It renders its subject restless, and captious, and complaining. He will often try to throw the blame on others-on the preaching, the discipline, or the members of the Church; and thus breed strife and divisions. But it belongs to himself, and to all who partake in the religious declension. Are not the evils of such a state great? Is it not cause for lamentation and mourning, for confession and repenting, for crying day and night unto God-" O, Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years; in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy."

THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY.

N. R. S.

IN general terms, liberty is opposed to slavery; but in order to a clear understanding either of liberty or slavery, the particular cases must be specified.

In relation to God, that man is free who does as he chooses. Of liberty, in this sense, the intelligent creature cannot be divested; for accountability lies in rational choice. Such freedom is common to man and to the angels, fallen and unfallen.

With regard to man, he is free who has his rights confirmed by the law as opposed to prerogative.

In a moral point of view, liberty is freedom from vice. As far as a man is under the power of sin, he is a slave; and, on the other hand, he is free so far as he is free from sin.

To men viewed as sinful, the Gospel comes the perfect law of liberty.

The Gospel is a law, for it emanates from competent authority; it commands duties peculiar to itself,-repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ, and has a peculiar penalty annexed, a more fearful condemnation to those who reject it.

But the Gospel is not only a law, it is a law of liberty.

The law of liberty, the Gospel of Christ, is applied to the sinner by the Holy Spirit renewing and purifying the heart, and bringing. the mind, by nature not subject to the law of God, into conformity to the law. The Holy Spirit leads to Christ, in order that the sinner may be justified on the ground of a perfect righteousness by faith. Thus delivered from the claims of the law as a rule of justification, the sinner is no more a servant but a son,—a son of God, and an heir. The obedience he renders is not constrained but willing; it is not a task but a pleasure.

The Gospel, therefore, is a law of liberty,-a perfect plan of deliverance from the servitude of sin. Its foundation of merit is Christ's perfect satisfaction to the precepts and penalty of the law. It is applied by the Holy Spirit, the Giver of life, the Author of faith, the evidence of sonship, the earnest of an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.

It is a perfect law; perfect as to its source, the unchanging

love of God; perfect as to its ground, the merit of Christ; perfect as to its application, the Spirit of grace; and perfect as applied, delivering from the bondage of Satan, and introducing into the glorious liberty of the sons of God, supplying every want fully and

forever.

C. R. L.

THE FIRST WORDS OF THE LORD JESUS.

[From the United Presbyterian Magazine, Scotland.]

Or the words of our Saviour in the great eternity, ere time began, we know nothing, except that it was by His all-powerful command that the heavens and the earth came into existence. Numerous were His communications to "holy men of old," but we here refer to the first words that have been recorded as uttered by Him after He assumed our nature. They have been preserved by Luke (249), and they are these:-"How is it that you sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" This is all that has been recorded as spoken by Him during the first thirty years of his life on earth. "Solitary floweret out of the wonderful enclosed garden of the thirty years, plucked precisely there, where the swollen bud at a distinctive crisis, bursts into flower." It would have been interesting for us to read the first lispings of the child Jesus, while His thoughts embodied themselves only in broken sentences; and even in His earliest words, He must have appeared a remarkable child. But it did not seem meet to Infinite Wisdom that these sayings should be preserved, and it is our wisdom to make a good use of what we have received. The stories, which were published respecting his infancy and early years, are manifestly fabrications, and are puerile and worthless.† A holy mystery hung around the child from His birth onwards. Mary was aware of this from the message of the angel to her ere He was born. Her interest and amazement were increased by the remarkable language of her cousin Elizabeth, respecting the promised child. The angel's message to Joseph, her husband, was a further confirmation. The visit of the shepherds on the day of His birth, who told her of the midnight vision, the lighted valley, and the angelic song, seemed to justify her highest expectations respecting the infant "Saviour, Christ the Lord." After forty days He was brought to the temple, "and Joseph and His mother marvelled" at the mysterious words of awful import and prophetic wisdom, which were spoken by Simeon and Anna. Some time after this "the wise men from the East," directed by the guiding star, "fell down and worshipped" the infant Redeemer in Bethlehem, and presented to Him "gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."

Stier's Words of the Lord Jesus.

† Dr. Kitto has given a pretty full specimen of them in his admirable Daily Bible Illustrations, volume on the Gospels.

"Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." Joseph and Mary had thus much to inform and remind them of the superhuman dignity of the holy child, but scarcely any shared the interesting study with them: and the subject is completely veiled from posterity. O favoured pair! occupied for so many years in the contemplation of a perfectly pure and lovely humanity, developing itself in infancy, and youth, and manhood! Joseph probably died soon after our Saviour completed his twelfth year; at all events, we have reason to believe that he was not alive during His public ministry, for Mary is repeatedly mentioned without him, and in such a manner as to imply her widowhood. For instance, when she stood by the cross, Jesus committed her to the care of the beloved disciple, directing her to look to him as her son, and requesting him to regard and treat her as if she were his mother. But though Joseph lived not to see the wonderful public life of Him whom he had called his son, let us hope that, removed to the realms of bliss, he saw Him ascend His glorious throne, before which the most exalted seraph adoring bows, while Mary was still a pilgrim on the earth. A crowning mystery of the incarnation! The babe of Bethlehem, the youth of Nazareth, raised far above the loftiest of created beings!

Mary, on the other hand, with clear but simple faith, watched the early promise, the marvellous public life, the atoning death, and the resurrection from the dead; and she lived to see the great success of the Gospel, when the Spirit descended at Pentecost, and she witnessed also the subsequent triumph of the cross, that so remarkably characterized the apostolic age.

