cumstances to which they applied. We take the passage, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." Here the metaphor is drawn from two ill-matched animals dragging the same vehicle or plough: two animals of different sizes or tempers, who pull either different ways or with different degrees of speed. The plain import then, of the figurative expression is, Separate from the unbelievers, avoid close intimacy with them. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing."

Next, let us consider the circumstances. Bear in mind what we learnt in the First Epistle :-one of the great parties at Corinth was the party of "liberty." They knew the freeness of Christ's Gospel; they understood that the distinction of days was done away with, that there was no difference between clean and unclean meats, that flesh offered to idols was not polluted. They comprehended that all the Jewish ceremonial holiness was but typical, and that the separateness of "touch not, taste not, handle not," was done away with. Now the danger which these persons incurred was that, breaking down every barrier, they left nothing between themselves and evil. They prided themselves on their liberty, they went to idol feasts, they treated Saturday like Monday, they mixed freely with the world. Apparently, they were not even afraid to marry with the heathen; and in this daring admixture, and unrestrained indulgence in all things permitted, they ran the risk of gradually imbibing the spirit and temper of the world of evil with which they mingled. Accordingly, "Be ye not unequally yoked," meant, "Beware of sharing in the vices and corruption of the heathen."

Secondly, let us consider how to apply this injunction to our own times. Clearly the letter of the command is inapplicable for in two points at least, the parallel does not hold. First, heathen feasts do not exist among us. In the days of the Apostle they were connected with abominable profligacy.

And again, there is no sharp and marked distinction now, as there was then, between those who are, and those who are not, on the side of Christ. At that time baptism severed mankind into two great bodies, the world and the Church. But now, all being baptized, the command "Be ye not unequally yoked with unbelievers," cannot mean the same thing as it did then. Therefore, only the spirit of the injunction can be applied to us. We may discern this from considering the grounds and reasons of the prohibition. Independent of the impossibility of agreement in the deepest sympathies, independent of there being no identity of tastes, no identity of antipathies, there were two strong grounds for this command.

1. The first ground was Immorality: "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ?" In England we are an inconsistent people. A rigid barrier exists between class and class, and is almost never broken, except in two instances: wealth and talent break it down. Let a man amass enormous wealth, and he will find at his board the noblest in the land. It matters not that he became rich in some questionable way, that shrewd suspicions are entertained of foul practices and unfair means: no one asks about that. Again, talent of a certain class-that talent which amuses-breaks down the rigid line of demarcation. The accomplished man or woman who, though notoriously profligate, can wile away an evening, is tolerated-nay, courted-even in the Christian drawing-room. Now, understand me, I do not say that the breaking down of conventional barriers is undesirable. If goodness did it—if a man, low in birth, were admired because of his virtues-oh! it would be well for this land of ours! But where wealth and talent, irrespective of goodness, alone possess the key to unlock our English exclusiveness, there plainly the apostolic injunction holds, because the reason of it holds: "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ?" Separate then, cut yourself adrift from the profligate man of wealth, from the immoral

man of talent. If you must have dealing with them, let it be only in the way of business; but no intimacy, no friendship with them, should be yours.

2. The second ground was Irreligion : "What part hath he that believeth with an infidel?" There is much danger however, in applying this law. It is perilous work when men begin to decide who are believers and who are not, if they decide by party badges. A man worships in a certain congregation, is taught by a certain minister, does not subscribe to certain societies; whereupon by that which arrogates to itself the title of the "religious world," he is at once pronounced an unbeliever and not a Christian. This spirit besets our age, it is rife in this town, and demands the earnest protest of lip and life from every true man. For nothing more surely eats out the heart of religion, which is love, than this spirit of religious exclusiveness, and of judging others. Nothing more surely brings out the natural, innate popery of the heart. Better, far better than this, is it to risk the charge, falsely brought, which Christ endured, of being worldly, " a friend of publicans and sinners." Nevertheless, there is an irreligion which "he who runs may read." For the atheist is not merely he who professes unbelief, but, strictly speaking, every one who lives without God in the world. And the heretic is not merely he who has mistaken some Christian doctrine, but rather he who causes divisions among the brethren. And the idolator is not merely he who worships images, but he who gives his heart to something which is less than God; for a man's god is that which has his whole soul and worship, that which he obeys and reverences as his highest. Now there are innumerable doubtful cases where charity is bound to hope the best; but there is also an abundance of plain cases: for where a man's god is money, or position in society, or rank, there the rule holds, "Come ye apart."

This then, is the spirit of the passage:-A law holds

wherever the reason of it holds. Wherever union in the highest cannot be, wherever idem velle, atque idem nolle, is impossible, there friendship and intimate partnership must not be tried. One word however, as to the mode of this separation. It is not to be attained by an affectation of outward separateness. The spirit of vanity and worldly pride is not avoided by the outward plainness of Quakerism. Beneath the Quaker's sober, unworldly garb, there may be the canker of the love of gain; and beneath the guise of peace there may be the combative spirit, which is worse than War. Nor can you get rid of worldliness by placing a ban on particular places of entertainment, and particular societies. The World is a spirit rather than a form; and just as it is true that wherever two or three are met together in His name, God is in the midst of them, so, if your heart be at one with His Spirit, you may, in the midst of worldly amusements—yet not without great danger, for you will have multiplied temptations -keep yourself unspotted from the World.

THE

LECTURE XLIX.

2 CORINTHIANS, vii. 1.— —January 2, 1853.

HE recompence which St. Paul asked in return for his exuberant affection towards the Corinthians, was defined in our last lecture in two particulars: 1. Separation from the world. 2. Separation from all uncleanness. These were to be his reward; it was these the Apostle longed for. It was not affection for himself that he desired, but devotion to God. We took the first part last Sunday,-unworldliness, or separation from the world. To-day we will consider the second part of the recompence he asked,-Personal Purification.

First then, as to the ground of the request: "Having these promises." Now these promises are: the In-dwelling of God; His free reception of us; His Fatherhood and our sonship; and they are contained in the 16th, 17th, and 18th verses of the 6th chapter. But, first, observe the Gospel principle of action; it is not, Separate yourself from all uncleanness in order that you may get a right of sonship; but, Because ye are sons of God, therefore be pure. It is not, Work in order to be saved; but, Because you are saved, therefore work out your salvation. It is not, Labour that you may be accepted; but Labour, because you are accepted in the Beloved. Christian action advances from the right of the sonship to the fact of sonship, and not vice versa. In other words: Ye are the sons of God: here are God's promises; therefore become what you are reckoned to be let the righteousness which is imputed to you become righteousness in you. "Ye are the temple of God:" therefore cleanse