standing in the court, and Damaris, a woman, of what character or class is not stated, and some others with them, believed the truths preached by Paul; and out of Athens, the university of the world, the eye of Greece, the emporium of all that was cultivated, great, and learned, God brought out trophies to attest that Jesus is the Saviour of sinners, and his word everlasting truth.

CHAPTER XVII. 11, 12.

TRUE NOBILITY-ITS GROUND-HEARING AND EXAMINING-BIBLE POSSESSED BY LAITY-LIBERTY TO READ IT-OUR RESPONSIBILITY-OLD TESTAMENT SUFFICIENT-WOMEN TO READ THE BIBLE ROGERS BURNED IN SMITHFIELD IN FEBRUARY 1555.

THIS chapter contains some truths that are worthy of special notice. It states to us, first of all, that there is a true and lasting order of nobility, to which every one may aspire, and the honours of which every one may wear. It declares these Bereans-for it alludes to the inhabitants of Berea-were more noble than those of Thessalonica, who had rejected the apostle, sought to persecute him, assaulted even the house of Jason, and tried to raise an immense tumult among the people. In contrast with the conduct of the inhabitants of Thessalonica is the conduct of these Bereans, of every grade, and class, and rank in that city; who, it is said, received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures whether those things were so or not. This conduct of theirs gave them a patent God alone can bestow, and man cannot degrade or take away. They are selected and set up as a precedent for all ages of what constitutes, in the estimate of Heaven, true and lasting nobility. These were more noble than the others. Pride debased the one; humble inquiry dignified and ennobled the other. Ancient and venerable Levites; all that ever wore a crown upon the head or held

a censer in the hand, were not more noble, in the judgment of God, than those that bowed at his footstool, searched his blessed revelation, and came, by his teaching and his grace, to the conclusion that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of sinners. This distinction which they received, this true nobility with which they were invested, was real. All the distinctions that sound so musical to our ears in this world, and appear so bright in the blazonry of this age, are ephemeral, transient, short-lived; but this dignity which the Bereans earned by their reading and searching God's word, is lasting and real. This order to which these Bereans belonged had shields on which ́ were emblazoned love, and truth, and peace, and charity, and lowliness of mind; theirs was the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith; their feet were shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace; and for an helmet they had the hope of salvation. To them the only contest was which should do the greatest good, give to their blessed Master the richest glory, and be most adorned with that moral grandeur which will brighten when all earth's greatness has passed away like a shadow, and is forgotten for ever.

Into this order of nobility the lowliest that is born under earthly roof-tree may rise; and to a participation of this dignity, the very humblest upon earth may aspire. Whosoever in this world searches God's word, while he listens to the preaching of the Gospel, to ascertain whether these things be so-whoever tramples down prejudice, and preference, and passion, in order that he may hear God's voice-whoever prefers truth, and the service of truth, to profit or to pleasure, or attraction of any sort, has a nobility, and receives from

God a nobility, that dims the crests and outshines all the quarterings of ancient heraldry; for these were noble, not ephemerally, but really noble indeed.

Zacheus was an Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile. Among these Bereans were nobles indeed: they were more noble than the noblest in Thessalonica, because they searched the Scriptures, whether those things were so; and therefore many of them believed. I do not mean that this at all levels those distinctions and grades that exist in social life; but I mean to say, it sets before the highest upon earth, and the very lowest upon earth, a dignity greater than earth can give—a star brighter than eye hath seen, a cross that is real, a genealogy that no parchment can record, a hope that never maketh ashamed. This distinction, I have said, is real; it is illustrious, it is lasting, it is given by God himself, and will not cease when time has ceased to flow.

Having seen their dignity, let us ascertain what it was that was the ground of their being invested with this true nobility. The ground of it is, that "they received the word," spoken by Paul and Silas, "with all readiness of mind." This clause does not mean that they yet believed it; it is simply, they listened to it with all willingness to be taught-or, as we should say, with all teachableness-or, as Peter calls it, "received the engrafted word with all meekness." They laid aside every consideration of the birth-place of these Jews, of their relations, of their origin, or their circumstances; they gave up prejudice, prepossession, preference; they heard these two men speak something nobler, grander, more comforting than they had ever heard fall from the lips of the philosophers of their own country; and they heard them make claims to a commission from God

himself, to an inspiration from the Fountain of truth. And when they heard all this, they felt they were not warranted yet to believe Paul, as if Paul's message was divine; but they were commanded at least to give a fair, impartial hearing to what he said, and to test his message by God's written word; and if it was true, then they were bound not only to listen to it, or to give it a fair and impartial hearing, but to receive it into their hearts, and to live in it and live by it.

Now, when any one comes and makes a statement on authority divine, or based upon a book that is divine, and asks you to listen, you are bound to listen. The least compliment that you can pay the preacher is a fair, impartial, and earnest hearing. You are not called upon to accept what he says, unless he prove it ; but you are called upon by your position on every occasion to give a fair and impartial hearing; and so far to develop the first trait in the Berean character, by giving an honest hearing to the sentiments, or arguments, or statements that are addressed to you. But you are bound to do more. You are not to listen to the preacher merely to hear, and then retire without questioning whether he state truth, or the reverse ; but you are bound, when you hear, to bring what you have heard to that infallible test which alone is the criterion of the true or the false. And hence the Bereans not only gave Paul and Silas the hearing I have referred to-not only received the word with all readiness of mind; but they searched the Scriptures daily. Now, this clause, before I further explain it, leads me to notice that these Bereans, being laymen, had the Bible in their hands; or how could they have searched what they were not permitted to possess? It