the rude and uncultivated state of the inhabitants of several of these countries; and by the difficulty of recording events even at the time and in the places of their occurrence, and of communicating the records, if made, to other places and times.

Such considerations may possibly account in some measure for the scantiness of the information possessed by us concerning the lives and acts of many of our Lord's Apostles. But whatever the causes may have been, the fact is notorious. From the early history of the Church we learn, that in the course of a few years from the ascension of our Saviour his religion had been preached, and made its way, through the instrumentality of his Apostles, over the most distant regions of the then known world; from the different extremes of Scythia, and of Mauritania and the southern Ethiopia, to Parthia and India eastward, and to the furthest bounds of the west. But of those who preached and propagated it, we know comparatively little; as is particularly true with respect to the former, or rather to both, of the Saints of this day.

One valuable practical reflexion may be drawn from this fact; namely, that as they, who were employed in this the most important service ever intrusted to the hands of men, ap

pear to have been little anxious about promoting and perpetuating their own honour, so God probably designed us to understand by the example, that it is not the honour of men, which those who come after them, in the preaching or in the profession of his Gospel, ought to propose to themselves for their reward, in the furtherance of his will and in the execution of their duty. If honour from men be given, it is to be acquiesced in, under a sense of gratitude and humility before the Lord of all. Men at least should bestow it, where it is deserved: if things are "lovely" and deserving" of good report," with affection and good report they should be esteemed of. And thus we honour and commemorate, as we deem to be our duty, with suitable solemnity "the glorious company of the Apostles" and "the noble army of martyrs," who have toiled and bled for the faith of Christ. But whether or not they may have been, or now may be, honoured by men, is to them of no consequence: nor will our condition in that particular be eventually of any consequence to us. Suffice it that we endeavour, faithfully and with a good conscience, to do our duty in that state of life, to which it may please God to call us; and whether our names be circulated and live in the mouths of our fellow-creatures, or sink in obscurity and silence, it will matter not

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in that day, when "to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality," God will render" glory, honour, and peace:" when "them that honour him, he will honour, and they only that despise him shall be lightly esteemed."

Thus much with regard to the little notoriety, in a worldly view, of these, and of others of the Apostles. Meanwhile the only incident, in which St. Jude is related to have borne a part, may lead to a reflexion on his want of discernment, in confounding his own gross and temporal notions of the character of our Lord with those spiritual notions, which our Lord himself purposed to convey. Our Saviour spoke of "manifesting himself to his disciples;" meaning that he would grant special manifestations of his favour to those who should be specially qualified to receive them. Judas asked, "How is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" The same object being presented to the outward vision of different beholders, it is not in the course of nature that it should be seen by some, and not seen by others. The manifestation therefore of Christ to his disciples, supposing such manifestation to be in a gross temporal sense, must have implied a manifestation of him to others likewise, or generally to the world at large. But the mani

festation, of which our Lord spoke, was that spiritual manifestation of himself to the inward man, which was to be spiritually discerned: and the distinction teaches us to see, that, however men may resemble each other in temporal qualities, so as to have the like perception of sensible objects, they may be very different from each other in their perception of spiritual objects, since the manifestation of our Lord to his disciples did not imply in it a manifestation of him to the world at large.

The answer of our Lord both admits the distinction, and at the same time explains it. "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Whence we learn, that, in order to our enjoyment of a manifestation of our Saviour to our hearts, it is in the first place necessary that we love him; according to those numerous declarations by himself and by his inspired messengers, which represent the love of God and of Christ as the foundation of the duty of man. And secondly we learn the necessity of obeying him: "If a man love me, he will keep my words." "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." And certainly no one sentiment is more distinctly, more earnestly, more frequently inculcated in Scripture, than the futility of all pre

tensions to the love of God and our Saviour, which are not evidenced by the keeping of the divine commandments. To those who do love their Redeemer, and who do testify their love by their obedience, we are here further taught by him, that they shall enjoy the love of God in return that the Father and the Son, by the Spirit, will come unto them, and will make their abode with them, bestowing on them greater accessions of spiritual knowledge, and continual strength and comfort in the Holy Ghost; in a word bestowing upon them that special manifestation of the Son of God, which, whilst it is not communicated to the unbelieving world, or to the professing but inconsistent believer, is the peculiar property and privilege of his faithful and obedient disciples.

One word may be added, with reference to the Epistle left for the benefit of the Church by one of the Saints of this day; the same, to whose dialogue with our Lord we have been just adverting. Particular temporary considerations gave occasion for the Apostle to address that Epistle to the members of the Christian community; and to "exhort them to contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." These peculiar considerations need not occupy our thoughts at present. But the result of them on the mind of the Apostle is