man driven by force of eternal and the compassion "Whoso hath this world's good

and are unpitied by God; whereas the circumstances against his inclination has life of God, because God knoweth the cause. and seeth his brother in need" in a religious sense is a murderer, though not by bloodshed; as for the want of the things God made necessary for the support of life, his brother's life is shortened and destroyed, and a never-forgiven sin committed against God, who sent for man's use what "How dwelleth the love of God in man prevents the distribution of. him ?" This is food for reflection, not only for "the thirty-six" to inquire into, but for the world at large; it is also an individual reflection, to be studied deeply to be seen, and it requires a more graphic pen than mine to give the weight to it which it requires. In this condition was man when Christ came to save every man who was guilty of death, and he died the death that all men had become worthy of. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." If this ought is not carried out, the rest of the quotation should be, "Having this world's good, and having no compassion for those who need, how dwelleth the love of God in such an one." God alone knoweth what love he can bestow on those who taketh away from the necessitous; surely they can expect no hope of that love abiding in them. This is the last dying commandment bequeathed by Christ to man-"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well," &c. Let him be found and let him stand forth as -Epis. James, c. ii., v. 8. the avenger of God who is as pure as the incense offered by purified priests in former times to make atonement for the wrath of God supposed to exist against man. Let him prove himself worthy of the office of God's avenger. Christ requires of him what he required of those who brought the woman unto him taken in the act of adultery. Yes, without a doubt, he requires that the man who would assist eternal justice in fulfilling the law should be guiltless of the breach of any law, even to that of hateing his brother man, or he himself (according to the Scriptures) would be a murderer. But even then what position would he be in where a life is taken in error, the man being innocent? Or when a man (a victim) is committed for murder without any apparent mitigating circumstances, and he appears worthy of death, can any one feel himself justified (supposing he earned his bread by it) to draw the fatal bolt and disfigure the features

made after the likeness of God? It is, then, at best, a revenge; the willing devilism of our degenerated nature; a degrading dog-hang-dog mockery of the peculiar attributes of that noble and omniscient mind once inherited by man, intellectually supreme over all else in creation, now fallen into an envious, ineffable inhumanity, The gallows should be too frightful a picture for Christians to contemplate, or for those whose calling it is to see the solemn and awful sentence carried into effect; not one of them perhaps think of the time when the victim was an idolized child, watched over by an expectant Saviour, who spilled his blood to call him his own, now to be strangled and disfigured by violence before his face. Christ would have forgiven him the trespass committed (knowing the cause by which he fell), while man was appealed to in vain. Let those who consent unto his death, his captors, condemners, and executioner (proper word) join in prayer on the solemn occasion, "Forgive me my trespasses as I forgive them that tresspass against me," and the dying man is triumphant. The vengeance, according to the spirit of the prayer, though delayed, is sure and certain, according to the foresight and word of God.

THE FIRST HIGH PRIEST.

"And Melchisedek, King of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.-Gen., c. xiv., v. 18-20.

In my introductory remarks mention is made of three keys; and there is evidence sufficient to prove them to be the keys given by Christ to Peter, which will lock or unlock the Scriptures according as the searcher for eternal life believes in the fundamental rules, laws, or keys-these words of course are synonymous. Sufficient hitherto has been explained to direct attention to the seeming mysteries of the one key; and be it understood, if man will approach his Maker with an humble and contrite heart, this belief and confession will not, nor cannot, lead astray. I now ask to be accompanied as deeply and fearlessly through the second key, which is by far the most important. The first inquiry is, Who is Melchisedec, King of Salem? That this king was a great king is evident. Abram thought very little of kings; and when he was returning from the

