tion body :-thus, as in the physical world, life rises as it were from death, so shall every grain of heavenly wheat rise to glory, and range as sheep over the ever-green pastures of the new earth, and shall rest at ease, and bathe in seas of heavenly rest, and fly in the open firmament of heaven, and shine as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever.

parted from our midst; and if men can boast | the_celestial. The most glorious of these, of numbers they are satisfied, and are not at set forth the ultimate glory of the resurrecall ashamed to glory therein. Never were the Babel builders more numerous, or more of one language, than in the present day. The time has not yet arrived for their language to be confounded. But nevertheless, there is still a remnant, whose gospel communications are good-living, free grace communications, and which bring people into good gospel manners, and whose spirit and manners shew that they are men after God's own heart. And God's heart of love is in Christ, But there is another idea in this imagery and that after the order of an immutable which you do well to notice; and I wish you covenant. And there are some few (and they to observe, that after the apostle remindare but few) among us whose hearts are set ing us that whatever advantages are enupon the Saviour after the order of that im-joyed by the fruitful production of wheat, mutable counsel which the blessed God wills so abundantly to shew unto them. Meeting you, my good Theophilus, on these heavenly grounds, let me freely speak to you concerning the great truth that Jesus shall change these our vile (Gr. weak) bodies and fashion them like unto his glorious body. You observe that the apostle supposes two questions, and he proceeds to answer the second of the two first-" How are the dead raised up, and with what body do they

come?"

The apostle gives a fourfold illustration of the nature of the body with which they come, that is, he uses a fourfold comparison, rising as he goes along from the humblest to the highest.

First, here is the grain of wheat; so that if wheat be sown, wheat will result. There is in the grave no change of character. The wheat, the good seed, are the children of the kingdom now, and so they will be then.

The apostle, secondly, passes from the grain of the earth to the animal world, keep ing up substantially the same idea, that as offspring accords in nature with parentage, so the resurrection will be the youth of the present waxing old, wearing out state of things. And from Christ's resurrection, and from the last great rising morning, we shall for ever retain the dew of our youth.

The apostle has also another idea in this imagery, besides that of youthful produce. I will set that idea before you presently, after just noticing,-thirdly, the terrestrial bodies. These terrestrial bodies will, I should suppose, refer to something visible, because the apostle is here teaching invisibilities, by the instrumentality of visibilities, therefore the terrestrial bodies must mean something visible, and perhaps means terrestrial bodies in general, both animals and trees; and these all help to carry out the apostle's meaning; there is hope of a tree if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and the tender plant thereof will not cease.

Job xiv. 7.

But, fourthly, the apostle passes on to

or of any other grain; whatever privileges men have, or, whatever freedom is enjoyed by the beast of the forest; however much the aqueous tribes enjoy the wide ocean, or with whatever delight the winged tribes enjoy their atmospheric excursions; and however much earth's surface may be adorned with arbocultural beauties; and however gloriously the heavenly bodies light up the concave of heaven; with whatever majesty they go their mighty rounds; however disdainfully they look down upon puny mortals; who would attempt to disturb their spendour, or bring them in whole or in part harmony, impede their course, tarnish their under human, or even under angelic command; or however brilliant their shining faces; however constant their smiles, or however laughingly they hold their high and proud position; however little they think dependence of earth, and the things thereof, of a thousand years, or whatever their inbe carried out in the resurrection, and final all that is meant by this, will, in perfection glory of the saints. Do you then, my good Theophilus, catch this part of the apostle's meaning? namely, that the sum of the things produced and enjoyed by these visiembodied in the ultimate blessedness of those ble things, is but a shadow of that which is who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Now the other idea to which I have alluded in addition to the above, is this, that as the blessed God has constituted a state of things here, having in it such a variety, has he not thus given open demonstration that he is able to constitute us as different from what we are now as one star differeth from another star in glory. He has not yet done all be can do, or all he will do; so then let the variety of things in the visible world be a figure of the contrast between our present and our future state, even as one star differs from another star in glory. The word glory here means light. So our present state is compared to the less brilliant stars, and our future state to the more glowing and glorious

stars. Such is the change that the resurrection will bring about.

THE CHURCH AT HOME.

"A rest remaineth."-Hebrews iv. 9. To the weary, the wayworn, the fainting, how delightful is that one word, "rest." It is the goal, distant perchance, yet certain that encourages forward many a sinking traveller; the anticipation of which restores animation to his movements-hope to his soul! in the very sound, for as it is only to these weary ones it can be welcome, so to them it contains all that is most desirable-all that is refreshing-all that is inspiring!

