw their tomahawks into the lake, and sacrificed a white dog, and this Mr. Gurney supposes to be the work of the Holy Spirit, but surely this is not testifying to Jesus.

But beside this, it cannot refer to the action of grace in the heart at all; for grace may control and subdue, but it does not change the flesh, for it remaineth still struggling against the Spirit, and still requiring to be bridled and crucified, and is not silenced till death, nor changed except by resurrection,-So that to interpret the parable of grace in the hearts even of believers, is to teach something that is entirely contrary to the truth of God.

There are seven consecutive parables in the 11th of Matthew of which this is the third. They all refer to what, in relation to the disciples' knowledge and the expectations which they formed from the Old Testament, are called the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. The disciples expected that the kingdom of the Messiah would at once be a kingdom of manifested glory and destroying power; but the mystery was this, that it was to be founded (during the period of Israel's blindness) by humble testimony, as by a sower going forth to sow.

The second parable, viz. the tares, tells us that this testimony will not cause the conversion of the world, nor bring in the time when "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas." For howsoever much the servants may expect the good seed to cover the field—i. e. the world, yet the Master has forewarned us that the harvest of this dispensation will arrive, and find tares amongst the wheat-i. e. the present is not a dispensation of universality in result.

The third parable tells us that the little seed planted by a few despised fishermen of Galilee, becomes so great and flourishing as to merit the description of Nebuchad