and strength, as much as the Word of God is superior to that of man.

But yet, that I may not appear to be building upon a frail foundation, I will read to you one prophecy, and a very small portion of another, which seem to condemn within themselves all that I have laid down, and give us much more than is required, to secure the train of argument which we shall afterwards pursue. Both are from the prophet Isaias; and all interpreters, who admit the existence of prophecy, allow them to be descriptive of the Church of the Messiah. The first is comprised in the fifty-fourth chapter.

“Enlarge the place of thy tent and stretch out the skins of thy tabernacles; spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt pass on to the right hand and to the left, and thy seed shall inherit the gentiles, and shall inhabit the desolate cities. Fear not, for thou shalt not be confounded nor blush, for thou shalt not be put to shame; because thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt remember no more the reproaches of thy widowhood. For He that made thee shall rule over thee, the Lord of Hosts is His name, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth. For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken, and mourning in spirit, and as a wife cast off from her youth, said thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a moment of indignation have I hid my face from thee, but with everlasting kindness have I had mercy on thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer. This thing is to me as in the days of Noah, to whom I swore that I would no more bring the waters of Noah upon the earth; so have I sworn not to be angry with thee, and not to rebuke thee. For the mountains shall be moved, and the hills shall tremble; but my mercy shall not depart from thee, and the covenant of my peace shall not be moved, said the Lord, that hath mercy on thee. Oh, poor little one, tossed with tempest, without all comfort, behold I will lay thy stones

in order, and will lay thy foundation with sapphires.-All thy children shall be taught of God, and great shall be the peace of thy children. And thou shalt be founded in justice; depart far from oppression, for thou shalt not fear: and from terror, for it shall not come near thee. Behold, an inhabitant shall come who was not with me; he that was a stranger to thee before, shall be joined to thee.* No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that resisteth thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of the Lord, and their justice with me.”

To this striking passage I will add the concluding verse of the fifty-ninth chapter. "This is my covenant with thee, saith the Lord. My spirit which is in thee, and the words that I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.”

Surely, my brethren, the drift of these two passages cannot be mistaken. In them we are told that the Church of God, identified with the Jewish Church then existing-for this is addressed—should not continue much longer in a state of abasement; but that God should raise it up and extend its boundaries, so as to embrace all the kingdoms of the world, and the nations from the east unto the west; that it should be authorised to condemn every one that might rise up against it in judgment; that its teaching should be such as though the very words were put into its mouth by God; that there shall not depart from its seed, that is, its latest posterity, to the end of time; that God Almighty, the Lord of Hosts, the God of heaven and earth, should Himself teach in it, and that this divine teacher should be the Redeemer of His people, in such a way, that all its children should be called "taught of God.” This covenant

* This verse is obscure in the original Hebrew, and is translated in the version authorized in the English Church, so as to accord with the succeeding verses; but even so, the general sense of the prophecy is not weakened. It may be right to state that, the title of the chapter in this Feron, applies it to the Church of the gentiles.

is everlasting, and can no more fail than God's covenant made with Noah, that the waters of the deluge shall no more return to cover the earth; and, hence His protection is pledged to prevent any attempt from prospering, which shall be designed or directed against its existence or success.

Now, my brethren, all this I am confident, is more than sufficient to prove, first, the exact connexion between the old and the new dispensation, inasmuch as the latter was but the continuation and prolongation of the former; and, secondly, that a supreme advantage belongs to the religion which Christ came to establish, in its being taught and instructed by the Almighty himself, the Redeemer of His people. If, therefore, the principles which I have laid down are correct, on looking into the new Testament, we must necessarily expect to find such an institution, as will exactly comprise within itself all the terms of this prediction, corresponding accurately to the means provided in the old law to teach mankind, and preserve from destruction the doctrines by God delivered. And I think, that if we diligently study the several passages of the new Testament, wherein our blessed Lord directs and describes the constitution of His Church or kingdom, we shall easily discover precisely such a continuation and such a provident scheme. Thus we are brought to the second portion of my theme, the direct testimony of God to the teaching of His Church.

Where can we better expect to find such a testimony, than in the very words wherein Christ conveys to His apostles and their successors His own supreme authority? For we read in the last verses of St Matthew's Gospel, how, before He ascended into heaven, He called them all together, and addressed them in most solemn language, giving them His last and most special charge; and introduced this by a preamble wherein He should seem to allude to that testimony, which at the beginning of this discourse I described, that of His eternal Father, who commanded all to hear Him, as one in whom He was ever well pleased. Listen I pray you, to this charge. power is given to me in heaven and on earth.-Go

"All

ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost-teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded And behold! I am with you all days, even unto the end of the world."

you.

"I am with you, all days, even unto the end of the world!" What, my brethren, is the meaning of these expressions? There are two ways of reading the word of God. Nothing is easier than, upon perusing a passage, to attach to it that sense which best accords with our pre-conceived system, and seems best suited to confirm the doctrines which we have embraced. Now in this way, according as we, or those who differ from us, read these words, it is evident that there will be different meanings attached to them. For, the Catholic will say, that here a promise is clearly given by our blessed Redeemer, that He will assist his Church even to the end of time, so as to prevent the possibility of her falling into error, or of her allowing any mixture thereof with the truths committed to her charge. While we draw this important conclusion, others will say that the words imply nothing more than a mere protection and superintendence, a sort of security that the general system of doctrines and belief comprehended in Christianity, shall never be lost upon earth. Others will perhaps conceive a promise to be here given to each individual member of the Church, that our Saviour will assist him in the formation of his system of faith.

Now it is evident that these different interpretations cannot be all correct, except so far as one may include the other. For that which we hold, does indeed comprehend that which the others propose, inasmuch as we believe that it secures that providential care and watchfulness which is the amount of their deduction, but with the addition of something more important which their interpretation excludes. For these reject the truth of our explanation, otherwise they must needs adopt our doctrine. It is plain that there must be a certain criterion—a sure way to arrive at a correct knowledge of our Saviour's meaning; and I know not what rule can be better proposed, than the ob

vious one on every other occasion; that is to analyse and weigh the signification of each portion of the sentence, so as to arrive at the meaning of the words which compose it; and then, by reconstructing the sentence, with the intelligence of all its parts, see what is the meaning intended by Him who spoke. And, for this purpose, we can have no better guide than the Holy Scriptures themselves. For, if we discover what is the meaning of words, by the various passages in which they so occur, as to be applicable to the interpretation of the one under examination, every one will agree that we have chosen the most satisfactory, and plainly true, method of settling the sense intended by our Lord.

We have a two-fold investigation to make; first, with the aid of other passages, to ascertain the exact meaning of the phrases in themselves; and then to see; in what relation they stand together, or, in other words, what is the extent of the commission which they imply.

1. In the first place, our Saviour says, that He "will be with His disciples, all days even unto the consummation or end of the world." Now, what is the meaning in Scripture of "God's being with any person?" It signifies a more especial providence in regard of that individual than is manifested towards others—a particular watchfulness on the part of God over his interests, in such a way, that what he undertakes shall infallibly succeed. This is the signification which this phrase always bears in Scripture. For instance, (Genesis xxi. 22,) Abimelech says to Abraham, "God is with thee in all that thou doest." It is manifest, that here was meant that the Patriarch had special assistance and succour from God. In the 26th chapter, (v. 3,) God said to Isaac, "Sojourn in the land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee." And in the 24th verse, the same assurance is repeated, "Fear not, I am with thee." Later, we hear the Almighty address Jacob in the same words-" Return into the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee;" (xxxi. 3); and Jacob expresses himself in the very same terms, "The God of my father hath been with me" (v. 5); words