the Israelites under their trials and privileges, he holds forth as a warning to his converts, lest they should "lust after evil things," and also fall into crimes, which the remembrance of what they had professed as Christians, would deter them from committing. He had unfortunately sufficient reason to bring before the Corinthians the case of their fathers, the Israelites; for several abuses and errors of great affinity with their's, had crept into the church at Corinth. Of these we have already noticed the immoralities commonly practised among them, the scandalous liberties, of partaking in idol feasts and temples. We next find St. Paul reproving them for the disorders committed at their religious meetings, and, as the passage in which this is is commented upon, is one, the allusions in which are frequently misapplied, it may be well to speak of it more at length.

THE EARLY Christians at Corinth, in the time of St. Paul, had established certain feasts, at which all the brethren were in the habit of meeting, for the purpose of cultivating their good will one towards another, and testifying their gratitude towards their common Redeemer. These were called "Love feasts," and they usually preceded the celebration of the Lord's Supper. In process of time, and it must have been very shortly after the establishment of Christianity amongst them, differences of opinion, in matters of religion, perhaps, as well as in other things, and separations from one another, or these and other grounds, began to prevail, so that when they met at the Table of the Lord, they divided themselves into parties, and distinct circles. And as it was customary for these parties to bring to this festival their own refreshments, so it happened, that they began to lose sight of the nature of our Lord's institution; and some came to eat and to drink as at a regular meal, hungry and thirsty for it; whilst others, from their needy circumstances, bringing nothing, tasted not of the provision which elsewhere abounded. Nor was this all; eating and drinking were at last carried to great excess; and the institution of

Christ was grossly perverted to riot and drunkenness.

And now we shall see what the faults were which St. Paul reproved; first, the schisms and consequent separating of themselves into different parties, as if they had no communion one with another; secondly, the making no distinction between the Lord's Supper, and a common meal; and lastly, the prophaning it by the sins of intemperance and drunkenness-sins which he would have reprehended at any time, and more especially so, on so solemn an occasion. Hence it is clear, that the sins which St. Paul condemned, as established in the Corinthian church, have no place in our mode of administering the Holy Communion. We have kept close to the words of our Saviour Christ, and the injunction of St. Paul, consequently the damnation threatened by the Apostle, does not regard us in the strict application in which it did the Corinthians.

IT ALSO appears that the damnation threatened to them was not the eternal damnation of the world to come; but the judgment of God in this; that by their punishment here, they might escape that eternal punishment hereafter. So that when the words of the Apostle in the latter part of this chapter, are made the pretence for keeping men from the Holy Communion of Christ's body and blood, they are perverted to a very wrong use.

IN THE 12th chapter, the design of St. Paul is to instruct the Corinthians about the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and the use that is to be made of them; and to prevent divisions in the church on that account; for which purpose he does two things: first, he takes notice, that as they had renounced heathen idolatry, God had poured on them the gifts of the Holy Spirit; that God granted to the ministers of His Church, and even to several of the believers of that time, divers extraordinary gifts; such as the gift of instructing others, of speaking and interpreting divers languages, of healing the sick, of prophecy, and such like; that all these gifts proceeded from the same Author; but that they were different, and that all those who

had received the Spirit of God, did not possess the same gifts, nor in the same degree.

SECONDLY, he shews that these gifts proceeded all from the same Spirit; and since believers compose together but one body, they ought to be employed to the common advantage and edification of the Church. This St. Paul illustrates by the comparison of a human body, and observes, that although all the members have not the same functions, nor the same dignity; yet are all, notwithstanding, necessary, and do all contribute to the good of the body. By this St. Paul would convince the Corinthians, that these gifts of the Holy Ghost, which were given them for the public good, and to unite then to each other, should not be the occasion of divisions amongst them.

