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either disordered in your understanding or perverted in your heart. But what then? Is your reputation or your soul most valuable? Is the good opinion of God, or of the world, to be preferred?" I have much weighty business on "my head and heart and hands," says another; " and the maintenance of a numerous family "engrosses all my time and attention."-Be it remembered, that fervency of spirit in the service of God is not incompatible with diligence in the prosecution of our secular concerns. And even if it were, a man had better beg his bread from door to door, than beg at last a drop of water in hell to quench a flaming tongue. Religion is worth every thing, or it is worth nothing. Either the gospel is a cunningly devised fable, or it is our wisdom to make every sacrifice in obedience to its dictates.-You further say, "I sincerely "intend to become a follower of Christ at some "future period." But have you a lease of your life? May not the day of grace slip away before you are aware? Are there not thousands of souls gone into eternity, who had formed such a silly resolution as yours, and yet never carried it into execution? What would you say of the husband: man, who neglected at the proper season to sow his seed? Would his intention of doing it at another time preserve him from hunger and want? Delays are highly dangerous, whenever matters of importance are concerned.-Your stock of apologies is not yet exhausted: you have another, and that the most common and dangerous of all, still behind. "Will it not be sufficient, if I pay "some degree of attention to religion, though I "do not make it THE ONE THING NEEDFUL?" Our collect tells us, that, forsaking all carnal and worldly affections, we must evermore be ready

to follow God's holy commandments; of which this is the sum, " My son, give me thy heart." The requisition is peremptory, and if this be withheld, all is wrong. If this be devoted to Him, all will be right. You must be a decided character. An almost Christian can never enter heaven. You will do well to consider our Lord's awful denunciation to the church at Laodicea : (Rev. iii. 16.) "Because thou art lukewarm, "and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out "of my mouth."

The claims of worldly or carnal affections, however importunate, afford no valid excuse for the neglect of religion or disobedience to the holy commandments of God. These claims may be disregarded without loss; but if religion be slighted, the loss will be eternal. Mention a thing which has no relation to religion, and you mention a trifle of no consequence. Did Christ relinquish His glory and become poor for you, and will you not relinquish the baubles of time for Him? Is there any sacrifice which you can make, worthy to be compared with the immense sacrifice which He made for you? If your heart be rightly disposed towards Him, you will chearfully say, "Lord, all that I have

is thine." Oh, consider the value of your own soul! What was the estimate that Christ formed of its value, when He hung on the cross for its redemption? What is the estimate of those blessed spirits who rejoice over every sinner that repenteth, and who weep, if angels can weep, over the sin and folly of those who indulge their worldly and carnal affections, and "follow" not "God's holy commandments" with an undivided heart? What has been the

patriarchs and prophets, of apostles, martyrs, and confessors in all ages? And what will be your own feelings on the bed of death? Were you to ask the saints in glory, whether heaven be worth the sacrifices which they made in their way to it, they would start with indignation at the proposal of such a doubt. And were you to interrogate the damned in hell, whether the past profits and pleasures of the world, and the gratifications of the flesh, were a sufficient compensation for the loss of the soul, they would all, with deep and heart-rending groans, make answer, "No! No!" Oh that these considerations may inspire us with fervency in praying, "that, forsaking all worldly and carnal affecti"ons, we may be evermore ready to follow "God's holy commandments, through Jesus "Christ our Lord!"

ST. BARTHOLOMEW THE APOSTLE.

O Almighty and everlasting God, who didst ive to thine Apostle Bartholomew grace, truly to believe and to preach thy word; Grant, we beseech thee, unto thy church, to love that word which he preached, and both to preach and receive the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

TH

HE notice which is taken of St. Bartholomew in the sacred history, is still more concise than that which is taken of St. James; unless indeed we concur with many learned men, both antients and moderns,* in supposing that Bartholomew was another name of Nathanael, of whom a most delightful and instructive account is to be found in the first chapter of St. John's Gospel. The reasons on which this supposition is built are such as give it an air of high probability, though they do not amount to demonstration. It has been observed that as St. John in his Gospel never mentions Bartholomew in the number of the Apostles, the other Evangelists take no notice of Nathanael; from which it is inferred that these are different names of the same person. And it is further remarkable that, as in St. John's Gospel Philip and Nathanael are mentioned as having gone to Christ together, so in the other Evangelists Philip and Bartholomew are constantly placed together

*See Lightfoot's Horæ Hebr. Dr. Hammond; Poli

without a single variation. Having been called to the apostleship at the same time, they are joined together in the apostolic catalogue, as also they are afterwards in the writings of the church. But that which strengthens the supposition greatly is this, that we find Nathanael particularly mentioned with the other Apostles, to whom our Lord appeared at the sea of Tiberias after His resurrection; where were assembled together Simon Peter, and Thomas, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the two sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples, who probably were Andrew and Philip. Now that by disciples is here meant Apostles, is evident; partly from the names which are specified, and partly because it is said that this was "the

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third time that Jesus appeared to His disciples;" for it is plain that the two foregoing appearances were confined to the Apostles.

Had Nathanael been no more than an ordinary disciple, what reason can be given why, in filling up the vacancy in the Apostolic col-· lege made by the death of Judas, he, who ap'pears from our Lord's commendation of his character to have been so well qualified for the office, should not have been proposed as well as either Barnabas or Matthias? The name Bartholomew moreover seems to be a patronymic, like Barjona, one of Peter's appellations, and to have referred to his relative capacity either as a son or scholar. Tholmai was a name not uncommon among the Jews.

Proceeding then on the supposition that our Apostle was the same person who is by St. John called Nathanael, we have a most delightful account of his character and conduct, which will illustrate the assertion of our collect, that

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