explained to her particularly, that a free communication of that which weighed upon the conscience, is often the means of depriving Satan of his power to torment the sinner. She seemed to be struck by this thought, and listened attentively; but while I was speaking, she suddenly broke out with, "Get away, and leave me alone; I will hear what he says. I will do as I like: I'll tell him if I like. You devils begone!" Then turning to me, she said, "There now, there's that cursed laugh again ;" and she sunk back in her chair, closing her eyes and making a low moan, which seemed in bitterness and anger, rather than in suffering.

It was an awful scene in which we were engaged, rendered so especially by the lively manner in which a sense of the presence of the evil spirits was forced upon the mind. I knelt down, and motioned to Miss Jackson to do the same; and while Mrs. Mills was in the condition I have just described, I put up a short prayer for defence against the power of the evil one, pleading the blood of Christ and his victory; and earnestly asking for grace to deliver the unhappy woman from the bondage in which she was so fearfully held.

Mrs. Mills did not open her eyes, or alter her posture during my prayer, though she ceased from moaning; and when we had resumed our seats, she said in the abrupt manner which characterized her, "I will tell you all, but not now; come again tomorrow." I pointed out to her the danger of delay; how Satan might take advantage of it, and prevent her from acting upon her intention. I shewed her how he was interested in hindering her from opening her grief; and I spoke of the cunning devices by which he would seek to gain his purpose. To all that I said I could only get the brief answer, "I shan't now, -come again tomorrow." This she repeated two or three times, and I forbore to urge her; and after settling three o'clock in the afternoon as the time of my visit, I left her.

As Miss Jackson shewed me to the door, she whispered that she had put off her journey to the north for two days, in hopes that she might witness some favourable result of the crisis in her aunt's mind; and I charged her to be unceasing in prayer, that might have grace and wisdom in conducting the conversation to which I looked forward. It happened that the following Saturday was the day I usually set apart for special preparation for the monthly Communion, by ministerial self-examination, with fasting. The next day was Thursday; but I determined to anticipate my purpose, by devoting that day to earnest prayer and preparation, instead of the Saturday. As I turned across the downs, and thought on what had passed, the text "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting" came strongly to my mind; and I said to myself, "To-morrow I will strive to take our blessed Lord's own way of preparing to meet the great tempter; and will hope to go forth to the contest in the strength of his own Spirit—God being my helper.”

Aug. 6th.-Sunday. EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

Epistle, Rom. viii. 12-17- Gospel, Matt. vii. 15-21. First Lessons, Morn. 1 Kings xiii, Afternoon, 1 Kings xvii. Second Lessons, Morn. Acts iv. Afternoon. Heb. ix. Suggested Texts. Morning Sermon-Rev. ii. 5-7. (See Compendium, No. 30.) Afternoon Sermon-Ps. xxxvi. 7, 8.

THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER ADMINISTERED.

12th, Saturday. (General Union for Private Prayer.)
For Pastoral Preparation-2 Tim. ii. 3.

SECOND WEEK.

Aug. 13th.-Sunday. NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

Epistle, 1 Cor. x. 1-13. Gospel, Luke xvi. 1-9. First Lessons, Morn. I Kings xviii. Afternoon, 1 Kings xix. Second Lessons, Morning, Acts xi. Afternoon, James iii: Suggested Texts. Morning Sermon, 1 Cor. x. 4. Numb. xx. 2-13. (See Compendium, No. 31.) Afternoon Sermon-2 Tim. ii. 19. 19th. Saturday. (General Union for Private Prayer.) For Pastoral preparation-Rom. xiii. 11.

THIRD WEEK.

Aug. 20th.-Sunday. TENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

Fpistle, 1 Cor. xii. 1-11. Gospel, Luke xix. 41-49. First Lessons, Morning, 1 Kings xxi.
Afternoon, 1 Kings xxii, Second Lessons, Morning, Acts xviii. Afternoon. 1 Peter v.
Suggested Texts. Morning Sermon-John i. 14. (See Text Paper, No. 37.)
Afternoon Sermon-Acts xvi. 30, 31.

26th. Saturday. (General Union for Private Prayer.)
For Pastoral preparation—Job i. 6.

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FOURTH WEEK.

Aug. 27th.-Sunday. ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY.

Epistle, 1 Cor. xv. 1-11. Gospel, Luke xviii 9-14. First Lessons, Morn. 2 Kings v. Afternoon, 2 Kings ix. Second Lessons, Morning, Acts xxv. Afternoon, 1 John iv. Suggested Texts. Morn. Sermon-1 Cor. xiv. 15, 16. (See Page 251.) Afternoon Sermon-Prov. iv. 18.

Sept. 2nd.-Saturday. (General Union for Private Prayer.) For Pastoral preparation-Dan. ix. 3, 21–23.

VOL. II.-NO. XX.

S

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER. No. XI.

(Continued from page 152.)

JESUS BEFORE PILATE.

TWENTY-FIRST PORTION.

(Read John xviii. 28-32.)

THE DELIVERY UP.

