which would need determining would be just those which were likely to recur again and again during the spread of the Gospel, and during the progress of individual churches. The relations of Christianity to social life and to heathen practices, -the observance of days and the abstinence from meats, and other doubts arising from circumstances, would furnish examples of the application of the commands and maxims of Christ, and would call up the mention of first principles in a way which, when once exemplified, it might be easy to continue. And such letters would naturally also be employed in taking notice of any points in the conduct of those addressed which required correction, and thus would be led to dilate upon the great requirements of Christian morality. And where the writer was conscious of certain doctrines having been but insufficiently explained, he would naturally enlarge upon them; and would establish and enforce the belief of such as were likely to be called in question.

This would be the ordinary description of the purely occasional Epistle, written to a church after short absence, to impress the lessons given during the missionary visit.

To those who take a fair survey of the apostolic work, it will I think appear, that Epistles of this first kind must have been very numerous. Four such alone remain to us: two to the Corinthians and two to the Thessalonians; not taking into the number those written to individuals, which are better reckoned under another head. But, considering that St. Paul preached the Gospel from Jerusalem round about unto Illyricum, and that his fervid spirit carried in its sympathies all the churches, it can hardly be but that he must have sent Epistle upon Epistle, now lost to us, to churches of which perhaps we know not even the names. Two such Epistles are mentioned in his extant writings: one to Corinth (1 Cor. v.), and one to Laodicea (Col. iv.). One such is expressly asserted to have been written by St. John (3 John, ver. 9). It will hardly be credited that the idea, of any writings of Apostles being lost, has been by some, even in our own time, strongly objected to, on the ground that such writings would be inspired, and therefore cannot have been suffered to perish. The frivolity of this superstitious idea will at once be seen, if for 'writings' we substitute 'words.' Were not the words of the Apostles equally under

the guidance of the Spirit who spoke within them? Would not they have been equally profitable to the Church in all ages? And yet where are the words of Paul at Antioch in Pisidia, the sum of which was that through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God? Where are the words with which he exhorted the assembly at Troas, when he continued his speech until midnight? This is the way in which the human probabilities in the course of the first preachers of Christianity have been lost in artificial theories, and their work divested of the reality and expansiveness of life.

Assuming then that a number of these occasional Epistles once existed, and judging of their contents by those which are left to us, we can easily imagine how the personal influence and the teaching of the Apostles were perpetuated by such reminders. This will be evident more in detail, when we come to consider the four Epistles which have been mentioned.

The convenience of the epistolary form of communication between the teacher and the taught would naturally give rise to the adoption of other forms of Epistles besides the occasional. The general, or encyclical Epistle, was made use of as

a means of explaining and inculcating some special setting forth of the truth, and of warning against prevalent forms of error. Of this general Epistle we have examples from James the Lord's brother, from John the son of Zebedee, from Peter, and from Jude the brother of James. One remarkable Epistle of St. Paul-that to the Ephesians-seems, although addressed to a particular church, to partake of this catholic character: and under this head also must be set down the Epistle to the Hebrews, concerning which Origen, in the third century, could say, 'Who wrote it, God knoweth.' And we must not forget that, in its form, the Book of Revelation forms another such Epistle, addressed by the beloved Apostle, John the son of Zebedee, to the seven churches of Asia.

In proportion as these epistles are general, they depart from the true form of letters, and become more of pastoral allocutions or charges. Certain of these 'catholic' epistles appear to have at once assumed a position of authority as part of the Christian Scriptures. This may be inferred from their position in all the ancient copies of the New Testament; which is, next to the Acts of the Apostles, before the Epistles of St. Paul. In this

number are comprehended the two of St. Peter (sometimes the first only, on which circumstance more will be said in another chapter), the three of St. John (though the second and third have no claim to the title 'general' or 'catholic'), and that of St. Jude. Next to these come the Epistles of St. Paul, no exceptional place being given to the Epistle to the Ephesians; and the Epistle to the Hebrews next before the Revelation; which last, in the ancient as in the modern copies, always closed the sacred canon.

There are yet some other kinds of epistles to be mentioned, neither occasional, nor general. From his prison in Rome the great Apostle of the Gentiles yearned for communion with those

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among whom he had gone, preaching the gospel of God.' And in this desire were included also others whom he had intended to visit, but had been prevented, 'who had not seen his face in the flesh.' We owe to this the Epistle to the Philippians and that to the Colossians. The latter of these was sent at the same time with the Epistle to the Ephesians, and probably during its writing had given rise to that more systematic exposition of the doctrine of the Christian Church. The Epistle to