Apocalypse. As here, so elsewhere, God may quench the light of divine truth," and remove the candlestick out of its place;" and we may again see it burning far away in the Isles, and the great Continent of the Western World, glimmering in the vast and populous territories of India, or the more distant plains of Australia. But, still, these are all the workings of one and the same great system, moving on towards the fulfilment of the prophecies, and preparing for the final accomplishment of the Church's destiny, by the preaching of the Gospel for a witness unto all nations. And when the day shall arrive for the return of the Bridegroom to take unto Himself His bride, then shall she indeed put on choice raiment and “fine linen, which is the righteousness of the saints." Then, when the King shall come in to the wedding feast, shall be cast out all that have not on a wedding garment; then shall none but the pure, and holy, and just remain; but every thing that offendeth, and maketh a lie, shall be removed far away. Then, in all her members, as well as in her calling, and privileges, and destiny, shall the Church be holy as Christ is holy, and perfect as He is perfect.

And, in the mean time, let me most solemnly exhort those amongst you who are now members of Christ's Church, in her state of imperfection and incompleteness, during her warfare and pilgrimage, to consider well the calling wherewith you are called,— its end and purpose, and all the privileges and responsibilities accompanying it. May it be your constant care and labour so to use the means of heavenly living now offered to you, that, assured of the final triumph of the Church, you may stand in your lot at the latter day, and share in the greatness of its glory. May God grant that none of us (a large and fearful petition) that none of us may in that day be found amongst the tares, but may we all be gathered up amongst the wheat; may none of us be numbered amongst the foolish, but the wise virgins; and at Christ's coming to take unto Himself His kingdom, may we be able to welcome His approach with joy. "For blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."*

* Rev. xx. 6.

THE INTERPRETATION OF LAW, AND THE RULE OF FAITH..

I COR. xiv. 32, 33.

The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets; for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

THE first source of all dominion and authority is the Lord Jehovah, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; by His will it is that all the visible and invisible creation exists; the extent of His power is unlimited, and the consequence of its exertion is order, harmony, and peace. In heaven all the surrounding angels, intelligences, and powers, fulfil the will of God without intermission, hindrance, or defect; and the prayer we are taught to use is, that that "will may be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Upon the creation of this earth, and the formation of man as its inhabitant, God delegated to our first parents a certain portion of that rule and dominion, which are the prerogatives of the Deity, and which can only be held by a creature in trust from that original source: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." †

In

process of

years, upon the birth of children, and the increase of families, the nature of the dominion exercised became of a

* This sermon was preached at the Summer Assizes, in Winchester Cathedral, July 13, 1838.

† Gen. i. 28.

more complex character; and God was pleased, from time to time, to give further manifestations of His will, respecting the manner in which it was to be administered. In the more simple period of the patriarchal ages, the father of a family, or the head of a tribe, exercised the authority of a prince, and performed the offices of a priest, as we find exemplified in the histories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Job. The necessity of having an arbiter and controller amongst many brethren, would lead to the establishment of some supreme tribunal, even upon natural principles, for the maintenance of peace; much more then may we expect from the counsels of God a development of some scheme of government; and, therefore, that God, who declares "by Me kings reign, and princes decree justice," "* in the more full revelation which He made to Moses, has given rules for a plan of temporal, as well as ecclesiastical, dominion-the offices of priest and king, before united, then being separated; and we find the tribe of Judah invested with the kingly office, that of Levi with the priesthood.

As, however, the object of God, in setting up the kingdom of Israel, was to prepare the way for the coming of Christ; so, since the advent of the Redeemer, He has not, in the same direct and visible manner, interfered with the appointment of princes, or the government of a people. His power and providence still as carefully overrule every event; but we see not the hand that directeth so visibly; and we are left, in the exercise of dominion and the discharge of power, to those general principles, which are set forth in the Word of God. So also in respect of a priesthood, after the full revelation of the Christian dispensation, a visible Church, with authorized ministers and delegated power, having been established, the administration of that Church, and the exercise of that power, are to be carried out according to the general principles of the Christian scheme, and the directions given by Christ to His Apostles: God's visible interference is vouchsafed no more. But still as in civil, so in spiritual jurisdiction, all lawful authority is from God. The length of the stream does not affect the identity of its source; and the great object, for which power and authority

• Prov. viii. 15.

were at first given, continues the same, viz., that order may be maintained, gifts conveyed, and peace and harmony preserved. In ecclesiastical and spiritual concerns, "the spirits of the prophets are to be subject to the prophets; for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints: and to the Hebrews the Apostle writes, alluding to ministerial superintendence, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account." And in regard to our behaviour as citizens, St. Paul exhorts Titus "to put the people in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, and to obey magistrates;"† and St. Peter says, "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God." +

In all this there is a simple unity and completeness of plan; and an enlightened Christian, acting upon scriptural principles, will render due obedience and submission to all the revealed will of God.

Let us, however, see what is the course of human reasoning, and the effect of acting from motives of worldly policy, or mere feeling and natural impulse, instead of the high and exalted principles of revealed truth. If, as I said before, we acted upon high scriptural principles, we should "render unto all their dues;" and submit ourselves to authority, whether in civil or spiritual matters, that the will of God might be fulfilled, and order be preserved, and confusion prevented. And, as principles, which are in themselves sound and true, must be equally sound and true whatever may be the occasion that calls them into operation, it never would occur to us to pursue one course of reasoning, and one course of conduct, in rendering obedience to civil authority, and then refuse to apply the same test to measure our obedience to spiritual rule; for it would be as Christians, as bowing to the Lord, as seeing Him that is invisible acting by His ministers, that we should conduct ourselves in either case.

* Heb. xiii. 17.

†Tit. iii. 1.

I Pet. ii. 13-15.

B

But what is the real state of things? Common sense, motives of worldly policy, schemes of earthly wealth, or ease, or pleasure, all tend to convince mankind that some constituted and acknowledged civil authority is absolutely essential. In different countries the executive power may be vested in different hands, but still some one supreme dominion is intended to be upheld; for man, even when acting upon natural impulse, wishes not—(I speak of the general state of the case, not of accidental periods of national trouble)—man wishes not, for his own comfort's sake, to be the author of confusion, but of peace. There cannot, therefore, be maintained in one nation, two concurrent civil jurisdictions; but there must be one code of laws, and one supreme administrative power. And in order to decide upon points of national law, that one general principle may be acted upon, not only at the same period, but in successive generations, a clear and definite rule has been laid down, and is acknowledged by all the great legal authorities of the land. Judge Blackstone, speaking of the great code of the common law of England (by which, be it remembered, almost all the rights and liberties of the people are decided upon and secured), says, "But here a very natural, and a very material, question arises: How are these customs or maxims to be known, and by whom is their validity to be determined? The answer is, by the Judges in the several courts of justice. They are the depositaries of the laws, the living oracles, who must decide in all cases of doubt, and who are bound by an oath to decide according to the law of the land. Their knowledge of that law is derived from experience and study; from the viginti annorum lucubrationes,' which Fortescue mentions; and from their being long personally accustomed to the judicial

"For when civil society is once formed, government at the same time results of course, as necessary to preserve and keep that society in order. Unless some superior be constituted, whose commands and decisions all the members are bound to obey, they would still remain as in a state of nature, without any judge upon earth to define their several rights, and redress their several wrongs."—BLACKSTONE's Comment, Introd., sect. 2.

Blackstone's Comment, Introd., sect. 3.