us into judgment. Were those censures we pronounced on the characters and conduct of our brethren the results of thoughtlessness, then, for every idle word we must render an account; or were they the guiltier offspring of uncharitableness, then how shall we abide our trial, when the law by which we shall be judged is the law of love? We are accountable, too, for the influence we exercise over others; and what is the influence of a censorious and bigoted spirit likely to be? It is an influence likely to confirm men in their sins and errors. It will rouse in the bosom of the man against whom it is exercised all the natural opposition of his nature; instead of acknowledging his own fault, he will point to some corresponding one, which he finds, or thinks he finds, in us, and ask, 'Are you so pure?' he will say 'Whatever my religion may be, "that man's religion is vain," who, with one unpitying sweep, consigns to perdition a section of his fellow-men, and they, perhaps, fellow-Christians also. Then, though we suffer not sin in others, but rather reprove it, let us do so in the spirit of Him who said-Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.' At that day when God shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart. He shall pronounce the degree of each man's responsibility, and of each man's guilt; so that not only shall all men acknowledge the justice of the sentence, but the heart and conscience of the guilty shall acquiesce. He who received but one, if he bring but one talent more, shall undoubtedly be received with the same-Well done, good and faithful servant.' He who knew his Lord's will, and did it not, shall be beaten with many stripes; he who knew it not,

- with few.

the character and mission of our Saviour during the days of his humiliation. On the holy mount He threw aside the veil which concealed his glory, and He appeared for a moment arrayed in that bright and awful majesty which He now wears in heaven. What then took place was well fitted to strengthen his own mind, and encourage Him to go forward in his work, the most trying part of which yet remained to be done. It gave Him a foretaste and pledge of the glory with which He was afterwards to be crowned, and thus it prepared Him for enduring the cross, and despising the shame. And with regard to the disciples, though the transfiguration was not necessary to convince them that He was the Messiah, for on this point they were already satisfied, it was eminently calculated to attach them to his service, and to correct some very serious mistakes under which they were still labouring. They entertained the same sentiments with regard to the character and kingdom of the Messiah which were prevalent among their countrymen; they considered Him the political deliverer of Israel, and expected to occupy the first places of power and profit in the kingdom which He was shortly to set up. To dissipate this delusion, He informed them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. It was with the utmost grief and astonishment that they heard Him make this declaration; and Peter, who had just confessed Him to be the Christ, now took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Be it far from thee, Lord; this shall not be unto Thee.' To increase their surprise still farther, after He had told them the true state of matters with regard to himself that, instead of the royal honour, wealth, and power with which they expected to see Him dignified, affliction, persecution, and death, awaited Him in this world, while his reward was reserved for the life to come. He then told them, that in all these respects his disciples must be content to be like Him; living in the practice of mortification and self-denial; submitting cheerfully to poverty, shame, and death for his sake, in the hope of an eternal recompense in the world to come. By this conversation all their expectations of a temporal kingdom were cut up by the roots. Sorrow had therefore filled their hearts. The transfiguration took place about a week after this memorable conversation, while their minds were in this disconsolate state; and it was well fitted to cheer and animate them in their Master's service, to reconcile them to the shame and suffering which He was to undergo,

and to the persecution which He had warned them to expect from the world for his sake. He had destroyed their former notions concerning his kingdom and glory, and the rewards of his servants. His transfiguration taught them that a kingdom and glory infinitely better than what they had imagined were in reserve both for Him and them; and that whatever sacrifices his service might cost them, they would be unspeakable gainers by it in the end. It is probable that, on the holy mount, Jesus put on such an appearance as He now exhibits in heaven. As He prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. The disciples were not the only spectators of this splendid scene. Had He been alone in his glory, they might have thought that it was a glory in which they could never share. To convince them that his servants should be like Him, two inhabitants of the heavenly world appeared to them in company with their Master. "There talked with Him two men, who were Moses and Elias.' These were the two prophets held in most veneration by the Jews, the one as their lawgiver, the other as the great assertor and restorer of their law. They appeared in glory. While Moses was in his mortal state, bis face shone so brightly that the Israelites were afraid to approach him. In the character of Elijah there was a sublimity almost unearthly. But now they appeared in the glory of their immortal state. The subject of their conversation was one befitting their high dignity, and the great occasion on which they had come. They spoke of his 'decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem.' Doubtless, they had much to tell of the glories and mysteries of the unseen world; of that city where there is no need of the sun, nor of the moon to shine in it; of the innumerable company of saints and angels in the sanctuary above; of that fulness of joy which is in the presence of God, and of those pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore. But they spoke not of these. They had a topic still more interesting. They spoke of that wonderful death which the redeemed from among men, amidst all the glories with which they are surrounded, still make the burden of their song. This was formerly an unwelcome topic to the disciples. They could not bear to hear it. When Jesus spoke of it, they said, 'That be far from thee.' But now they hear Moses and Elias, on this great occasion, singling it out as the very topic which, of all others, was most interesting both to Jesus and to them. It appears that, when the transfiguration began, the disciples were asleep. Perhaps they were wearied with the jour

