in the Old Testament is clearly and fully expounded by an inspired writer of the New, we are bound to accept that exposition as the Divine and the true explanation of the point in question; and it is not lawful for us to put any other meaning upon it at variance with the apostle's words. The Scripture never contradicts itself. But, very frequently, evangelists and apostles, writing under a clearer and fuller dispensation of the Holy Spirit, give us the true and the real meaning of what was more dimly delivered by Moses and the Prophets. The wonderful harmony that exists between all the sacred writers from first to last, is justly considered one of the powerful proofs of their Divine inspiration. This harmony is constantly broken by apocryphal writers. For instance, when the writer of the book of Judith pleads what Simeon and Levi did to the Shechemites, to warrant the assassination of Holofernes, he forgets, or ignores entirely, the light in which that transaction is regarded in Holy Scriptures. (Gen. xlix. 5-7.) Now, what the inspired writers invariably do through the special illumination of the Holy Ghost, all faithful ministers endeavour to do by the ordinary teaching of the same Spirit, and their growing acquaintance with the whole Word of God. They explain Scripture by Scripture, and make it their constant aim to speak as the oracles of God. For instance, in expounding what he finds (Gen. xv. 6) of Abraham's faith being counted to him for righteousness; before he presumes to give any interpretation of his own, he carefully considers all that is written. upon this memorable verse, in the different parts of the New Testament (Rom. iv. 1-25; Gal. iii. 5, 6; James ii. 21-24); and this is the conclusion at which he arrives,-No interpretation can be right, which cannot be reconciled with all these three inspired commentaries. With this sacred light, then, in his mind, and this reverent conviction in his heart, how does he explain the passage? He dare not say that Abraham's faith was counted to him for righteousness because it was righteousness. And for this reason-such an assertion he conceives to be clearly excluded by St. Paul in the Romans. Having shut up all the world, both Jews and Gentiles, in sin; and shown that there was only one way of justification for every child of Adam-that is to say, "freely, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. iii. 19-31); he proceeds to show, that Abraham himself, the most honoured and revered of all the patriarchs, was no exception to this universal and general rule. "What shall we say, then, that Abraham, our father as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now, to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace,

but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." No language could more positively declare that Abraham was not justified by faith, as if it were a work of righteousness. With equal distinctness are we forbade, in the Galatians, to depend partly upon faith, and partly upon works, for our justification. This was

the error into which these foolish Galatians had been drawn, and which the apostle so strenuously opposes. He shows that all the blessings of the Gospel flow to us by our simply believing the Divine testimony, and nothing else; and he mentions the case of Abraham in proof of this. "He that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness." (Gal. iii. 5, 6.) The verses that follow are also greatly to the same point. (7-14.) But while we seek to be justified, neither by faith as if it were a good work, nor by faith and works combined, we may not for a moment forget, or cease for an instant to enforce, the fruits and effects of that faith which alone is justifying faith. Does a man say he has faith, and pretend to rely upon Christ alone, while he loves the world, and lives in sin, and takes no heed to keep all the commandments of God always? We point out to him the wonderful effect of Abraham's faith upon Abraham's life. What a memorable instance did he give of his loving obedience eighteen years after he had believed in God, and it was counted to him for righteousness? We say to every one who is mistaking a barren assent of the mind for the powerful and sanctifying principle of saving faith in the heart,-" Wilt thou know, Ŏ vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." (James ii. 20-23.) And now, in the light of all these Scriptures, every scribe instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is well able to answer the momentous question, How shall man be just with God? In other words, How is he justified or counted righteous before God? Originally, by grace; meritoriously, by Christ; instrumentally, by faith; evidentially, by good works. Since all men are verily guilty in the sight of God, how can any man ever stand justified before Him, except freely by His grace? (Titus iii. 7.) But our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, His atoning blood (Rom. v. 9), His perfect obedience (Rom. v. 18, 19), His glorious resurrection (Rom. iv. 25), is the meritorious cause of our justification. Faith, simple faith, and nothing else, which lays hold upon the Gospel promises,

and relies with the whole heart upon Christ for salvation, is the means, or instrumental cause, of our justification. (Rom. iv. 23-25.) And lastly, a life ruled by the commandments of God-a godly, righteous, and sober life-is an evidence of our actual justification so important, that without it no other is of the least avail. (Titus ii. 11-15.) All this we conceive to be written as with a sunbeam in the Scriptures of truth.

And in the most beautiful harmony with this is the teaching of our Church, in all her acknowledged formularies and all her standard divines. "We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus, by faith, and not for our own works and deservings." (Art. XI.) "Albeit that good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit." (Art. XII.) In the fullest and most unmistakeable manner are we directed in the Homilies to the true source, the genuine nature, and the never failing effects of this justifying faith. While they speak of it, in one way, as entirely distinct from love, and good works, and obedience, they do not hesitate to affirm that, in another way, it is inseparably connected with these graces, and invariably productive of them. The well known words of Hooker are greatly to be noted for the right understanding of this vital matter," Faith is the only hand which putteth on Christ unto justification; and Christ the only garment which, being so put on, covereth the shame of our defiled nature." But perhaps nowhere have we so full and clear a view of our Church's teaching on this point, as in the Homily on Salvation. Here everything is in the right place. Whether God, or Christ, or faith, or good works, be mentioned, the distinction and the connection, the harmony and the subserviency, to be observed among these, in the matter of our justification, is both duly noticed and wisely considered. "Three things go together in our justification: upon God's part, His great mercy and grace; upon Christ's part, the satisfaction of God's justice; and upon our part, true and lively faith in the merits of Jesus Christ, which yet is not ours, but by God's working in us. . . . Therefore St. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of man concerning his justification, but only a true and lively faith, which, nevertheless, is the gift of God, and not man's only work without God. And yet that faith does not shut out repentance, hope, and love, to be joined with faith in every man that is justified; but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying. So that, although they be all present together in him that is justified, yet they justify not altogether." (Hom. on Salvation.) Now, we confess ourselves unable to reconcile these wise

