all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel."* The lasting gratitude of the Church is due to Luther, Calvin, Latimer, Ridley, Knox, and the other reformers, who were the instruments of delivering so great a part of Christendom from Popish darkness and superstition. They are indeed the benefactors of the Church who successfully exert themselves to correct doctrinal and practical errors, and to promote the scriptural administration of ordinances, discipline, and government. Thus, the progress of corruption is arrested, the beauty of Christianity is restored, and the glory of God, and the religious, and even civil, interests of men are promoted.

3. It is the duty of us all, according to our several places and stations, to do what we can to reform whatever abuses may exist in the Church in our own times. If, for example, there exist among us, in any degree, such abuses as the following:-if there be any simony, that is, buying and selling of ecclesiastical offices; if there be any improper means used to obtain situations in the Church, or any gain made by undue compliances in such situations; if any receive the wages without doing the work, or be starved in the work; if any one man eat the bread of two; if the people, on the one hand, be deprived of any of their privileges, such as that of their consent being held necessary to the formation of the pastoral relation, which ought to be cordially mutual, or, if the people, on the other hand, manifest a spirit of insubordination to the firm exercise of the discipline and government of their Church rulers; if there be any known profanation of sealing ordinances, or any obvious transgression, or neglect, in any party-we are all bound, without usurping what does not belong to us, to endeavour to get such things corrected. Various pleas will be advanced against such improvements, none of which, however, should prevail to shelter any real evil. Long use will be pleaded in some cases; but the longer any evil has been tolerated, the sooner should it be eradicated. Some will object to touching the fabric at all, lest it should be overthrown; and there is, unquestionably, some danger, lest, when great movements are made, they may not be arrested in proper time. Here, however, is true Christian wisdom, to know where to begin, and where to stop. Surely, our safety does not consist in resisting all improvement, nor does the stability of our ecclesiastical fabric depend on any un

* 2 Chron. xxix. and xxxiv.

seemly additions. If we cling to what is wrong, we shall certainly suffer for doing so, sooner or later. Whatever is a real improvement, and nothing else, should he attempted. Whatever is merely bringing things back to the original and acknowledged principles of a scriptural economy, is plainly safe, and most desirable. That is a true reform for which the authority of Scripture can be produced, in regard to which it can be said, "It is written."

This action of our Lord is clearly applicable to the correction of all improprieties in places of worship. From such places, the gross offence of light and otherwise indecorous conduct, and worldly business, should be utterly banished. Nay, the very indulgence of worldly thoughts there is an abuse, which we should study to purge out. Let us not be of those who "come and sit" like God's people, and “hear his words, but will not do them;" "who with their mouth show much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness." Indeed, we should not only avoid what is offensive, but conduct ourselves with becoming reverence, in God's house, remembering his words, "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified." Thus may we expect to improve by our opportunities, and to obtain the divine blessing on our engagements.

"The

4. Let this purification of the temple lead us to seek the purification of our own hearts. The state in which Christ found the temple is but too exact an emblem of the human heart-full of sin and worldly desires and cares. heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” We need the cleansing blood and special grace of Christ, that the world and the wicked one may be driven out, and that our hearts may become the temples of the Holy Ghost. And, though our hearts have already been so purified in regeneration as to have become temples of God, corruptions will still be apt to creep back into them, so that we shall find it necessary to seek repeated cleansing, and to be constantly careful to "keep our hearts with all diligence" against vile intruders. "Know ye not," says Paul," that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. Let us be studious to "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God:" and may the Lord purge us

as with hyssop, that we may be clean, and wash us, that we may be whiter than the snow.