He

ney; perhaps the sleep was from God, that the transfiguration might impress them the more strongly. Had they witnessed its commencement, the effect would have been considerably diminished; but how must they have been astonished when, suddenly awaking from a profound sleep, the wonderful scene, in all its glory, burst upon their view! We are not told what it was that awoke them; but we may conjecture. The sudden flashing of a brilliant light arouses a sleeper as quickly and effectually as a loud noise; and the awaking of the disciples is accounted for by the fact, that their Master's face 'did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.' When they opened their eyes they saw his glory, and the two men that were with Him. While Moses and Elias stood and conversed with Him, the disciples, overpowered with awe and wonder, looked and listened in silence. But when the heavenly strangers were about to depart, Peter, with his characteristic forwardness, ventured to speak. 'Master, it is good for us to be here.' was delighted with the scene; and in order to prolong it, and to detain Moses and Elias, who were on the point of retiring, he proposed to make arrangements for their continued residence on the spot. 'Let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias; not knowing what he said.' This was the language of a man delighted, but bewildered; full of what he had seen and heard; eager to give utterance to his joy; but not sufficiently master of himself to think and speak with calmness and judgment. While Peter'spake, there came a cloud and overshadowed them.' Matthew tells us that it was a 'bright cloud.' was the symbol of the Divine presence; and it must have been very glorious; for the disciples, notwithstanding what they had already witnessed of heavenly splendour, were afraid as they entered into the cloud. To add the last circumstance of glory to the scene, Jehovah spoke. There came a voice out of the cloud, saying, this is my beloved Son: hear Him." Such were the things which the disciples saw and heard when they were with Jesus on the holy mount. They were indeed highly favoured: and it was no wonder though they said, 'It is good for us to be here.'

It

'It is good for us to be here,' because the cloud of glory is here.

The bright cloud' which overshadowed the disciples and their Master on the mount of transfiguration, added greatly to the majesty of the scene. It was the symbol of the Divine presence, for it was out of the cloud that the voice came, attesting Jesus as the Father's beloved Son. You

'It is good for us to be here,' because the voice from the excellent glory is here. The voice from the bright cloud, saying to the disciples, 'This is my beloved Son: hear Him,' was one of the circumstances which went to augment the glory of the marvellous scene exhibited on the holy mount. It was good for the disciples to be there, because the symbol of the divine presence was there, and because there the voice of the Eternal attested Jesus as the great Prophet of the Church, commissioned to proclaim peace on earth, and goodwill

to men.

"It is good for us to be here,' because we have here a glimpse of the glory of heaven, and a foretaste of its happiness. On the mount of transfiguration, the disciples were favoured with a transient view of the glory of the heavenly state. The countenance of their Master did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. The appearance which He then assumed was, in all probability, an exact representation of what He was to be in his exalted state. They saw Him in his glory, the same glory in which He is now seen by the redeemed from among men. Moses and Elias also were there; and they likewise appeared in glory. The disciples, therefore, in their Master and his two attendants, had a specimen of heaven. They saw Jesus as He is now seen upon his throne; and they saw two of the saints, arrayed in that immortal splendour with which the whole multitude of the saints shall be clothed at the resurrection. They were thus made acquainted with the heavenly state; they had an earnest of that great reward which is in reserve for all the faithful disciples of the Lord. What they beheld on the holy mount, made all earthly glory obscure. No wonder, then, that Peter said, 'Master, it is good for us to be here.'

Let all the true followers of Jesus say, with Peter, James, and John, 'It is good for us to be here,' to enjoy all the spiritual privileges which hath been procured to the people of God, through that decease which the Saviour accomplished for them at Jerusalem. The divine communion to which we are now admitted, through means of the ordinances of the gospel, is a pledge of our dwelling for ever with God and the Lamb, to behold their glory, and

to walk in the light of their immediate presence. By the Spirit who is now given to us, we are sealed unto the day of redemption, and He is the earnest of our inheritance. The holiness which is begun here shall be perfected hereafter; the seeds of grace which are now sown in the heart shall grow up and flourish to all eternity in the genial climate of heaven. The spark of love which is now lighted in the soul, shall be blown into a flame, which shall mingle with seraphic ardour in the pure region of perfect love. The joy in God which is now experienced, is a foretaste of that fulness of joy which is in his presence, and of those pleasures which are at his right hand for evermore. And, my friends, if the precursory drops be delightful, what must the full shower be? If the first-fruits be enriching, what must be the amount of the harvest? If the grapes of Eshcol be fragrant and refreshing, what must be involved in the entire and perpetual possession of the 'land which floweth with milk and honey?'

Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.' It is enough for the children of God to know, that they shall share the Redeemer's glory, whatever that may be. It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.'

