his advice and opinion are very precious. There are many to whom his practical testimony, founded on the experience of a long, consistent life and a lengthened sojourn among the heathen, must come with power. There are many who, with somewhat of remaining prejudice and reluctance, cannot fail, in their most serious moments, to accept this," in all probability the Bishop's final testimony in this land to the gospel of Christ," and to join with him in the closing prayer of his dedication-" In this, O blessed Saviour, may we be found living and dying; and to Him, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, may we ascribe praises and thanksgivings, as the God of our salvation, in time and throughout eternity."

The avowed object of Bishop Wilson is " to apply the apostle's argument respecting the prevalent errors at Colosse on the subject of the mediation of Christ, to the present circumstances of our Protestant Church;" because "the errors which it censures respecting the traditions of men and a voluntary humility, and which so early plunged the Church of Rome into a gulf of superstition and idolatry, have of late years been working amongst us." And "because at present there is such an extraordinary and contemporaneous assault upon the Protestant faith, and especially in our own Church, which has for three centuries been the bulwark of it, on the part of Popery, open or concealed, and in every quarter of the world, that a tenfold vigilance is required." The testimony which he thus bears is confirmed by all the evangelical missionary societies. They have had reason to complain both of the direct assaults of avowed Popery, and also, in several quarters, of a new and unbrotherly Tractarian agitation, which can only tend to the injury of true religion, by those members of the Tractarian party, who have gone forth to pursue their avowed scheme of unprotestantizing the churches even among those erected in the heathen waste. The Bishop says:—

"I propose to gather from the entire epistle an argument in support of the sacrifice and the mediation of Christ, in opposition to the errors of the Church of Rome, and the movement of the present day, which tends so strongly and immediately to the same fatal tenets."

With this view at the outset, he testifies to the paramount value of revealed truth.

"This gospel is the truth, transcendently, pre-eminently so; in comparison with which everything else is unimportant, and everything contradictory to it, false.

"We call whatever is most excellent in different branches of knowledge by the term which best conveys the idea of its relative importance to the common apprehension of men. So the gospel is the truth, the most valuable, the most interesting, the most necessary to a guilty, responsible creature.

The truth of history, chronology, jurisprudence, agriculture, may all be unknown, without any fatal consequences to our eternal happiness: but the truth of the gospel cannot; for it is what God has revealed for the salvation of the soul of man. It makes known our danger and our remedy. It is commanding, essential, vital; it is of eternal moment; it demands our belief, as the first and highest act of obedience; to disbelieve it is to make God a liar, because we believe not the record that God gave of his Son."-(p. 23.)

The value of clerical education, as a means of studying and understanding the truth, is thus summarily and powerfully stated. "Next to a devout and evangelical ministry (for the want of which nothing can compensate) a learned ministry is of great moment. Principles of sound logic are imbibed, a mind trained and exercised to reasoning by the exact sciences, a thorough knowledge of the languages from which and into which the Bible is translated; the rules of the grammatical interpretation of human speech understood; stores of ecclesiastical history laid up in the memory; chronology; manners and customs of the times and of the people referred to in the Bible; and the writings of ancient and modern divines and commentators well studied; a humble, enlightened, and cautious criticism, built up of all these materials-such are the ordinary means, now that miraculous inspiration has ceased, of attaining to wisdom and spiritual understanding in scripture truth. In this way a truly valuable and faithful ministry is reared, if only there be added to all this furniture, heartfelt, personal piety, fervent prayer for divine aid, deep humility and holy love of Christ and souls."—(p. 32.)

In the fifteenth Lecture, the Bishop opens the subject of the three prevailing errors; and thus classes them: "1st. Philosophical speculations; 2. Traditions framed merely by men, and flowing from these speculations; and 3. Elements and rudiments of the Mosaic dispensation, from which they both took their rise." On these several points, he makes some very valuable remarks, and among the rest the following:

"So that the general heathen philosophy about demons, angels, and saints, may be described as taking two courses-as turning off, so to speak, into two roads. Its first and main path was the Mosaic rites, as having had originally a divine authority, and being in full possession of the Jewish mind; its second track was austerities, fastings, celibacy, &c. without any pretence to God's command. And these two, combined with the first and main error of vain philosophy, threatened with their threefold force the overthrow of the gospel, especially as to the capital doctrine of the completeness of Christ's mediation, founded on the blood of his cross.'