You must here, my good Theophilus, notice that the apostle is not here contrasting one glorified saint with another, but is contrasting our present with our future state. There cannot, from the nature of things, be different degrees in glory. If there be, wherein does it lie? Not in holiness, for all are equally holy; not in righteousness, for we are justified in one righteousness; Jesus" Rest!" there is an embodiment of happiness is Jehovah their righteousness to them all; not in knowledge, for they are all to come to the perfect stature of a man, and that which is in part is to be done away; not in happiness, for there is without exception, fulness of joy; not in capacity, for then they would not be perfect in knowledge; not in honour, for all are kings and priests to God, and all are equally the sons of God; not in reward, for the reward is of grace, and they who laboured more abundantly, it was not they, but the grace of God in them; and they who were most devoted to God, it was not them, but Christ was pleased to live and work more mightily in them than in some others. Nor can any degrees of glory be in duration, for none of them can die any more; not in worthiness, for no one is by nature worthy of the least mercy.

The difference between the dying thief and the apostle Paul, between Moses and a saved infant, between a mighty preacher of the gospel and an obscure Christian, may appear, and does appear, very great to us, but when viewed from and in comparison of the greatness of eternal glory, appear as nothing. The Alps, the Pyrenees, the Andes, and the Himalaya mountains appear to us when viewed by themselves, or rather in connection with mere undulations upon the earth's surface, these mountains, thus viewed, appear both in altitude and magnitude, most tremendous, but the merciless matter-of-fact philosopher steps in and spoils our wonder, or rather turns it into another direction, and shews by facts which cannot be gainsaid, that these great mountains are no more interruptions to the spheroid, that is the globular shape of the earth, in proportion to its magnitude, than the tiny pimples of an orange are to its rotundity, and so when we come to the perfection of Mount Zion, inequalities will vanish. One spiritual equality, one universal spiritual level, will appear; mountains lowered, valleys exalted, crooked things made straight, and rough places plain, and the glory of the Lord revealed. So believes

And who so faint, so worn, so weary, as the pilgrims on Zion's foot path! To whom so delightful the anticipation of rest? The very road they tread impedes their progress; again and again they encounter impediments, and retrograde, instead of pressing upwards. A thousand fold on every side molest them if they lie down in the treacherous valley; and they are continually reminded that repose exists not for them in the road to the kingdom: they must be up and onward in their journey, them there "remaineth a rest;" they shall unceasingly looking forward to the end; for eventually recline from their labours: the hot sun of temptation, the fiery darts of the enemy, the inviting seductions of sloth, shall all be passed; and the glorious, bright, eternal rest shall indeed be theirs.

No! but

And, wherefore ? Not that they have nobly conquered over sin, the world, and the cruel machinations of the enemy. that he who bought them with the unspeakable price of his own precious blood has destined them before all time; to "an inheriHe would have his beloved bride in his own tance undefiled, and that fadeth not away." travel worn, sullied by the dust of the wilderpure country-no longer weary, fatigued, ness through which he has led her, but washed in his heart's fountain; arrayed in the pure white linen of his righteousness; and basking beneath the sunshine of his smilesat length in the possession of " the rest that remaineth!!"

And who can rend away the veil and discover all pertaining to that "Rest!" No eye hath seen, nor heart can tell, what he imaginations will picture, and it is sweet to the fainting pilgrim to smile upon his heavy burden and murmer to himself-"Time will pass away, weary as I am, I will journey on, sustained by the delightful promise For me a rest remaineth!"

Mount Backer, South Australia.

MATILDA.

When Israel were bitten by the fiery serpents, they did not look to the tabernacle and its holy things, nor even into the Holy of Holies, where stood the cherubims, and where shone the glory of God, for if they had, they would have died; but they looked at what God had commanded-at the brazen serpent; just so must we, who are bitten by the old serpent, the devil, look simply to Christ.

Memorials of Departed Saints. yourselves, it is the gift of God."

Bring all the righteous acts of righteous men To help your weight, and then get in again. What! still too light? Go now to Calvary, Fetch but one drop of blood from yonder tree. 'Tis in! see! see! the beam begins to fall! One drop of Jesus blood out weighs the mighty all!

who sees the depravity of human nature, con The man whose eyes are enlightened, and fesses "the more I converse with mankind, the more I perceive the Scriptures to be true, and that man is not a whit better than the word of God represents him.

Our Churches, their Pastors, and their People.

