very act of applauding the preacher's eloquent denunciation of drunkenness. Many a hand ready to seize a stone to cast at the discovered offender is made to hang nerveless by the side. To the malicious joy of the reprobate at witnessing the unmasking of the hypocrite, succeed" shame and confusion of face," on account of his own delineated character. The enemy of religion is made to quail while rejoicing over the fall of "the saints."

It may not be altogether out of place in closing this unpretending paper, to express the persuasion that there is now open to the man who shall combine in himself the requisite qualifications, an untrodden path to usefulness and eminence as a preacher in England. While the "high places" of the field will be wisely left by every modest person in the undisputed possession of Robert Hall, and others of stately endowments;—and while the more retired posts of ministerial service are efficiently occupied by men of less mark and stature, there is a broad midway, not so thronged by distinguished preachers, but that the rightly qualified individual may find sufficient room for striking out a new course. The path, thus but dimly defined, will run in the main through unfrequented ground, while, in several points it will coincide with that so usefully trodden by the celebrated Whitfield. Whoever shall unite in himself even the characteristics of Welsh preaching, will not be found very meagrely equipped for the duties of the pulpit. The resources of manner and intonation have not as yet been worked to exhaustion; on the contrary there is an ample residue of latent forces awaiting evocation, and ready to do the bidding of any man who shall be but wise and bold enough to employ them as the auxiliaries of sacred oratory.

The Gospel Treasure.

By the Rev. HUGH JONES, D.D., President of Llangollen

College.

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."-II. Cor. iv. 7.

W

E learn from the preceding verses that the Apostle deeply felt the goodness of God in saving him from his unbelief, and in committing to him the ministry of the Gospel. "Mercy" is the term by which the Apostle characterizes such conduct on the part of God towards him; his sense of his own unworthiness kindles his grati

tude, and his gratitude stimulates his activity in the work of God. "Therefore, seeing we have this ministry, as we have obtained mercy, we faint not."

His conduct was perfectly disinterested and straightforward: "We have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (v. 2).

If his ministry was rejected by men the defect was not in the ministry, but in themselves; it only proved their blindness and their being the slaves of Satan: "But if our

Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (v. 3, 4).

Those, on the other hand, who received the Gospel were enlightened and illumined by the Spirit of God, that they might see the glory of God as revealed in the Person and work of the Redeemer, and feel the saving power of His grace: "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (v. 6). "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels." The light of life was at first deposited in "earthen vessels" belonging to the terrestrial world, and not in the golden vessels of the celestial city. Had it been placed in the shining vessels of the city of God, many of the spectators would have ascribed the brilliancy of the light to the shining quality of the vessels, and not. to the supernatural brightness of the Divine light itself. But God ordained that the vessels should be made of clay, that the glory might be ascribed to the light, and not to the vessels in which it was deposited: "that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us."

I. THE TREasure.

II. THE TREASURY, AND THE REASON ASSIGNED FOR

CHOOSING IT.

III. THE VALUE AND EXCELLENCY OF THE TREASURE

ITSELF.

We shall consider:

I. THE TReasure.

I.

The Gospel is the Treasure. We are not to understand by it the soul of man, though that is an invaluable

treasure, placed in an earthen vessel; but the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as entrusted to the Apostles. This is evident from the context. The Apostle has been treating of the Gospel under different aspects and describing it (1) as excelling the law since it is the ministry of justification and of life (II. Cor. iii. 6-8); (2) as the hope of the world, and the Gospel, or glad tidings of great joy, since no other scheme holds out the hope of escape for the guilty (II. Cor. iii. 12, iv. 3); (3) and as the revelation of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ (II. Cor. iv. 6): and then to show his sense of the value and importance of it to mankind, he calls it a "treasure." In the context the words "hope," 'ministry," "gospel,” "light of the knowledge of the glory of God," and "treasure" are synonymous terms, setting forth the different aspects of the scheme of salvation.

2.

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Why the Gospel is called a Treasure. (a) Because it is a mine of Divine riches. The word thesauros (treasure) is used in the New Testament in a two-fold sense-to denote a repository for valuable things, and for the valuable things themselves. The wise men from the East opened their treasures, that is their boxes, chests, or trunks, in which their gifts were kept (Matt. ii. 11). The minister of the Gospel, duly instructed for the ministry of the kingdom of heaven, is compared to a householder who bringeth forth out of his treasure a variety of things according to the needs and circumstances of his family-so is the minister of the Gospel to bring out of his treasure-of his mind and memory, in which stores of religious knowledge and Biblical truth have been laid up-" things new and old" for the instruction and edification of his hearers (Matt. xiii. 52).

The word means also valuable things in themselves. Moses disregarded the treasures of Egypt, for the sake of

Christ (Heb. xi. 26). The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field (Matt. xiii. 44). The saints lay up for themselves treasures in heaven (Matt. vi. 20). And all the treasures of Divine wisdom and knowledge are laid up in Christ (Coll. ii. 3). They are valuable things which, for the most part, are treasured up and carefully guarded and protected by men; and God's valuable things-the riches of Divine grace, the treasures of Divine wealth-are treasured up in the Gospel, in which they are concealed from the wise and prudent, and preserved from being corrupted by men.

The word treasure is used in the text in both these senses. The Gospel is itself the repository in which Divine things are accumulated and laid up for future use—a casket of Divine jewels-a storehouse of spiritual blessings—a magazine of Divine wealth-and a mine of inexhaustible riches, that will yield support and enjoyment, position and protection to mankind for all time to come. The Gospel is thus in itself a treasure of the highest value, and of unspeakable importance. It is God's cabinet, in which God's gems are preserved; the focus, in which the rays of Divine light are concentrated; and the fountain of the water of life, from which the healing streams issue forth.

(b) The Gospel may be called a treasure on account of what may be realized by means of it. The value of things in this world is estimated in proportion to their usefulness; and according to this rule gold is most valuable. Gold may be converted into almost every other earthly blessing-food or raiment, or health, or knowledge, or influence, or position. If we estimate the value of the Gospel-the treasure of our text-according to this rule, we shall find its value to be infinite. It becomes the source of every blessing and enjoyment to the true believer.