and obedience. The moral plans of God do not compromise or interfere with the moral freedom of any of his creatures; much less with the liberty of his Son in the work of redemption.

First: He chose this hour. He Himself declares, for this cause "came I unto this hour." He came to it of his own accord ; it was the result of his own choice. His human life was selfassumed; He acted in all this as a perfectly free agent. This shows that moral freedom is really compatible with absolute Divine sovereignty. "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God," &c. He gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God. Secondly That Christ's choice of this hour proves his infinite love for us. He was infinite in his nature, and therefore subject to no law; yet He assumed "took upon him the form of a servant," and became subject to law, "that He might redeem those who were under the law." He became subject to the same conditions of being, same circumstances, sufferings, trials, and destiny as our race; thoroughly identifying Himself with us, excepting our sins. He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin,” that He might save us from everlasting death. He was the same being in his Divine nature that He was from eternity. It was impossible that He could change in this respect. Immutability is an essential attribute of Deity, and He had it in his power as God to control all the events of the universe, and to dispose of Himself as He willed, but He did not exercise this Divine power to prevent the occurrence of adverse circumstances, or trials, nor to lighten or ignore his human sufferings, which of course He could have done, but voluntarily placed Himself in the same helpless situation as ourselves. "Though he were a son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." Consistently with this fact we hear Him declare "I lay down my life that I might take it up again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself; I have power

to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again." He did not die as a mere martyr, but as a Divine sacrifice; it was his love for us that nailed Him to the cross. The greatness of this love appears when we consider that those for whom He suffered were his enemies, and that He had a full knowledge beforehand of all that He had to endure. Yet his infinite love triumphed over all the difficulties; He was obedient unto death, even unto the death of the cross. He submitted to his destiny with docile resignation.

Thirdly That the manner in which Christ submitted to this destiny is a sublime model for us. In the earthly life of Christ, we see how we ought to live. He entered into our life, let us strive to enter into his. He was treated in all things as if he were a sinner, He ". was made sin for us," that we might be made righteous through Him. He was tempted, persecuted, misunderstood, hated, and contemptuously denounced as a heretic and usurper, and nailed to the cross as a malefactor; yet He was obedient even unto death. Let us not only imitate Him in his life, but let us rely upon his death for salvation.

P. L. DAVIES, A.M.

PUNISHMENT OF GUILT.

"Where shall I find a refuge?

No barbarous nation will receive a guilt

So much transcending theirs; but drive me out;
The wildest beasts will hunt me in their dens,

And birds of prey molest me in the grave."-LEE.

REPROACHES OF GUILT.

"Who can awake the dead?

Tis hence these speeches shock my midnight thoughts,
And nature's laws are broke to discompose me.

"Tis I that whirl these hurricanes in air,

And shake the earth's foundation with my guilt."-YOUNG.

Homiletic Glance at the Acts of the

Apostles.

Able expositions of the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, describing the manners, customs, and localities described by the inspired writers; also interpreting their words, and harmonizing their formal discrepancies, are, happily, not wanting amongst us. But the eduction of their WIDEST truths and highest suggestions is still a felt desideratum. To some attempt at the work we devote these pages. We gratefully avail ourselves of all exegetical helps within our reach; but to occupy our limited space with any lengthened archæological, geographical, or philological remarks, would be to miss our aim; which is not to make bare the mechanical process of the study of Scripture, but to reveal its spiritual results.

SUBJECT: Paul at Casarea before Agrippa.-(Continued.)

"And after certain days king Agrippa and Bernice came unto Cæsarea to salute Festus," &c., &c.-Acts xxv. 13—27, xxvi. 1—30.

NDER these heads we shall have an opportunity of noticing every verse in the chapter.

First: The opportunity afforded for his defence. The opportunity was (1) granted by the king. "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself." As King Agrippa occupied the highest rank in the assembly, as the guest of the procurator, he enjoyed the honour of being president on this occasion. Hence he opens the proceedings, and at last breaks up the meeting. Alas! that the reign of evil in our world should be so mighty as to give tyrants a power over a good man's tongue. "Permitted to speak!" Why, Paul had a divine right to speak, and the world stands in urgent need of his utterances. This opportunity is (2) accepted by Paul. He promptly accepts it. "Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself." He stretched forth his hand, either because it was the usual attitude of ancient orators, or to indicate that he intended addressing himself exclusively to Agrippa; or in order, by the chain that was on his hand fastening him to the guard, to remind all in the court of his unjust and cruel confineThis opportunity to speak he gratefully accepted. "I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer

ment.

HOMILETIC GLANCE AT THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 195

for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews." It was gratifying to the apostle to be permitted to speak at all on this occasion, for he had much that lay on his conscience to say; much that would throw light upon his history and his religion. But it was especially gratifying to him to be able to speak on this occasion before Agrippa. "Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews; wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently." This was not the language of cringing flattery, but of truthful courtesy. King Agrippa "was expert," literally a knower of Jewish customs and questions, and this to Paul was a great advantage. The Roman magistrates, Felix and Festus, before whom he had defended himself, knew little or nothing about Jewish customs and questions; they were, therefore, incompetent to form an accurate judgment. Agrippa, on the other hand, was "expert" in all these matters. He was a Jew, who had lived a considerable time amongst his own people, and who understood the doctrines and rites of their fathers. Secondly: The substantial parts of his defence. He begins his defence by a broad statement of his strong and constant Jewish orthodoxy. "My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee." He here asserts that he was well known amongst the Jews. Though born at Tarsus, he had been sent early in life to Jerusalem to study in the school of Gamaliel. (Chap. xxii. 3.) He lived. from youth up to his conversion not in an obscure province of the country, but in the heart of the metropolis. He asserts that he is well known among the Jews as one the strictest of Pharisees after the most straitest sect-an anomalous pleonasm not found in the original-" of our religion." No sect was so scrupulous in the observance, not only of the Mosiac rituals, but also of all traditional customs; and Paul was of the strictest of these Pharisees. He asserts that his Pharisaism

was a vital thing-"I lived a Pharisee." Judaism, to him, was not a mere letter, profession, or ceremonial, it was his life; he lived it, embodied it in his every day actions. It would seem from his language that he was one of the most fanatical of the Pharisees. In looking at the various parts of his defence here, there are five facts which he propounds.

First: That the thing for which they accused him was the great belief of the Jewish nation. Paul believed in a Messiah, so did the whole Jewish people. "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come; for which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?"

These verses contain three great truths. (1.) That the Messiah in whom he believed was the grand "hope" of the Jewish people. It was (a) founded on a divine promise: "The promise made of God." The Old Testament abounds with divine promises of the Messiah. (b) It was a hope mightily influential. It was mighty in its extent; all had it. "Unto which promise our twelve tribes"-the whole Jewish people. It was mighty in its intensity, "instantly serving God day and night." "Day and night," with unwearied zeal they attended to all the ceremonies of the Jewish religion, hoping for the Messiah. Even to this day the hope of the Messiah burns in the hearts of the Jewish people throughout the world. The disappointments of ages have not quenched it; it flames on. Another truth implied here is, (2) That the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead demonstrated that his Messiah was the true one. This seems to be implied in the eighth verse: "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" The

Gen. iii. 15, xxii. 18, xlix. 10; Deut. xviii. 15; 2 Samuel vii. 12; Psa. cxxxiii. 11; Isa. iv. 11, vii. 14, ix. 6, 7; Jer. xxiii. 15, xxxiii. 14-16; Ezekiel xxxiv. 23; Daniel ix. 24; Micah vii. 14; Zechariah xiii. 1-7; Malachi iii. 1.