and weighty words with Mr. Kingsley's hasty and crude assertion concerning Abraham's faith, that "it was counted to him for righteousness, because it was righteousness."

We have extended our remarks to a greater length than we intended, and we hasten to bring them to a close. In doing this, we would earnestly remind our readers, that not one of the points which we have ventured to bring before them is a mere question of words or of names; but each of them is a matter which lies at the root, and enters into the essence, of the everlasting Gospel. Every thoughtful man, who has been enlighted, yea but a little, with the light of the living, will speak thus within himself:-It is not to me an unimportant question, whether I have lost or not the moral image in which man was originally created. The whole course and current of my theology and my practice, my present peace and future hope, must necessarily depend upon my deliberate answer to this question. It is not to me of little or no consequence whether I go to Mount Sinai, or to Mount Calvary, for deliverance from my burden of sin. How it may be with others, I cannot tell; but for my own part, if my freedom is only to be obtained by my fulfilling the righteousness required by the law, I feel perfectly sure I must sit down in darkness and bondage and terror, both here and for ever. It is not to me a light matter whether I am to come to Christ for justification as a helpless and ungodly sinner (Rom. iv. 5), or as a righteous man. The former view sets widely open before me the door of hope, and peace, and life; but the other-with all that I feel within, with all that I know of the past, and with all that I apprehend for the future-shuts me up in condemnation, and despair, and death. All may be summed up in the words of a memorable sermon, preached before the University of Oxford at the close of the last year :

"Sure I am that the full faith of Christ is required by our spiritual wants, and produces, by the sustenance which it plentifully yields, that witness within the believer, which, as St. John writes, corroborates even the testimony of the Spirit, and the water, and the blood. In those dark hours when man is made to possess the iniquities of his youth-when the arrows of the Almighty, the poison whereof drinketh up the spirit, rankle in the soul,-a miserable comforter would he prove, who should preach only the example set forth by the death of Christ. That example the sinner has not followed; and he knows and feels that he is condemned by it. In vain would he be told the Cross is a declaration of unconditional mercy; for conscience, knowing full well that the wages of sin is death, and convinced that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all unrighteousness, would give the lie at once to such a mutilated Gospel. Let me hear, when I am on the bed of death, that Christ died in the stead of sinners, of whom I am chief; that He was forsaken of God, during those fearful agonies, because He had taken my place; that on His Cross I paid the penalty of all my guilt. Let me hear, too, that His blood cleanseth from all

sin; and that I may now appear before the bar of God, not as pardoned only, but as innocent. Let me realize the great mystery of the reciprocal substitution of Christ and the believer, or rather their perfect unity-He in them, and they in Him--which He has expressly taught. And let me believe, that as I was in effect crucified in Calvary, He will in effect stand before the throne in my person-mine the sin, His the penalty; His the shame, mine the glory; His the thorns, mine the crown; His the merits, mine the reward. Verily thou shalt answer for me, O Lord, my righteousness. In Thee have I trusted, let me never be confounded." (Dr. Jeune, now Bishop of Lincoln. Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, December 6th, 1863.)

WILBERFORCE AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES.*

THERE was one person with whom Mr. Wilberforce's altered views soon brought him into close communication. When he returned from the continent to Wimbledon, in the autumn of 1785, he cast about for some one to whom he might open his thoughts and his difficulties on religion. Isaac Milner, even if he had been near him, was not the man suited for such an exigency. Milner was himself passing through much mental conflict, and had to do battle with some of the same doubts which beset Mr. Wilberforce's course. In London, at this time, there were few of the clergy who would have had any fellow-feeling with Wilberforce's anxieties. No doubt, among the followers of Whitfield, as well as among those who belonged to Wesley's communion, he would have found ready advisers; but Mr. Wilberforce had no mind to seek, through these channels, the counsel he required. There were among the parochial clergy only three who held peculiar opinions, and who were known to preach them. One of these, Mr. Romaine, had long been settled in London: another had settled there about four years before, placed in a City church by the benevolent patron with whose family Wilberforce was himself connected. John Newton, however, had at this time reached his 61st year, and he did not appear, either from age or habits, the counsellor to whom a young man of 27 would naturally turn. The church in which he preached was far distant from Wimbledon; for St. Mary Woolnoth is in the heart of the City, and Newton's residence was also far removed, for it was in Coleman Street Buildings. The course of the two men through life had been extremely different. The one had been born to fortune, and to many social advantages; he had enjoyed both

Life of Rev. John Newton. Seeley. 1843. Mendip Annals, by Rev. A. Roberts. Nisbet. 1859.