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when "the Jews murmured at Him because he said "I am this bread which came down from heaven." 'Jesus therefore answered and said unto them-Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to Me, except the Father which sent me draw him."

As the soul yields itself to these drawings of the Father's love, it is enabled spiritually to participate in the flesh and blood of Jesus, even as "Israel drank of that spiritual Rock which followed them, and that Rock was Christ."

We must not, in this place, overlook the words which our blessed Redeemer emphatically annexed to-"It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing "—for he added :

"The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are Life!" Can more than this be said of any portion of the Sacred Records? Though "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God;" yet all has passed through the medium or pens of "earthen vessels;" and however fully inspired, none of them could be ranked in any comparison with "the Lord of glory."

What then did the very words of which He said "They are Spirit and they are Life," or his outward manifestation, effect on the unbelieving Jews? Instead of enlightening their minds, these high privileges were the "condemnation" of those unbelievers. For as Jesus himself said: "God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the WORLD THROUGH HIM might be SAVED."

Yet notwithstanding this most gracious design, and this most explicit declaration of it, mark what follows: "This is the condemnation. That Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than Light, because their deeds were evil."

Thus the very coming of the Son of God to save the world, proved the condemnation" of those who saw and believed NOT. How emphatically therefore, is that which was "ordained unto LIFE, found to be unto DEATH. "" And why so? "Because," said Christ, "No man can come to ME, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: "And they not yielding their hearts to the Father:-They not "drawing nigh to God, He did not draw nigh to them."

Well then might the apostle Paul say: "Such trust have we through Christ to Godward. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." Mark what follows: "Who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the LETTER, but of the SPIRIT; for the LETTER KILLETH; but the SPIRIT giveth LIFE." These words of the apostle appear to be a literal comment on the words of Christ: "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the FLESH profiteth NOTHING."

Here the apostle is expressly speaking of the New Testament, the “LETTER" of which, he saith, KILLETH." Probably by New Testament the apostle might rather mean the New Covenant or Gospel Dispensation, rather than the written declarations of it; but accepting his words in this sense the meaning is precisely the same, only more striking, rather than less so, for then we might thus read: “Our sufficiency is of God; who hath made us able ministers of the New Covenant, or the Gospel Dispensation; not of the LETTER but of the Spirit; for the LETTER KILLETH; but the SPIRIT giveth LIFE." Even the very Covenant of Life-that which was "ordained unto LIFE, is found to be unto DEATH;" through their unbelief. But can unbelief be imputed to them to whom the subject of belief has never been, by any means, presented or made known?

Paul next proceeds to contrast the Old Covenant with the New Covenant "But if the ministration of death, written

and engraven on stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away; how shall not the ministration of the SPIRIT be RATHER glorious!"

Here we see the very Tables of the Old Covenant, which being “written with the finger of God," are surely like the words of Christ, "Spirit and Life"-are, by the apostle, called "the ministration of death," in comparison of the New Covenant ministration of the SPIRIT! How fully does this agree with the words of Christ: "No man can come unto Me except the Father which hath sent me, draw him!" And where or how is this holy attractive influence to be known, but IN the heart? And if, as it is yielded to, its effect is to lead to Christ, surely it enlightens the soul; and therefore is an “Inward Light,” an “Immediate Revelation,” “a Discovery" of Him to whom "no man can come, except the FATHER," not the Scriptures, "draw him.”

Paul goes on yet further to show the inefficacy of the LETTER without the Spirit, by a still more decided statement of the contrast between the Old and New Covenants: "If the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory; for even that which was made glorious, had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that EXCELLETH."

Here the law given from Sinai is called the ministration of condemnation; and so in effect as already shown, is the outward manifestation of the Son of God to the world; though it forms a wondrous part of the stupendous whole-the plan of human redemption. And being by Infinite Wisdom the appointed medium, through which our reconciliation to God may be effected, or the solemn and momentous Truth be revealed to erring man; his outward manifestation must, consequently, have been most essential to the end designed; and

"the use of the Holy Scriptures, those heavenly and Divine writings, very necessary to the Church of Christ." Yet all this does not annul the solemn decree: "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Have we not then decided evidence that unless we witness and yield to the drawings of the Father's love, not only the words of Christ, which he expressly declared to be SPIRIT and to be LIFE, but even the wonderful manifestation of the love of God, in sending, his only begotten Son into the world, so far from proving efficacious to any of us as individuals, may even be our CONDEMNATION ?" How then can the

mere record of these blessed Truths be of more avail than these momentous Truths-these adorable mercies themselves? In confirmation of this acceptance of those and similar passages, may be cited these other words of the apostle: "We are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that ARE SAVED and in THEM THAT PERISH." Here is no distinction, the sweet savour or mercy of Christ is extended alike to all, whether saved or lost; and yet the apostle goes on to state this awful distinction between those who reject, and those who accept the proffered boon: "To one we are the savour of death unto DEATH; and to the other the savour of Life unto

LIFE."

Similar has been the meaning that I have ever attached to those expressions of the "early Friends," which some have held up as derogatory to the Scriptures, if not subversive of those Sacred Records. Yet though I cannot but fully justify what I believe to have been their views respecting "the letter killing," yet I am very far from pleading for the precise terms in which some individuals expressed those views; for I fully accord with the advice of the Society as a body, that it is safest to adhere to scripture language in those cases in which much deviation may lead to being misunderstood. Such

a misunderstanding was excusable in individuals who knew not the Society's opinion of these invaluable Records, which, as already quoted from Barclay, is this: "We do acknowledge the Scriptures to be very heavenly and DIVINE Writings; the use of them to be VERY comfortable and NECESSARY to the CHURCH OF CHRIST." But none who were or are conversant with these sentiments and views, which the "early Friends" most distinctly and decidedly avowed, of their high estimate of Scripture, can, in my apprehension, with Christian candour consider any of their expressions, however strong, which are objected to concerning the Scriptures, as applied in any other sense than that in which the apostle Paul makes use of, the "ministration of DEATH"-" the letter KILLETH"-" the savour of DEATH," &c., &c.,

Many of the "early Friends" had not only been conversant with the Holy Scriptures, but had been also professors of "faith" in Christ according to "the LETTER;" but they woefully found that the LETTER KILLETH" without the Spirit which giveth life;" and that "faith without works," the fruits of the Spirit, "is DEAD" also. Hence when their hearts were turned to "the GIFT OF GOD," "the living water" in themselves of which our Lord spake to the woman of Samaria, their aim was to testify to and exalt this precious indwelling of the Divine Visitant, and Occupant of the soul; under whatever terms the Holy Scriptures describe the manifestations of the Grace and Good Spirit of God, and that 'Baptism which doth now save us; not the putting away the filth of the flesh" by any exterior rite or ordinance; but through cleansing the soul by "Baptizing with the Holy Ghost and with fire;" thus producing "the answer of a good conscience towards God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

I hesitate not to unite in the belief that in the time of our early Friends, inestimable as we ought to esteem the treasure of the Sacred Records, there was in the minds of many, a