the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." Not a word of penances; not a syllable about confession; not a line about priestly absolution; they merge themselves in their Master's glory; and were too highly honoured, when they were the means of directing this poor trembling sinner not to a confession box, but to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.

In the reply of the Apostles, there was nothing of what is called Tractarianism. If these men had been Tractarians, they would not have brought forth the atonement in the foreground; that doctrine would have been reserved: with Tractarians it is an isolated doctrine, only for the initiated, and not to be brought forth and preached in the foreground of Christianity. The doctrine they put forward was this grand doctrine, that Christ Jesus was the instant Saviour of the greatest criminal within the prison. Nor did the apostles dream, as some of their professed successors think, that the floor of a jail was not consecrated enough for the preaching of the Gospel, and the administration of its sacraments, for they preached a sermon that was gloriously blessed, and administered the sacrament of baptism in the jail of Philippi; and they felt what all should feel, that truth is music in a prison, and that error is discord in a palace or cathedral. It is not the place that consecrates the work, it is the work that sheds its glory on the place; and prisons become hallowed when jailers become Christian; and dungeons become consecrated chancels when faithful ministers in the midst of them proclaim the unsearchable riches of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the reply, there was nothing of distinction or division in these substantial sentiments; there was perfect unity. Perhaps Paul and Silas differed about some things: I dare say they did; for the Apostles did not all agree about everything. If there be no true church, where there is any division, there has never been a true church since Christ rose. The Galatians differed; the Corinthians differed; Peter and Paul differed; Paul and Barnabas differed; and differences have been, and differences will be. Our Christianity is to be seen, not in the extinction of differences, but in the extinction of the wicked spirit that makes so much of the differences. It is not sects we are to crush, but sectarianism: it is not difference of opinion in free minds which always will be upon correlative topics, but it is that exclusive bigotry which confines the monopoly of salvation to a sect; and ties the Saviour, as far as it can tie him, to a party; and proclaims, that unless men pronounce each a certain Shibboleth, and accept its peculiar dogmas, they cannot get to heaven. We shall find more in heaven than we expected there; and we shall miss not a few whom we made certain of meeting there. Depend upon it, salvation is not a church, or a ceremony, or a peculiar expression, or peculiar forms; it is like the kingdom of God, righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Ghost. So these two apostles, however they differed in details, were perfectly one in the grand doctrine of acceptance through the blood of Jesus. In every true sermon and tract you have the echo of what was first sounded in a jail, and what will be heard, till the number of the saints is complete, and Christ is all and in all.

I might show that there is a great deal of meaning in each word of the answer. It is, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; each word is significant; all the Bible is significant. Believe in the Lord, who has power; in Jesus, who saves from sin; in Christ, who is anointed to do so. Are you terribly ruined? you have an Almighty Saviour to go to. Are you a great sinner? you have a Saviour, Jesus, to go to. Are you afraid he will not save you? He is anointed for that very purpose. Just as it is the duty of the physician to prescribe, and of the lawyer to plead, it is of Jesus to save. As it is the function of the sun to shine, the rivers to roll, the earth to move, the trees to grow, it is the function of Christ to save. And when you go to Jesus, and ask Him to save you, you ask Him what He has graciously undertaken to do; and when He bows the heavens to save the chiefest of sinners, He gathers the greatest glory to Himself.

Let the reader mark the word "believe." How often do we talk about the nature of saving faith! How little the apostles talked about it! When the jailer was told to believe, what did he say? Did he say, Is not predestination true? Is there not election? I can do nothing of myself? He just did as he was bidden. If you offer a child an orange, that child does not say, "Will you stretch out your hand?" or, "Are you willing to give it me?" or, "Am I sure that you will let me have it?" but, with exquisitely beautiful instinct, it never doubts what you say, but puts forth its hand, and takes the orange. Treat God, then, as a child treats you. Believe, live, take salvation, and be happy. You have only to say, "Lord, I come, and

take thee at thy word;" and you are justified, and forgiven. Not a word is said about the subjective: your only thought is to be objective. If you keep searching within for faith, you will never find it: if you will look to Christ, and study Christ, your faith will grow like a beautiful flower planted in right soil without your thinking of it. Faith is generated by looking to Christ; and so it is with every affection of the human heart. If I want a person to love me, I should never think of resorting to threatening; I should do something to that person that would show that I love him, and he would responsively love me. And if I wished to revenge a person, I should never think of dwelling on revenge; but I should keep dwelling on the wrongs which I had suffered until that horrible and diabolical passion would be kindled in And if I wanted to love a person, I my heart. should keep thinking of the good offices he has done towards me; and I should keep dwelling on these traits of his character, until I should responsively love him. And if I wanted to believe on Jesus, and have peace with Him, I should keep thinking on what he has done and suffered; until every Friday should become a Good Friday, and every Sabbath an Easter Sabbath; and my love, and faith, and peace become indelible as the fountain from which they came.

In seeking salvation through the blood of, and faith in Jesus, my reader, see to it that this faith is not trust in a dogma, but in a Person. There are many who preach justification by faith, instead of Christ the justifier; who preach grace, or faith, or other doctrine

most precious, instead of Him who is the object. They show you the circumference, instead of taking you to the centre; they preach life without the Author of it. The apostles did not say, Believe in justification by faith, but, "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." It is not the testimony that is your Saviour, but the Testifier; it is not Christianity that is the Saviour, but it is Christ; it is not, "believe in a truth," but "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."

Now, if you never heard the gospel, you have read it in these pages. If you continue notwithstanding, as you have lived heretofore, without God, without Christ; you have incurred a weight of responsibility more terrible than tongue can tell. Better you had not read these words, than to have read them and go and live as if you never knew them. Either what I have said is a lie, and I will reject and despise it; or, it is God's faithful truth that will judge me at the last day. Disguise it, put it off as you will, you must either accept this testimony, cleave to its Testifier, and be saved, or you must reject it upon grounds that will satisfy your own conscience; which though it may modify your guilt, will not avert your doom. But decide at once, believe and be happy, - but I check myself; I write as if in asking you to become Christians, I were asking you to undergo some terrible sufferings, or to drink of some nauseous drug, — it is our mission to entreat you to be happy; to lay aside all corroding reflections and fearful apprehensions; and to accept Christ, and go forth to the duties and functions of this world, a happy because a saved man. It