all professors, and the ceasing of disputations. We ought to love the truth above union, and not to look for peace with those who love not the Lord. Again, the exceeding importance of watchfulness as to our own spirit, our own personal Christianity, our living near to Christ; for we know not the day nor the hour when the Lord may come,

ART. VI.-CHRIST'S CROSS-BEARERS AND THEIR CROWN.

THERE is probably no term which has been so much used and honoured of God, and so much abused or neglected by man, as the term "CROSS." God hath made it, or rather that which it represents, His great instrument of conversion, sanctification, and comfort; and man has abused it for purposes of political aggrandisement, of superstitious delusions, and architectural adornment. It becomes us therefore earnestly to seek to understand its meaning as set forth in God's Word.

The term " cross refers-1. To an instrument of torture and death (John xix. 7). 2. To the death of Christ on the cross (Heb. xii. 2). 3. To the doctrines and blessings growing out of His death (1 Cor. i. 18. 4. To the sufferings of His people for His sake (Matt. x. 38). It must be obvious that the term as applied to Christ, and to His people, has a very different meaning. The great and glorious facts of atonement, satisfaction, expiation, suretiship, reconciliation, at once occur to the believer's mind, when he thinks of the cross as referring to Christ: when the term is applied to the saints, the idea of suffering and reproach in conformity to Him stands out prominently; but all thoughts of a vicarious or expiatory character are completely excluded.

Perhaps there is no passage which brings out more strikingly the difference between these two views of "the cross," and, at the same time, their relation to each other, setting forth the latter as the outgrowth of the former, and as an evidence of an interest in all its saving blessings, than the following, although the word "CROSS" is not at all introduced:- Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (John xii. 24, 25).

It was at a moment of peculiar solemnity, and just on the of His sufferings that the Saviour uttered these words.

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In them-1. He declares the necessity for, and glorious results of His own death, shewing, at the same time, the infinite excellency of His person and character, as having in Himself the germ of all life and blessedness. 2. He describes the character of those who should be lifted up to share His glory -they would be first conformed to Him in His death. Being dead to sin legally, having become, by faith in Him and union to Him, freed from all curse and condemnation, they would, while glorying in the cross of Christ as the alone foundation of their hope, become by it "crucified unto the world" (Gal. vi. 14). Thus we have CHRIST THE CURSE-BEARER, and CHRISTIANS CROSS-BEARERS. To this latter fact, as expressed in the 25th verse, above quoted, we request earnest attention. Surely it behoves every one to ask, How does this testimony concerning the Christian's character affect me? Can I stand this test? Will my history and profession bear to be tried by it?

These words, as all must allow, are most true and important. He who uttered them was truth itself, and they will assuredly be made good. Their importance must be apparent if we consider the subject referred to-" life," yea, "life eternal."

The loss of eternal life, and consequently the infliction of eternal death: these are the themes of this text. The words used are also very plain. Here are no hard terms or complicated sentences. All is simple, terse, and direct, so that there is no room for mistake as regards their meaning. Then they are of universal application, not confined to the apostles of Christ, or to those who stood around Him when He uttered them; but applicable to the followers of Christ in every age, and most important to all who even hear them repeated. To the writer, to the reader, then, the question comes: How do these true, important, plain, awful, and irrevocable words affect me?

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Let us endeavour to enter into their meaning and spirit, and to yield obedience of heart and life to the Lord's requirements. This is "a hard saying" to the flesh; but let us not say, Who can hear it?" If we have a real saving connexion with the cross of Christ, then, and only then, shall we find "that His yoke is easy, and His burden light." If the 24th verse is fulfilled in us, by our becoming partakers of Christ's life, the 25th verse will be in some measure fulfilled by us in our living, "not to ourselves, but to Him who died for us and rose again.' The great point in the passage is the devotedness of heart and service which the Lord Jesus requires of His followers. Let us try to ascertain the exact bearing of the Lord's words.

We should consider what they do not mean nor require. They do not mean that the Lord's people should be ascetics. They are not called upon, nor even permitted, to put away scornfully from them God's temporal blessings-to violate the proprieties, or to neglect the relationships of life. This would be contrary to the very instincts of the nature which God has given us as creatures, opposing His own good and wise natural laws. It would also be a breaking of His precepts, seeing He has told us how to use His benefits, and how to act in all life's relationships. It would be unlike Christ himself, whose habits and conduct were truly social; while in everything He was perfectly sinless. Nor do they mean that by acting thus, eternal life could be in any way merited or earned. The Lord is not here speaking of the saint's title to eternal life. These words do not contradict the many glorious testimonies of Divine truth, that "by grace we are saved;" "that he who believeth on Christ is passed from death unto life." No, the Lord shews here who it is that are really justified now, and whom God will own and reward at last. If persons lay claim to be justified and to have the new life, and their course and character do not at all answer to this text, they are only deceiving themselves, and will be at last condemned. Is there not reason to fear that such will be the case with many? Oh, it is a terrible mistake to make the cross of Christ a pillow for a slothful head; to have peace without purity, profession without zeal, confidence without consecration. Such peace is delusive; such confidence, presumptuous; and such profession, vain.