THE APOSTLE (chap. xiii.) having treated of miraculous and supernatural gifts, teaches that how great and excellent soever these are, they are of no value without charity. He then proceeds to set forth the excellent acts and properties of charity, which render it the true seed and life of all spiritual endowments, and he shews it to be in itself preferable to them, and even to excel the graces of faith and hope. In the concluding chapter of the third part of this Epistle, (the xiv.) thẹ Apostle continues his advice to the gifted persons in the Corinthian Church, particularly with respect to their inspired performances in the public assemblies of Divine worship. He tells them, that of all spiritual gifts, that of prophecy, that is to say, the gift of teaching, exhorting, and explaining Scripture, was of most service in the edification of the church. This he confirms by observing how useless, and even absurd it was, to speak strange languages, if those who heard did not understand them. Secondly, He orders next, that those who spoke those languages, or who had any revelation should proceed in order, and after one another, and that there should always be somebody to interpret what they said; he directs further, that the women should keep silence in the church ; and that all things should be done with "decency and order.”

THE 15th chapter contains the Apostle's reply to the next question of the Corinthians, concerning the absolute certainty of the future state, and resurrection from the dead, of which be establishes the truth, by the fact of Christ's resurrection, laying down the evidences that prove it. The objections against this doctrine, were brought forward by the Jewish Converts, who were perplexed by the assertions of their Saddu aical Teachers; and by the Gentile Converts, whose philosophical instructors had raised a difficulty in their minds on the subject.

THE APOSTLE in conclusion (chap. xvi.) exhorts the Corinthians to contribute to a collection that was making for the churches of Judea. He promises to come and see them in a little time. He recommends to them Timothy and some other persons. He concludes with salutations and good wishes, and by declaring that those who did not love the Lord Jesus Christ sincerely, were exposed to the judgment of God, and ought not to be looked upon as members of the church.

M.

LETTER OF THE BISHOP OF EXETER TO THE LATE LORD ELDON.

THE following letter referred to by Mr. Binney, in a recent speech at Exeter Hall at a public meeting, comes so home to the heart of every person, that we insert it that it may be frequently read, marked, learned, and inwardly digested to our souls health:

"Lord Carrington's, Whitehall, Nov. 27, 1837. "My dear Lord, I take blame to myself for having, as I fear, obtruded on you some important matters of consideration, at a time when you were not prepared to admit them; or in a manner which may have been deemed too earnest and importunate. That you pardon the intrusion, I have no doubt; and that you ascribe what may have been ill-timed, or ill

considered, to the true cause-an anxious wish to lead a highly-gifted mind like yours to those thoughts which alone can satisfy it.

"Before I leave this place, instead of again trespassing upon you in person, I have resolved to commit to paper a few considerations which your own powerful mind will know how to improve, and which I humbly pray the Holy Spirit of God to impress, so far as they accord with His truth, on the hearts of both of us. I contemplate in you, my dear Lord, an object of no ordinary interest. I see a man full of years and honours,-honours richly earned, (ay, were they tenfold greater than they are) by a life which, protracted long beyond the ordinary age of man, has been employed, during all the period of service, in promoting, strengthening, and securing the best and most sacred interests of your country. I see in you the faithful, zealous, and most able advocate of the connexion of true religion with the constitution and government of England. I see in you one who has largely benefited the generation of which you have been among the most distinguished ornaments. Seeing and feeling this, I am sure you will pardon me if I exhibit even a little of undue eagerness to perform to you the only service which I can hope to render -that of exciting such a mind to those reflections by which after serving others, it can now do the best and surest service to itself. In truth, those reflections are few and brief, but most pregnant. In short, my dear Lord, I would seek most earnestly to guard you against the danger which arises from the very qualities which we most admire in you, and from the actions for which we are most grateful to you. That danger

is, lest you contemplate these matters with too much satisfaction; lest you rest upon them as the grounds of your hope of final acceptance with God. Oh, my dear Lord, the best of the sons of men must be content, or rather, must be most anxious, to look out of themselves, and above themselves for any sure hope-I will not say of justification, but-of mercy. Consider