On Thursday morning, myself and Mr. Flory, set off for March, in Cambridgeshire; in the original and first Baptist chapel of that town, I preached that evening. Mr. David Male is chosen the minister of that place for one year, with a hope that the Great Head of the church may pour upon him such a measure of anointing power, and so crown his labours with success, that for many years he may be there settled, as a good gospel preacher; and a devoted pastor over a holy flock of the true sheep of Christ! he has a work to do if he makes a permanent stand; and every lover of Zion must pray, that David Male's work may be pure, powerful, and of extensive good to souls. I think the Lord has given him some seals. Oh! may he have many; we shall all watch him closely, and pray for him with deep concern. The chapel is very neat and compact; and I had a good time in speaking from the 46th Psalm. Mr. Forman, the pastor of the other Baptist cause in March is still growing in every sense. He is one of the few in these days, whose ministry continues to be a great blessing unto his people, and whose earnest sowing of the good seed, is followed by a copious ingathering of very precious souls. We exceedingly rejoice in

allow their unhallowed prejudice to move there was no Hotel: it was two o'clock in the them, to divide, disturb, or distress the Bap-morning; all was as still as death; we walked tist interest in Chatteris-it is high time that into the town of Whittlesea; not a soul was that species of modern Popery-that Anti- to be seen; not a sound was to be heard; Christ of recent origin-that cruel serpent all appeared to be sunk into a profound dead rolled up beneath the folds of a pretended sleep. My companions went first to one Inn deep sanctity, and assumed high pitch of and then to another, knocking, and looking ministerial faithfulness I repeat, fearless-tapping, and calling-walking, watching, of all that insincere men can do, it is high and waiting; but all was in vain: we were time, this "stand aside, I am holier than like "THE THREE MEN WHO SEARCHED THE thou," was exposed; for it is exercising a CITY AT MIDNIGHT," but our searching only much more withering and delusive tendency sunk us deeper in dismay, for it appeared as among our churches than many are aware of. though, throughout the whole province of The most awful onslaught recently made in Whittlesea, there was not a living soul to be Chatteris, upon an honest Christian workman, found-neither friend or foe-neither watchis a first-rate specimen of what some pro- man, policeman, workman, or wayfaringman fessors would do, if they were permitted. could be seen; and although my companions knocked, rattled, rung, and flung, still, all was of no avail, and none of us knew where the Baptist Parsonage was, so to walk the streets like so many Wandering Jews, appeared our doom; the sleepy inhabitants indirectly said-"there is no room for you preaching men here;" and really there was something in all this very much like unto the spiritual condition of the place; for, save in Zion chapel, there appears little more than a sleepy profession; churches and chapels in Whittlesea are far sunk down, except in brother Ashby's favoured Zion. The thought to me is pleasing now, that during these hours of vainly searching for a bed, I was kept in a measure of quietness; and this most singular circumstance appeared to help me to understand the text on my mind, better than any commentator could have done. In my text the Church said "I sleep, but my heart waketh." It was so with me. I had been preaching and travelling all the week; and I was weary, faint, and sleepy; but my heart was awake to much sweet meditation. My brethren and companions were much disturbed : they thought they could soon find me a comfortable resting place; but they could not: they ran from Inn to Inn, and from house to house, but dead disappointment met them at The next day (Good Friday,) I was en- every turn. I looked on. I neither knocked gaged to preach, Morning and Evening at nor called; but I thought it was all well, beWhittlesea-brother David Ashby's "Zion," cause, although no human voice was to be and, as it was impossible to get there by heard, but the complaints of my companions, train in the Morning, it was agreed that the yet, I heard, a whisper within, saying "it is brethren Male and Flory accompany me, and the voice of my beloved, saying, OPEN TO ME, that we take the Mail train that night-sleep my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled, for at the Railway Hotel on the Station, and then my head is filled with dew; and my locks walk into Whittlesea in the Morning, Be- with the drops of the night." I thought the fore we started from March, we had supper night was the long dark night of the anti-dein the late Mr. Grounds's mansion; after luvian age-the patriarchal, and the prowhich a hymn was sung, and the Scriptures phetic ages-yea, and all that night from the were read, and prayer was offered: while we moment the church fell in Adam, until that were on our knees in prayer, these words night when the angels ushered into our world, came to my mind; "My head is filled with "THE SAVIOUR, WHICH IS CHRIST THE dew, and my locks with the drops of the night." LORD." Ah! many thoughts went sweet into These words seemed at once so powerfully to my soul. I saw, in the eye of my mind, that lead up my mind to the Person of Christ, and every time CHRIST came in a type, in a prohis deep travail of soul, that I was sure I mise, or in a prophecy-he, in substance, said, must preach from them; but in what way, I" OPEN TO ME!" Oh! Yes! His heart, could not tell. About midnight, we set off for the Mail train, the moon shone bright; air was very frosty; the roads good; and on the best things we talked, until in the Railway carriage we were safely shut. When we reached the Station at Whittlesea, we found

this.

from all eternity, was leaping and longing to come and fulfil the covenant into which he had entered. "Lo! I come. Lo! I come. OPEN TO ME! OPEN TO ME." These were his own precious words; and in the most endearing terms did the glorious bridegroom