The text then leads the Bishop onward to the subject of the completeness of believers in the Mediator, " in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." And of this he says:

"To be complete in Christ is to be accomplished, finished, supplied, as from an infinite source, with all blessings in him. The breach of our nature is completely and in all respects repaired. We are like empty vessels in ourselves; but we are filled up to the brim, so to speak, in him, and have no room for a drop of the wisdom of philosophy falsely so called, of the traditions of erring men, or the abrogated ceremonies of Moses. As there is an original and divine fulness of the Godhead in Christ, so there is a derived fulness communicated to us. We are quite filled and completed by the fulness of the 1846.

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Godhead in Christ, who is made of God to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.'

"This completeness is not in the sense of superseding means, order, discipline, the ministry of the word, the devout use of the sacraments, prayer, watchfulness, effort, study of the scriptures and general obedience-for the apostle insists on all these and the like topics in his other epistles, and alludes to them in this; but it excludes them in the sense of seeking any part of our salvation from them; in the sense of leaning on all these means, or any others, however lawful and necessary in their place, to the disparagement of Christ; in the sense of bringing them in as additions to the meritorious grounds of acquiring pardon or holiness laid down in the gospel of Christ; in the sense of turning aside to Judaism, and traditions, and heathen philosophy, to supply something wanting in him; or of inventing any modes of willworship and voluntary humility beyond and beside his commandments."(pp. 179, 180.)

And again :

"The expression, Ye are complete in him,' is one of the summaries of the whole epistle. And the pregnant import of this phrase seems to me to be especially directed against the error which the apostle places first in the words before us, 'philosophy and vain deceit;' an attempt to beguile men with enticing words,' and carry unstable souls off as a prey to false objects of worship, and dependence for mediatorial grace; inferring that they were incomplete in Christ. The Mosaic errors gave occasion to this false scheme, as we shall see; but the wisdom of this world,' dreams and speculations of the fallen mind about religion, baseless reasonings on the nature of angels, unsupported by revelation, appear to have most engaged the apostle's attention. All stood upon a false philosophy:

"So it has been with Popery in every age. The endless speculations of the schoolmen; sophistry with cobweb distinctions; baseless systems of mediation by angels, and archangels, and saints, have been its instruments of confounding truth with error, and building up an Anti-Christian Religion. "Beware, then, brethren. Let not the inventions of Plato or Pythagoras, Aristotle or Epictetus, of the scholastic divines or the Tridentine fathers, draw you away from Christ, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And mark the words once more; Ye are complete in him; '—in him, that is in Christ; not in the church, not in a feigned apostolical succession, not in external forms, not in sacraments; but in him, and him only, you are filled up and completed, as to all the parts and means of salvation; you have all divine FULNESS."-(pp. 181, 182.)

How wisely these discriminations are made! How deeply momentous, in these days of vague and misty theology, that we have men of ability and experience, who can thus draw correctly the important line between truth and error, and be as a voice behind the younger and less accurately instructed pastors, to say, without hesitation or doubting-"This is the way, walk ye in it."

The author then proceeds to notice in detail the errors existing in the Church; and the course of thought in the epistle naturally leads him in the first place to Baptism. On this point the observations are so important that we do not hesitate to give a large quotation. It has all the lucidness of the Bishop's mind, and all the soundness of his theology.

"We observe, then, that the close connexion in the passage before us,

of the spiritual blessing with the outward sign, is quite obvious at once, and is to be most carefully weighed. So in other passages,' As many as have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ.' We are buried with him by baptism into death.' Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost.' Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Christ Jesus for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.' 'Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.' 'But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.' 'That he might sanctify and cleanse it (the church) with the washing of water by the word.' These and similar passages fully explain, justify, and indeed require, the language of our offices. It is quite obvious that the objections which are raised against that language may be raised against this language of the inspired Scriptures.

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Let us further notice that in every one of these and other places of the sacred writings which describe the administration of baptism, the inward spiritual change of the fallen heart of man from ignorance, obduracy, and rebellion against God, to some dawnings of knowledge, penitence and spiritual life, was begun before the sacrament was received. There was in each case, 'Repentance whereby they forsook sin, and faith whereby they believed the promises of God made to them in that sacrament,' according to what our catechism admirably teaches as 'required of persons to be baptized,' and which our adult office expressly supposes to be present in those who come to receive that holy sacrament.

