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site to that of our holy religion, in which the fear of God, and charity to human souls, are paramount considerations.

In the congregations of professing Christians, how few imitators of the noble Baptist are to be found! Where is the constant speaker of truth, the bold rebuker of vice, the patient sufferer for the truth's sake? Let us not form an excuse for our pusillanimity by saying that this duty was peculiar to the Baptist, or confined to authorized messengers from heaven. Every man is the authorized messenger of God to "speak "the truth, and rebuke vice;" or our church has furnished us with a prayer which it is absurd to use. Would it be any apology for a man who had been guilty of misprision of treason, to alledge that he had no commission from the king? No, the law of England justly condemns every man, who "knowing of any trea"son, though no party or consenter to it, yet "conceals it and doth not reveal it in proper "time." It condemns him to "imprisonment

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during life, to a forfeiture of all his goods for "ever, and the profits of his lands during life."* And is not every overt act of sin treason against God?

If the obligation of the duty stated in our collect were more closely and generally considered, and were its petition for grace more fervently adopted, Christians would, it is admitted, incur more persecution for righteousness sake, but they would also give more glory to God, be the means of plucking many brands from the fire, and obtain more decisive evidence than they now

*Burn's Justice, art. Treason,

possess, of their relation to the holy army of martyrs and confessors. Let us, then, set the example of the Baptist before our eyes for our imitation; and let us earnestly implore grace that we may be conformed to it, "through Jesus "Christ our Lord."*

*The limits of this Essay are unusually extended. The author, having taken into his hand Dr. Horne's "Consider"ations on the Life and Death of John the Baptist," from which he has extracted the historical part of this section of his work, found himself on enchanted ground. He is not aware, however, that its length needs any apology, believ ing that his reader will concur with him in opinion respecting the admirable source from which has been principally drawn what is here presented to view.

ST. PETER'S DAY.

O Almighty God, who by thy Son Jesus Christ, didst give to thine Apostle St. Peter many excellent gifts, and commandedst him earnestly to feed thy flock; Make, we beseech thee, all bishops and pastors diligently to preach thy holy word, and the people obediently to follow the same, that they may receive the crown of everlasting glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ST

T. Peter was born in the Upper Galilee, called Galilee of the Gentiles. The name which was given to him at his circumcision, was Simon or Simeon, a name common among the Jews. To this our Lord added the title of Cephas; which in Syriac, the vulgar language of the Jews at that time, signifies a stone or rock, which is interpreted, in Greek, or is equivalent to Пarpos Peter. By the imposition of this new name our Lord seems to refer to that constancy in the faith, and that vigorous activity, for which He foresaw that this Apostle would be eminent, in building up the church as a spiritual house on the true rock"the living and corner stone, chosen of God and precious," as St. Peter himself expresses it. The father of our Apostle was Jonah or Jonas, a fisherman of Bethsaida; and St. Andrew, as we have already observed in his life, was St. Peter's brother. They were both brought up to their father's business, and continued in it till they were called to become the fishers of men. The Divinity of the gospel is strongly deducible from

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the meanness of its propagators: for what but a Divine power could have rendered doctrines so hostile to every darling principle of the carnal heart as those of the gospel are, victorious over the long-established and firmly rooted system of Judaism and Heathenism, which had in the train of their defenders and supporters all the learning and the wisdom of the world, while the gospel was published by the untutored lips of fishermen and publicans? Let the infidel account for this phænomenon if he can. "God.chose the foolish

things of the world to confound the wise; the "weak to confound those that are mighty; the "base things of the world," things most vilified and despised, "yea, and things which are not, to "bring to nought things that are." (1 Cor. i. 17-18.) These were the things, these were the persons whom God sent on this errand, to silence "the wise, the scribe, the disputer of this world." For though "the Jews required a sign, and the "Greeks sought after wisdom;" though the preaching of a crucified Saviour was a scandal to the self-righteous Jews, and foolishness to the learned Grecians; yet "by this foolishness of "preaching God was pleased to save them that "believed," and in the event made it to appear, that "the foolishness of God is wiser than men, "and the weakness of God stronger than men." Hereby all the glory is secured for God, and “no "flesh" suffered to glory in His presence;" but " he that glorieth," is constrained to “glory in "the Lord" alone.

It is probable that St. Peter, before his introduction to Christ, was a disciple of the Baptist, as it is certain that his brother St. Andrew was, No sooner was the latter made acquainted with the Messiah, pointed out to him by his master the

Baptist, than he hastened to inform his brother thereof. Religion is a communicative principle, which, like a circle formed in the water, delights to multiply itself, to diffuse its influence as far as possible, and especially on those whom nature has placed nearest to us. Simon, being one of those who waited for redemption in Israel, was ravished with the joyful news which his brother imparted, and, impatient of delay, directly followed him to the place of our Lord's abode. Our Lord no sooner saw him than, with a view to afford him evidence of His own Divinity, He saluted him by name, told him who and what he was, with respect both to his name and kindred, and what title he should afterwards bear. After receiving, as we may suppose, some further instruction, the two brothers returned for a while to their secular occupation.

About a year afterwards our Lord retired out of the city of Capernaum, where He usually resided, for the purpose of enjoying the privacy of contemplation upon the banks of the sea of Galilee. But He was discovered and followed by a multitude, who thirsted for the dew of His doctrine, as the parched and barren earth for the showers of heaven. To avoid the pressure of the throng, our Lord stepped into a fishing-boat, which lay by the shore and belonged to Peter, whom He requested to push off to a little distance. Here He sat and taught the people, and then confirmed the truth of His sermon by a stupendous miracle. Peter and his companions had toiled all night at their business of fishing without success. Our Lord now commanded him to launch out further, and to cast down his net. Simon remonstrated on the improbability of any compensation for their trouble, judging from the

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