God and the people. Other prophets received divine communications through various mediums; but he received every thing from God immediately. "If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream-my servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all my House-with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold." But if "the law was given by Moses, grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." Yea, in all things he has the pre-eminence. Moses was faithful as a servant; but Christ as a Son over his own House. The commission of Moses was confined to one nation; Christ is not only the glory of his people Israel, but a light to lighten the Gentiles -the light of the world.

Every office the Saviour sustains requires a corresponding disposition in those to whom he is sent. As he is a prophet, we are commanded to "hear him." It cannot mean a mere hearing. Then many would be safe who are condemned already-but it includes our believing his instructions with a faith unfeigned, and our cordial submission to them; or, as the Apostle expresses it, our obeying from the heart the form of doctrine delivered us. Blessed are they that hear the word of God and "keep it." If he commands us to lay up treasure in heaven; and we mind earthly things-if he tells us to deny ourselves, and take up our Cross, and follow him; and we live to the lusts of men-if he says, Look unto me, and be ye saved; and we go about to establish our own righteousness: we do not hear. him-but despise and reject him. He that hath his commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth him-and he it is that heareth him.

We are not only to hear him, but to hear him "in all things whatsoever he shall say unto us." Some dislike the mysterious parts of Christianity: some, the humiliating: some, the practical. But the only inquiry of a true disciple is, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" He will not dictate; he will not object; he will not prefer-but say, "I esteem all thy commandments concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way." The test of real obedience is, to "do all things without murmurings and disputings."

Notwithstanding our duty and our responsibility, it is here supposed that some "will not hear this Prophet." This is a sad intimation: and we might wonder at the fact. But the depravity of human nature will account for it; and all history confirms it. Some ridicule and oppose. Many never attend the means of Grace. Numbers have only "a form of godliness," while denying the power thereof.

And to what are they exposed? "It shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." Mark the impartiality of the sentence-" every soul." The refusers may be many; and they may differ from each other. But though each may turn to his own way, all are going astray. There is only one path of life: but there are many avenues to death. And it matters not what our particular character is, whether profligate or formalist, Pharisee or hypocrite -he that believeth not shall be damned—and without holiness no man shall see the Lord.-See the nature of the doom-" shall be cut off." This is not correction, but excision. Not, however, annihilationthis would be a privilege. They shall seek death; but they shall not find it. In vain will they ask the rocks to fall on them, and the mountains to cover them. The penalty is not the loss of their being, but of their happiness and of their hope; the destruc

tion of body and soul in hell for ever.-Observe the dreadfulness of the aggravation-" from among the people." They are intermixed now; and some of them very peculiarly. They attend in the same Sanctuary; they live under the same roof; they are united by the ties of friendship and of blood. But their privileged situation and condition only evinced and increased their depravity. "Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly; and will not behold the majesty of the Lord." Their present advantages, therefore, will afford them no security. Neither will they be able to retain them. The wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. But severed from the just, they will be led forth with the workers of iniquity; and carry away with them into the place of torment, only the remembrance and the guilt of all they neglected and abused here.

"See, then, that ye refuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, how much more shall not we escape, if

we TURN AWAY FROM HIM THAT SPEAKETH FROM HEAVEN!"

JULY 26.-"The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which, when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." Matt. xiii. 44.

How well may the Saviour call the Gospel a treasure! The tongue of an angel could not describe its value and preciousness. It meets and relieves every want of the soul. It blesses us with all spiritual blessings. It is the true riches. Unsearchable riches. Durable riches. It profits in the day

It delivers from death. It ennobles in

of wrath.
the world to come.

A man may find a treasure hid in a field, by accident, or by search. There is nothing casual in the salvation of a sinner, as to God: but as to himself, the event may be wholly undesigned and unlooked-for. He may have been seeking, but not for this object: like Saul, who was searching, when Samuel met him ; but it was for his father's asses, and not for the kingdom. Thus the Lord is found of them that sought him not; and asked rot for him. Matthew was sitting at the Receipt of Custom, when the Saviour said, Follow me. Saul was in a journey of iniquity, when the Saviour appeared to him in the way, and called him by his grace. Some have gone to the House of God, from mere custom, or curiosity, or a design to ridicule; but have returned to pray, and have said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? But, says Henry, Though he is sometimes found of them that seek him not, he is always found of them that seek him. This was the case with Cornelius. He was a devout man, and feared God, with all his house; praying and giving alms always, when Peter was sent to tell him words by which he was to be saved. Nathanael had retired beneath the fig-tree, to read, and reflect, and pray, when the Saviour took knowledge of him, and said, Thou shalt see greater things than these. And there are those now, who are awakened, rather than enlightened: they feel their spiritual wants, and are using the means of grace. And whatever ignorance or legality mixes with their efforts, they are in-the search; and shall find. He who has touched the heart, and turned it from the world, will fulfil the desire of them that fear him; he also will hear their cry, and will save them. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know, the Lord.

The emotions of the finder are naturally pourtrayed. First, when he hath found the treasure, he hideth it. When we are anxious to secure a thing,

we conceal it. The way, therefore, is here used for the end and hiding refers not to secrecy, but safety. The allusion is to that holy jealousy recommended by the Apostle, when he says-Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it: looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God. To that trembling at God's word-when we are more affected with the inviting, than with the awful parts. To that solicitude to obtain, which always genders apprehension. Oh! how shall I make all this my own! Oh! if I should miss-or lose! What must I do to be saved!

Secondly. He feels joy thereof. Not that firm and glorious joy which arises in the established Christian, from a consciousness of possession, and who can say, I know that my Redeemer liveth: but the joy that results from discovery of the reality, the excellency, the suitableness, the all-sufficiency, the attainableness, of the blessing; and is called, Rejoicing in hope. The patient, while the disease yet oppresses him, cannot feel at ease; but he is gladdened when he hears of the arrival of a physician, bringing with him a remedy that was never applied in vain.

Thirdly. He goeth-for now it is impossible for him, like many, to sit still-and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth the field. That is he is fully determined to submit to the cost of procuring it, whatever it may be. We can offer no equivalency for the possession: nor is this the meaning of the word. In this way, were we to buy, it would be without money, and without price. But the meaning is simply exchange; as, in buying, we part with something to gain something. Hereby, we shew our estimation for what stronger proof can we give of our valuation of an object, than parting with all we have for the sake of it?

And the case here is such, that we must