THE PSALMS.

THE Psalms, as to their form, include all varieties of lyric composition. They are of every character as to the nature of their subjects, and of all shades and colours of poetic feeling; but as to their essence, they are as a light from heaven, or an oracle from the sanctuary: they discover secrets, divine and human; they lay open the holy of holies of both God and man, for they reveal the hidden things belonging to both, as the life of the one is developed in the other. The Psalms are the depositories of the mysteries, the records of the struggles, the wailings when worsted, the peans when triumphant, of that life. They are the thousand-voiced heart of the Church, uttering from within, from the secret depths and chambers of her being, her spiritual consciousnessall that she remembers, experiences, believes-suffers from sin and flesh-fears from earth or hell-achieves by heavenly succour and hopes from God and his Christ. They are for all time. They never can be outgrown. No dispensation, while the world stands, and continues what it is, can ever raise us above the

reach or the need of them. They describe every spiritual vicissitude; they speak to all classes of minds; they command every natural emotion. They are penitential, jubilant, adorative, deprecatory; they are tender, mournful, joyous, majestic; soft as the descent of dew; low as the whispers of love; loud as the voice of thunder; terrible as the almightiness of God.

There was often, we believe, a natural harmony between the personal qualities of individuals, and the work to which they were called of God. It was thus with Paul; it was thus with David. His comely person and 'fair countenance' indicated the harmoniously constituted dwelling-place of a soul endowed with clearness and melody, and fitted to become the favoured channel of heavenly thought. The shepherd boy was bold and brave, manly and magnanimous, and had in him, from the first, the slumbering elements of a hero and a king. His harp was the companion of his early prime. Its first inspirations were caught from the music of brooks and groves, as he lay on the verdant and breathing earth, was smiled on through the day by the bright sky, or watched at night by the glowing stars. Even then, probably, he had mysterious minglings of the Divine Spirit with the impulses of his own; was conscious of cogitations with which none could intermeddle, which would make him at times solitary among numbers, and which were the prelude and prophecy of his future greatness. He became a soldier before he was twenty. Ten years afterwards he was king by the suffrages of his own tribe. During most of the interval, his life was of a nature seriously to peril his habits and principles. He was obliged to use rude, lawless, and uncongenial agents. He had to live precariously by gifts or spoil. He was hunted like a partridge on the mountains.' By day, providing for sustenance or safety, and sleeping by night in cave or rock, field or forest. And yet this man-in the heat of youth, with a brigand's reputation, and a soldier's license-watched carefully his inner-self; learned from it as a pupil, and yet ruled it as a king; and found for it congenial employment in the composition of some of the most striking of his psalms. When his companions in arms were carousing or asleep, he sat by his lamp in some still retreat, or 'considered the heavens' as they spread above him, or meditated on the law, or engaged in prayer, or held intimate communion with God, and composed and wrote (though he thought not so) what shall sound in the Church, and echo through the world, to all time! There is nothing more wonderful, in either sacred or profane literature, than the com

bination of the circumstances and employment of David from his twenty-fifth to his thirtieth year. Even beyond that, his life was not tranquil. It is sad to think that his years of calm enjoyment were few, and that the cup of life, after being filled for him by God to overflowing, and made pure and sweet by previous suffering and selfrestraint, should have been recklessly poisoned by his own hand. Till near forty he had to struggle hard for secular success. Even as a king, twice crowned, he had some about him that troubled his repose. But his worst enemy at length was himself. A short period of regal security bred indolence, luxury, and lust. At forty-eight he tarnished the virtue of as many years, and, in one day, sowed the seeds of a rank harvest of blood and bitterness for his after-life. Certain of God's great gifts-such, especially, as distinguished David-are often associated with such accessories as expose to more than ordinary peril. Inspiration itself, when it chose genius as the channel of its song, did not alter the terms on which it had been conferred. Nothing can be an excuse or apology for sin; yet, by God's mercy, it may be turned to account, and made to produce the opposite to itself. To some men's errors the world has been indebted for their richest lessons and ripest fruit.

Worsted in battle, their wounds and bruises have festered and mortified, till, spreading into the flesh, it has become, to their better nature, as soil to seed. In the constitution of things, a quick sensibility to physical impressions is often associated with a moral idealism and with a living conscience of infinite memory and ceaseless voice; and when such persons are alive unto God-have tasted of his grace,' and yet tarnished their garments-their burning shame, bitter tears, prostrate humiliation, settled sorrow, and slow hope, render them often the most memorable instructors. Natural impulses and spiritual neglect were associated in the sin, natural qualities and spiritual aids combined in the grief and re-conversion, of the Psalmist. To the lamentable lapse, the penitence, and the punishment of David, we owe some of the most subduing, the most spiritually-instructive and consolatory of his psalmspsalms that have taught despair to trust, and have turned the heart of flint to a fountain of tears!