"For every case described in the New Testament is, as is well known, and as the circumstances of the time might lead us to expect, that of a grown-up convert. We have no details whatever of the baptism of infants in the Acts of the Apostles or in the Epistles; though the divine authority for baptizing them with their believing parents is always taken for granted, and is quite clear from a variety of arguments, especially its identity with circumcision; as I shall show in the next Lecture. But as to the blessings then received, we have to argue from analogy only, and from the general promises of Christ. Some difficulties, therefore, may remain; for on the grace of the sacraments, when pursued into their details even as to adults, difficulties, as on most other topics connected with the means of grace, may always be raised, whilst the main practical questions stand out bold and clear; and possibly the silence in Scripture as to the actual blessings received in baptism at the time by infants, may be in order to show us that everything is left dependent on their subsequent repentance and faith.

"It is in the next place to be most diligently observed, that the stress is always laid by the inspired apostles in their account of baptism, on the state of mind of the recipients of it, and not on the outward sign-on their 'repentance towards God,' on their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,' on their calling on the name of the Lord,' on their gladly receiving the word' of the Gospel, on their firm trust on the exceeding greatness of his power to those who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead.' We are,' saith the apostle, all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.' 'If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest' be baptized. As many as gladly received the word of the Gospel, 'were baptized.' 'He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not,' (whether he be baptized or not: the sacrament being omitted in the second clause as a far less important thing) shall be damned.' 'Baptism doth now save us, not the putting away the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience towards God.'

"Faith is, then, the grand instrument of receiving the blessings set forth in baptism. This is the key to the controversy. The simple answer to the

inquiry, 'What shall I do to be saved?' accordingly is, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.'

"We next observe, that the spiritual birth or the transformation of man, in an incipient manner, into the image of God,' is not always connected in Holy Scripture with baptism. It is frequently referred to the word of the Gospel, or the resurrection of Christ as declared by it, on which the faith of the convert rests, either as read, or as urged upon his conscience by the preaching of apostles and evangelists, or as impressed by the Holy Spirit by sharp afflictions or other means. 'We are born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which by the Gospel is preached.' 'In Christ Jesus have I begotten you through the Gospel.' 'Begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.' You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.' 'Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth.' The word of God received by faith is then one of the chief means of the change which is represented, sealed, and completed, in baptism.

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“ In the mean time, God is distinctly, and most expressly, and without reference at times to this sacrament, declared to be the Author of the mighty blessing. This is a decisive and fundamental point. Of his own will begat he us. ، Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.' Then hath God unto the Gentiles also granted repentance unto life.' 'It is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure.'

"We are further taught that the operations of the Holy Spirit are not tied to any particular means; not even to the sacraments, though ordinarily working in them and by them: The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh nor whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit; and this is said with reference to baptism; and in the midst of the solemn discourse with Nicodemus on that subject; implying, as it should seem, that the blessing may be granted, independently of the sacrament, that is, before it, or at the time of its administration, or after; and not only so, but affording a direct caution against confining the grace of the Spirit to any outward ordinance.

"It is very material to recollect, again, that the apostle when citing, as well as the prophet in predicting, the grand covenant-promise of the New Testament, makes no reference whatever to any sacrament; 'This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.' Here is a new spirit, a new birth promised, as the peculiarity of the Gospel dispensation, and not a word said of any accompanying sacrament. And so in the most important corresponding promise, made twice by the Lord by the mouth of Ezekiel; A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and give you an heart of flesh.'

"We observe, in the next place, that the possible disjunction of the 'outward and visible sign ' from the inward and spiritual grace,' as shown, with regard to circumcision, in the last lecture, here comes in as with a flood. The bearing of all these series of passages is now obvious and most decisive. Every text then cited has a tenfold force under the spiritual dispensation of the Gospel. For baptism is by no means so frequently introduced by the apostles in urging newness of heart as circumcision was of old: the Christian sacrament is not the sign of a national covenant, nor is it of a ceremonial, typical, and prophetical character, as circumcision was. The exhortations then drawn from the Old Sacrament are incomparably more stringent when transferred to the New.

"It should appear, therefore, that we may now go on a step further, and argue from the one sacrament of the New Testament to the other. For as union with Christ, the feeding upon him by faith, and the spiritual eating of