slaughter of four or five we find two more meeting him, the King of Sodom and the King of Salem. The King of Sodom asked for the persons but not the spoil, which Abram refused to touch, even to a thread, on his own account. How then could he give the King of Salem tithes of all ? Was it the spoil that the King of Salem accepted, which Abram had St. Paul rejected, and which the King of Sodom laid no claim to? states that it was the tenth part of all. There may be a little difference It is rather awkward for of meaning or translation, perhaps purposely. Abram to give unto the king and priest of the most high God what he (Abram) never could have been possessed of; for he swore by the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth, that he would not take from a thread even to a shoe latchet, or anything that was his, save that which the young men had eaten, and the portion of the men that went with him. How then could he give any of the spoil or goods unto the High Priest of God, when in God's name he had but just sworn he would not possess The word himself of anything? Nor is it stated that he did do so. tithe, to be properly understood, should be considered as relating to the history of all that was transacted. We should read, "And blessed be the most high God which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him the history of all." Abram refused to take the least thing although it was legally all his own, as well as the dominions of the kings he 'defeated. Abram at this time must have been very great, but not so great as the King of Salem who met him, and who brought forth bread and wine. If Abram refused anything of the King of Sodom, he did not from the King of Salem. Abram was the receiver; the High Priest the giver. The tithes paid by Abram was in obedience and submission to one who was greater than himself, or the kings he had slain, and the bread and wine were the sacrament administered. Abram, said Christ, How great was rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad.

this High Priest who blessed Abram and administered bread and wine. In those days there was neither a priest, prophet, nor law; yet in Melchisedec there is evidence of all. The bread and wine are evidence of prophecy and of administration; consequently of a higher priesthood than ever Moses or Aaron in after years attained unto, and of a different order, having nothing whatever to do with the Levitical order of priesthood. It was established in Abram before Isaac was born, to say nothing of his son Jacob, or his sons again, by whom descended the Levites and

the priesthood according to the Mosaic laws; consequently the Levitical order had a beginning, but this King of Salem had not.

Consider, saith

St. Paul, how great this man must have been, even greater than Abram, because he blessed Abram; the lessor must be blessed by the greater; and the lessor was the first man whom God declares himself to have been God unto. A greater than Abram was here represented, of whose ancestors nothing is written, except by St. Paul, who states that this priest of the most high God was the King of Righteousness before he was King of Salem (which is King of Peace). It is a great object to become righteous, for it is written, there is no one righteous save God, no not one; but this priest that brought forth bread and wine was not only righteous, but the King of Righteousness. Is the King of Peace superior, that he was promoted to that dignity from being King of Righteousness, which latter itself must have been equal with God, and far beyond his Son Jesus Christ? St. Paul states that this High Priest had neither father nor mother, and was without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. If Jesus Christ came by descent he must have had beginning of days (supposing such there were before creation). Yet before the world was, how could a priest come in dignity between the coequality of Father and Son, without making this King of Salem, who was previously the King of Righteousness, greater than both, while holding an inferior office as priest of the most high God? It is very evident that this priesthood, which was far superior to the Levitical order had nothing to do with that order, because attendance was given at their altar, but at the altar of Melchisedec no man did. Consequently Melchisedec was Christ, and Christ was God, and God was Melchisedec, who stooped down from being King of Righteousness to be King of Salem (which is King of Peace), and became a priest to the most high God, to administer bread and wine to Abram, who rejoiced to see Christ's day and was glad. Melchisedec having been the King of Righteousness, and as there is none good save one, that is God, therefore there is evidence sufficient that this priest, Melchisedec, and Christ, and God, and the King of Righteousness, are all one and the same person; and this truth all the Prophets declare. "In the volume of the Book it is written of me, I come to do thy will, O God." And in the New Testament, when he fulfils the priestly order of Melchisedec, a servant in flesh, he declares that whoso believeth not that I am He shall die in

their sins. We will follow this important fact to prove this beyond doubt by the evidence of those holy men who spoke and wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, even by Christ himself. Its importance is as life or death.

“ Called of God an High Priest after the order of Melchisedec. Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers [the Hebrews], ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”—Heb. c. v., v. 10-14.

That is to say, when a person has become of adult age, sufficient to understand the laws of his nature, his senses would convey this knowledge of good and evil. "Even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” This knowledge, of course, is premature and highly improper for those who are under age. It is original sin, and of the first principles of the oracles of God, and belongs only to them who being of ripe age have the use and exercise of their senses, which renders them capable of discerning both good and evil Albeit there was still need that some one in the time of St. Paul should teach again the first principles of the oracles of God. Such ignorance is without excuse, for this knowledge pertains to every one of mature age.

St. Paul next defines the second principle of the oracles, just written, that the priesthood of Melchisedec was not of the Levitical order of priesthood, for they could not continue by reason of death; and it is very certain also that their order began with Levi, whereas the order and priesthood of Melchisedec began much earlier.

"For this Melchisedec, King of Salem, Priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

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"To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of Righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is King of Peace;

"Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God;