Angels bowed before the infant Jesus, for when he came into a world where He was to be "despised and rejected of men," the Father said, "Let all the angels of God worship Him." Even Satan may be regarded as contemplating, with amazement, this new thing among men-a perfectly holy being, whom all his wiles and utmost strength could not corrupt.

The first authentic information we have received of our Saviour's early life, is respecting His entrance on advanced youth-the period of his twelfth year-when, according to Rabbinical writers, He became a son of the law, having been previously a son of the covenant. It was the duty of the males in Israel, from twelve years and upwards, to attend the three annual festivals at Jerusalem-the Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles-and it is expressly stated, that Mary, as well as her husband, went up annually at the Passover to Jerusalem. The law was not binding on females, though many of them attended; but Joseph appears to have come short in duty, as many of the Galileans did, for it seems to be implied that he attended only once instead of thrice a-year. Nazareth was in the centre of Galilee, about 70 miles north of Jerusalem. It was only the natives of Judea who attended all the great feasts. Foreign Jews were usually present at Pentecost-that

being the best season of the year for travelling. When Jesus was twelve years of age, He accompanied His parents, apparently for the first time, to the Passover. After the days of the feast were over, the parents departed from Jerusalem on their homeward journey, but Jesus remained in the city, without their knowledge. As soon as they missed Him, they returned, seeking Him, and found Him in one of the apartments in the Court of the Temple. When His mother saw Him she said, "Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us? Behold Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing." And He said unto them, "How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?"

In these first words of Jesus to His mother, concerning His Father, there are three topics to which we request the reader's

attention.

I. The Sorrowing Search.-Jesus said, "How is it that ye sought me?" alluding to His mother's remark: "Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing." The sacred historian blames not Joseph and Mary for neglecting to look after the youth, when preparing for their journey homewards. It appears that those who formed one company travelled in separate parties during the day, coming together in the evening, at some well, previously appointed as the place of rendezvous. This accounts for the fact that Joseph and Mary travelled a whole day, supposing Him in the company somewhere, and it was only at night that they sought Him in vain "among their kinsfolk and acquaintance." They left the caravan on the following morning, and returned a day's journey to Jerusalem. On the third day, from the time of their departure from the city, they found Him in the Temple; probably the great interest He had manifested in the holy place, led them at once to the Temple, and their search there was immediately successful. Their joy, no doubt, was great when they saw Him; but mention is made only of the astonishment they shared in common with all who heard His words of wisdom among the doctors of the law; this being the more prevalent and powerful feeling. Joseph stood in silent amazement at this unexpected conduct of his adopted child. The mother alone speaks, with a mother's right, but in the father's name. She calls Him "Son," as she was wont, but seems at a loss to understand His present conduct, or express her mind regarding it. This was probably the first time that she ever saw anything in His conduct that appeared to need reproof. His was a blameless life, and, if she ever reproved Him, it could only be by a mistake on her part. It is probable that His parents had given Him much instruction and counsel to guide His infant mind to the knowledge of Divine truth, as revealed by Moses and the prophets. This was their duty, and partly through their instrumentality, He increased in wisdom as in years. То suppose this is no disparagement to the man Christ Jesus. It is expressly stated, that His early wisdom was susceptible of increase; and we find it also expressly declared, that the

Spirit was given Him without measure, and that, even amid the agonies of Gethsemane, an angel from heaven strengthened Him.* But there was no folly bound up in His heart, requiring the "rod of correction" to drive it out; though foolishness, alas! is found in all other children. The mother of Jesus does not even here venture to censure Him, she only questions Him: What is this that Thou hast done? or, Why hast Thou done this? It was so unlike all His antecedents, that she could not understand it. She had had ample proof of His integrity, and felt assured that she might fully confide in Him. But, now, it strangely seemed as if her confidence were too strong. Mary said, Why all this "to us?" implying that His parents had never seen cause to chide Him till now; this was the first instance in which He had occasioned them pain. The deep sorrow with which this was uttered, can be imagined by those parents whose greatest trials have had their origin in the undutiful and immoral conduct of their children. Many a wayward son has begun early to vex his parents, but the grief is more poignant where parental affection has been long fostered by the fair promise of one who afterwards turns aside from the paths of rectitude. The first known act of immorality causes reflections, which are as strange as they are sad, and memory recalls them often, when subsequent conduct produces distress that is almost overwhelming. But the prodigal may return from sin to God, and the joy is greater than if he had never gone astray.

The mother of Jesus said, further, "Thy father and I have sought Thee," a reference to Joseph, with which use had made both familiar, though he was but His reputed father, and Jesus his adopted son. Joseph and Mary were fully aware of the miraculous conception, and could not have forgotten the angelic messages regarding it; but Mary had not yet called Jesus "the Son of the Highest" (Luke 1: 32); nor had she taught Him to say of the Most High, in the strict and proper sense, He is my Father. She did not say, Thy parents, but "Thy father and I;" which has been characterized as "a most exquisitely delicate" allusion to "that sacred secret" which had not faded away in her soul, and the consciousness of which prepared her for the words which Jesus was about to utter. They sought Him "sorrowing," in deep distress, lest He might be devoured by a wild beast during the intervening night, He having possibly wandered from the company, and lost His way (compare Gen. 37: 33); or, lest some one might have seized Him, from a report, that it was He whom Herod the Great formerly sought to kill among the infants in Bethlehem; or, their distress may have arisen from some other horrible idea, such

* Speculations on this point must be cautiously conducted, and always under the guidance of Scripture. Stier, in his Words of the Lord Jesus-the best of German commentaries, full of profound thought and deep devotion-occasionally errs in this, as if Jesus was ever ignorant of His claims to the Messiahship, or of what was passing in the crowd around Him.