Lastly. In all we attempt for the benefit of others, or of ourselves, let us imitate the zeal which our Master displayed on this occasion. To be useful to man, or acceptable to God, we must be deeply in earnest—we must have the Spirit of Christ in this respect. We must resemble Paul at Athens, whose " spirit was stirred in him when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry." We must have the zeal necessary to reprove, at proper times, sin in others, and to mortify it in ourselves. Neither fear, nor shame, nor sinful inclination should restrain us in such cases. Yet, we must not usurp the authority which does not belong to us, but act according to our own place and station. Let our zeal be always "according to knowledge," in a good cause, prudent, pure, free from bigotry and passion, steady, and proportioned to the importance of the end in view. Let us remember the necessity of such zeal, in order to be useful to others, to be acceptable to God, and to prove the reality of our religion, and our being the peculiar people of Christ. These are the awakening words of our Lord himself: “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous, therefore, and repent." And these are the admonitory words of his apostle: "It is good to be zealously affected in a good thing." "Our Saviour Jesus Christ gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

LECTURE CIV.

LUKE XX. 1–8.

"And it came to pass, that on one of those days, as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes came upon him, with the elders, 2. And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority? 3. And he answered and said unto them, I will also ask you one thing; and answer me: 4. The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? 5. And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then believed ye him not? 6. But and if we say, Of men; all the people will stone us: for they be persuaded that John was a prophet. 7. And they answered, that they could not tell whence it was. 8. And Jesus said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

We

WE formerly found that our Lord came to Bethany six days before the passover, and entered Jerusalem in triumph on the following day, probably the first day of the week. also found that he retired to pass the intervening nights at Bethany, and returned to teach in Jerusalem during the day. At the close of the preceding chapter, Luke says: "And he taught daily in the temple. But the chief priests, and the scribes, and the chief of the people, sought to destroy him, and could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him."

In this connection, the evangelist proceeds to say, in the beginning of the 20th chapter, "And it came to pass, that, on one of these days," that is, one of the days between his triumphant entry and his death, "as he taught the people in the temple, and preached the gospel." God's house of prayer was also a house of preaching, and both these exercises go together in our Christian assemblies. The apostles said,* "We will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word." But never was there such a preacher as he who now taught in the temple. The office was dignified and honoured by his engaging in it. He "taught as one having authority," and "never man spake like him.” He who now taught was himself the Redeemer; he who

* Acts vi. 4.

now preached the gospel was himself the great subject of it; he who now offered salvation was himself the purchaser and bestower of it. He taught "the people"-the great body of the community, the poor as well as the rich-a lesson that the object of the Christian ministry is not attained in any place, unless it be brought to bear on the great mass of the population.

Surely this was an employment most worthy of him whom the Lord had "anointed to preach good tidings unto the meek," or "the gospel to the poor:" it was an employment in which he should have been universally encouraged and welcomed. With their usual perverseness, however, those who ought to have been the first to promote his views, were the most forward to oppose and trouble him: "The chief priests and the scribes came upon him, with the elders." Under the description of " chief priests," might be included the high priest, his deputy, the heads of the twenty-four courses,* and other distinguished men of Aaron's family; the " scribes," again, or doctors, were the teachers of the law-several of both these classes were, doubtless, members of the Sanhedrim, or supreme council of the nation; and, by the "elders" here mentioned, are probably to be understood certain other members of that council: so that, altogether, these men may have been a representation of the Sanhedrim itself, the court which possessed the chief ecclesiastical authority, the government of the temple, and the power of inquiring and judging as to the validity of claims to the prophetical office. A number of these leading men came upon" Christ as he was teaching in the templecame upon him suddenly and with violence, in the hope of leading him to say something of which they might take advantage against him; and still more, as appears from the sequel, with the hope of being able to deter him from continuing to teach, by a threatening show of their power in peremptorily calling on him to account for his conduct, as follows

"They spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or, who is he that gave thee this authority?" The things to which they referred were, no doubt, those of recent occurrence, or those of the very moment, especially his receiving the acclamations of the people as Messiah, his driving the buyers and sellers out of the temple, and his publicly teaching in that sacred place. They

* See 1 Chron. xxiv. 1-19.