ister over his little flock to rule them. He has chosen the poor of this world, "rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom." You see your calling, brethren; how that not many wise men, (after the flesh,) not many mighty, (in learning,) not many noble, (of high birth) are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of this world, (plain, simple, illiterate men,) to confound the wise, (philosophers,) and the weak things of this world, (poor, unlettered men') to confound the things that are mighty, (in learning and eloquence,) and base things of this world, (fishermen,) and things that are despised (by scribes and pharisees,) yea, and things that are not, (of wealth and influence,) to bring to nothing things that are, (men of great note and great repute;) that no flesh might glory in the presence of God." 1 Cor. 1: 26-29. The Jewish doctors are called Mal chai to rah, kings, priests of the law, hence the word of Jehovah shall constitute you kings, Targ. Jonath on Deut. 28: 13, servants of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man. As priests under the law had to trace out their pedigree to

Aaron the high priest, all ministers of the gospel must trace out their spiritual origin to Jesus, our great high priest. And as they are kings as well as ministers of the sanctuary, they must be born of the royal blood, "born again, born from above, of water and the Holy Ghost," begotten again to a lively hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. "No man taketh this honor to himself but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." Heb. 5 : 4.*

The Sanhedrin, in examining candidates for the priesthood in reference to their genealogy and defects of both body and mind, rejected every person who could not trace out his pedigree to Aaron, the high priest. If found deficient in any respect, he was discarded, and a black vail put over his face, and ever after denominated the degenerate priest; but he who was approved by the council was clothed with white linen, and freely admitted into the office of the ministry. Tal. Bab. Yoma, fol. 19: 1. White is the banner of the prince of peace, black that of the prince of the power of the air; one is the emblem of purity, the

other of impiety.

Both colors were first blended in the inquisition of Rome, white, albo, when saying mass, to show the purity and piety of the church; black when passing sentence of condemnation on heritics, to show the power of it. Black is not, as many suppose, academical; it has a different origin. White is still worn in the celebration of mass, black in the pulpit where heretics are condemned, as a judicial act. This practice crept into the English courts from the court of Rome; when the judge is trying a case of life and death he wears a scarlet gown; when passing sentence of death, he takes this off and puts on the black gown and black cap. Unfortunately, the black gown is still continued to be worn by ministers of the protestant churches when they enter the pulpit. Surely they do not do this to curse heretics, and therefore it should be discontinued, especially considering how and where it originated.

God and his Father. They were constituted, appointed, set apart, by Christ himself, for the service of the sanctuary, and to him they must look for their final and eternal reward. He has never appointed any man to the priest's office to eat a morsel of bread or fill his pocket with money; he has placed him there to save souls, and not to fleece them. Wo to the idle shepherd who feeds himself and not

the flock of Christ! It would be good for that man if he had never been born. But the pious, holy, zealous minister of Jesus, who is laboring night and day to save sinners, will have an eternal weight of glory. Go on, my dear brother, in the good old way of saving souls, and God will reward you abundantly!

To him be glory. As our prophet, priest, and king. Glory signifies fear, honor, reverence, adoration. He was a prophet, to teach us the way of life and salvation; "a light, to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel;" a priest, to atone for and take away the sins of the world, to bear them in his own body on the tree; a king, to rule in and reign over us, and bring us off more than conquerors over the world, the flesh, and the devil; to him therefore be glory, might, majesty, dominion, and power, for ever and ever, amen, and amen!

7 Behold, he cometh with clouds. That is, of angels as well as armies, to utterly destroy his enemies, who would not have him to reign over them. He does not come now as the prince of peace, but as the lion of the tribe of Juda, to tear in pieces and utterly destroy his enemies, and fight the bloody battle of Harmageddon. Ez. 38: 9.

Every eye shall see him. Jew and Gentile, young and old, bond and free, rich and poor, soldier and sailor, min

And they also which pierced him. The priests and the people, Jews and Gentiles, who put him to death, and who still crucify him afresh, and put him to open shame. Matt. 26: 3.

And all the kindreds of the earth shall wail (weep bitterly) because of him. When they shall see him come in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, to take vengeance on the wicked, and all them who obey not his holy gospel. "For they shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the glory of his power." They will say to the mountains "fall on us, and to the hills, hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?" Kindreds mean Jews and proselytes. See Ez.

11: 15.

8 I am Alpha and Omega. That is, the beginning and end, viz. of creation, the first and the last, he that stands at the head of all creation, and must reign until all things are subdued

unto himself, who is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col. 1:17. But if a created being, God was before him, and St. Paul must have been mistaken; but Paul was well acquainted with his character by inspiration, and it is presumption to set up our ipse dixit in opposition to that of the apostle.

Alpha and Omega are expressions derived from the Rabbinical writings. Rabbi Samuel studied all the law, from Aleph to Tav. Abraham and Sarah studied all the law, from Aleph to Tav, that is, from beginning to end. These establish the whole law, from Aleph to Tav. Rab. Joseph on Ez. 9: 16.

The Almighty. The real 7225 Shad-dy, Omnipotent Jehovah, who has all power in heaven and on earth, personal and not delegated, for God cannot delegate his power to a creature, and at the same time be the Creator himself; he cannot divest himself of any of his attributes, and impart them to an inferior person; a creature could not sustain the omnipotence and omniscience of the Deity. They belong to him exclusively, and form part of his divinity. They are his, and like Saul's armor, cannot be worn by an inferior person. So that Christ, therefore, is the true God and eternal life.

9 Your brother. In Christ, and in the ministry, we are children of the

same parents. God is our Father, the church our mother, heaven our home, and our badge of discipleship this, that "we love one another with a pure heart fervently." May we all love each other more, and serve God better than we have done.

And companion in tirbulation. In affliction, persecution, and poverty. God has chosen his people in the furnace of affliction. It is here he purifies, refines, and prepares them for glory, immortality, and eternal life. "It is through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of heaven." Moses "chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season," esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; knowing that in heaven he had more durable substance."

In the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ. That is, in the christian religion. This kingdom is directly the opposite of all other kingdoms; it is the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, and will utterly destroy, subdue and break down all the kingdoms of the earth. The king himself was an extraordinary person, without houses, lands, tenements, hereditaments, money, men, soldiers, sailors, armies, ships, boats, guns, cannons, pistols, swords, crown, sceptre, or any weapon of defence, and yet he conquered the whole world; but it was by love. Cæsar, Alexander, and

Bonaparte subdued kingdoms by force, fraud, war, and bloodshed, but Christ established his kingdom by

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peace on earth, and good will to men." He is the king immortal, invisible, the only wise God, our Savior to him be all honor and glory, both now and for ever! 1. Then his kingdom is not temporal, but spiritual, it is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 2. It is universal, it extends from the rivers to the ends of the earth. 3. It is permanent, it is an everlasting kingdom, which shall not pass away. The kingdoms of the Medes, Persians, Greeks, Romans, and that of Israel, have all tottered, fallen, and crumbled into dust; but his kingdom is the same yesterday, to-day and for ever. 4. The subjects of this kingdom are the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind. 5. Its ambassadors fishermen, without money, learning, influence, or even a good coat on their back. 6. Its weapons are spiritual, and mighty, through God, to the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan. 7. Its enemies are the world, the flesh, and the devil. 8. The gospel is his law, by which he rules the world and will judge it at the last day. 9. He is the most just, humble, and impartial king that ever sat on a throne. He chose all his officers from among his soldiers; his captains, colonels, generals, and princes, were made such from the house of commons, and not from the house of lords.