What, then, do these words mean? What is that "love of life" which is fatal to the soul's salvation? and What is that "hatred of life" which is absolutely necessary to it? How immensely important these questions! Let us look attentively at the terms used. "Life." We suppose that here it signifies our present existence, with its joys, relationships, and interests; and that "life eternal" means a perfected and blessed existence in the world to come. "Loving" and "hating" here, as elsewhere, are used, not in an absolute, but in a comparative sense. Thus, when in Luke xiv. 26 the Lord speaks of "hating father and mother," we are sure that He does not mean absolutely, but as regards obedience and preference, when the commands and claims of earthly relatives come in competition with His own, or when the affection and fellowship of natural relations cannot be retained without a sacrifice of loyalty to the Lord. Let us apply this rule to the text, and we shall plainly see its meaning. We must not over-strain

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these terms; yet we must be exceedingly careful not to fritter away their meaning. The latter is our great danger. The present age is not very likely to run to the extreme the other way. We are in no danger now of imitating those in ancient times, who imprudently courted persecution and coveted martyrdom. Still, it must be evident that one requirement of these words as regards some is actual and literal martyrdom. And how many thousands have in this sense hated their lives in this world!" "Deny Christ, or die!" was often the language of heathen persecutors. "We choose death," was frequently the heroic reply of the Christians. Who has not heard of the noble answer of the English martyr, who, when urged to recant, was at the same time reminded of his wife and ten children? "Truly," said he, "I love them all tenderly, but compared with Christ, I love them not." Surely this was "hating his life in this world!" But these words do not only refer to the age of martyrs, but to all ages, and so to our own smooth period. The subject may be put thus:-On the one hand, a man loves his life for this world, and hates it for another, who lives a life of sensual gratification; while, on the other hand, he who is the subject of sincere repentance for sin, and who honestly endeavours to fight against it, may be said to " hate his life in this world, and keep it unto life eternal." This view is strikingly put by the apostle in Rom. viii. 13" If ye live after the flesh ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Ah! this living martyrdom is the most difficult thing of all, but its indispensableness and importance may be seen in the vast number of passages which describe and require it. See Col. iii. 1-7; 1 Pet. ii. 1, 2; 2 Cor. vii. 1; James i. 21; Eph. iv. 20-24; Rom. vi. 12-16; Matt. xviii. 8, 9, &c.

The history of the professing Church has furnished vast numbers of instances of persons who, with much knowledge, many deep emotions, and manifold gifts, have yet been the slaves of some grovelling lust. Thus they loved the animal life, and lost their souls-lost eternal life.

But there is another contrast which these words (especially when considered in their connexion) suggest: A life of selfish gratification, on the one hand; and a life of devoted service, on the other. A man may be said "to love his life in this world," who, having gifts, means, and opportunities, with numerous claims all around him to labour, to serve, and to give, prefers a life of social enjoyment, or sordid acquisition, or political worldly honour, or scientific research, to lowly labour, loving service, and generous giving. The man may be moral,

social, honest, orthodox, and regular in his religious duties, but the main aim and end of his life is not to serve Christ and benefit others; his main business evidently is to lay up for himself, or in some way to enjoy or benefit himself, or exalt himself. His religious services and activities, also his giving, are not his business. He does not "hate his life in this world' to live for Christ. Surely, looking around us in these days of easy profession, there is reason for sounding the alarm in this respect. We want more a spirit of self-abandonment in serving Christ a holy carelessness about everything in comparison with His glory, and the good of souls. Dear reader, ponder the words "lose" and "keep." Think of what they involve, even perdition-and glory. Think what is lost if you lose your life, your one precious Life. There will be existence still, but all joy, peace, hope, satisfaction, for ever dead. Think, O think, of the eternal difference which the preferring or renouncing of worldly interests, and the receiving or rejecting of eternal things, will make to you. Seek grace to judge of everything now as it will appear to you at last. Seek to look at the world in the light of eternity.

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Take now a few thoughts and suggestions, just to enforce the claims of Christ, to encourage in endeavouring to respond to them, and more and more to renounce self-gratification, and worldly interests for the sake of Christ's service. We have shewn what is that devotedness of heart and life which the Lord Jesus, on the ground of His own dying love, claims of His followers; and now observe

1. That the cause of Christ is well worthy of such renouncement and devotion. No other cause is. It is the cause of truth and of souls, of man's happiness, and of God's glory; and who can calculate the value and the vastness of such subjects as these? And there is no saving truth anywhere else, no other means of saving souls, no other fountain of happiness for miserable man, no other way in which God can be so much glorified. How do men hazard their lives for worldly distinctions, and not count them dear when their country demands them; how much more should the saints be devoted to such a cause as this! Observe, Christian, the language of Christ in Mark viii. 38, "My sake and the gospel's," and see how He identifies Himself with His own cause and truth. Compared," says one," with the honour of Christ and the success of His cause, life should not be loved, nor death feared."

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2. The Saviour has left us a perfect example. He pleased not Himself, Rom. xv. 3. Had He shunned suffering and