It must have been about five o'clock in the morning, when the Sanhedrim pronounced the sentence of death upon the Lord Jesus Christ, officially, in the council chamber of the temple; and no time was lost in conveying the condemned prisoner from thence to the palace of the Roman governor. The whole party of chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, together with a great crowd of Jews, followed him as far as the place of justice, called the Judgment Hall. This was a large apartment or court, with a raised gallery, adorned with an ornamented pavement at one end of it; and the other end was probably in a great measure open to the street, where there was a large porch. This was a heathen building, and any Jew who had entered into it, would be ceremonially defiled, or unclean; and it would have taken some days, together with the offering of certain sacrifices, before he could be considered clean again. No Jew in this state of uncleanness, could join in the feast of the passover; and the consequence was, that when the soldiers led Jesus into the court of the judgment hall, all the Jews remained outside the porch, that they might not be defiled, and thus be hindered from eating the passover, now so close at hand.

It was the custom of the Romans to pay great attention to the prejudices of the people whom they brought under their dominion; and Pilate condescended to go out into the porch to inquire of the Jews concerning the prisoner they had brought to him. asked them what charge they laid against the man.

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The chief priests wished, if possible, to avoid stating a definite accusation against Jesus. They were aware that what they had to say, would not involve the notion of moral guilt in the mind of the heathen governor; and they were probably afraid that he might therefore refuse to sanction his execution. They therefore avoided the question, trying at first to ground their demand for his condemnation, upon the simple fact of their own judgment against him. So they told Pilate, that if Jesus had not been a convicted felon, they would not have brought him to the Roman

authorities.

Upon this Pilate said that they had better carry out the operation of their own laws upon Him; and this drew out the additional statement from the Jews-that the crime of which he was convicted, was one which demanded capital punishment; and the Romans had deprived them of the power of life and death, even in the exercise of their own laws: this was reserved for the Roman conquerors alone. Had Jesus been left to the ordinary course of the Jewish law, being condemned for blasphemy He would have been stoned to death; but He had already foretold that He was to be crucified (Matt. xx. 19); and thus it happened that His prophecy might be exactly fulfilled.

REFLECTIONS.

What an illustration we have here of the truth of our Lord's reproof of the scribes and Pharisees as of blind guides who "strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." (Matt. xxiii. 24.) These inconsistent Jews were performing a great act of wickedness, in seeking the death of the innocent Jesus, and in gratifying the malice of their hearts by that act of blood: yet would they not bring upon themselves a ceremonial defilement by stepping within a heathen house. Many persons who can perceive the inconsistency of this conduct, pursue nevertheless a similar course, by living in a state of enmity against some person who has offended them; or by otherwise indulging the corrupt desires and bad passions of their natural hearts, while they would not for any thing omit some habitual ceremony to which they have attached the notion of correct religion. Such persons may justly be classed as those who "have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.”

Here too we have an instance of the mode too commonly pursued by those who wish to gain an end which involves some doubt as to its moral correctness, much as it may be desired. How common it is to say as little as possible, in order to avoid such inquiry, as might lead to exposure and defeat; of the justice of which there is a secret apprehension on the conscience! Every shrinking of the conscience from entire openness and candour, should be watched as the indication of a snare for sin.

Not a word of the Holy Scriptures shall fall to the ground; all shall be found true:-and the most minute of the providential arrangements of God, as well as the most important, all have for their object, like the Roman dominion in Judea, "that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled which he spake."

COMPENDIUMS OF SERMONS. No. XXX.

(Sixth of the course on the opening of the Apocalypse: see Page 210.) TEXT-Rev. ii. 5—7.

"Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."

EPHESUS (continued.)

IV. The Exhortation.

AFTER describing the character of the Ephesian Christians as being formally correct in doctrine and conduct, but without the affectionate impulse of the "first love," (see Compendium, No. XXX.) our Lord bids them—

1. Remember from whence they are fallen. This shews that there had been a time when they were influenced by that love, or they could not be told to remember it :-that they had been once raised by that love, or they could not have fallen from it.

To understand this aright, it is necessary to make a distinction between the exhortation as addressed to the Church, and the same address as applied to individual members.

When a Church is gathered in any place, for the first time, it can only be begun under the influence of a warm feeling of love to Christ, sufficiently strong to induce heathens to leave their idols, and their false notions, and to become Christians in the face of every difficulty. Such was the case at the first forming of the Church at Jerusalem; Acts ii. 41, 46, 47; iv. 32—35. So also at Thessalonica; I Thess. i. 2–10: and so wherever a Church has begun to exist. At such a time the doctrines are sure to be settled according to truth; and the rules made for the ordinances and customs of the members are sure to be suitable to the earnest feelings of the new converts. Acts ii. 42. 1 Thess. ii. 11—14. These doctrines and these rules may remain established from generation to generation, so that the Church may be sound and true, and according to the first love; but many people may arise in another generation of members, who may confess these doctrines and follow these rules exactly and diligently, but who themselves may never have felt the warm affection towards Christ which is necessary. When a true Church has a large number in this condition, the whole body may well be exhorted to remember from whence they are fallen; and in this way dead professors in the Church may be addressed.