LEADER OF THE VISIBLE CHURCH, it becomes manifest that the Lord's promise to be with his people included no provision which should secure it, even in the most critical conjunctures, from fatal mistakes. On this ground we find other principles to be in operation; those namely which are symbolized in the parable.-He who had sown christianity over the world, as a system of opinions and as a visible corporation, slept and rose, night and day,' leaving it to make its progress 'he knew not how,' that is, uncontrolled by direct interpositions.

No one moment in the history of the Church can be named more fearfully critical than that which was reached at the time when the bishop of Hippo stood before christendom in the prime and vigour of his religious course. The fate of Europethe religious and political condition of the western nations, during centuries, was then trembling on the point between an abyss of ignorance and anarchy, and a possible renovation. None but romanists will deny that the Church, at the commencement of the fifth century, had gone far upon the road of (to say the very least) perilous superstitions. Augustine himself acknowledges this, and laments, when his better reason prevailed, the exuberance of ceremonies, and the intolerable load of dead formalities then threatening to suffocate all genuine piety. There was, at this time, a downward rush toward all those follies and abuses which

* If my narrow limits permitted, I would gladly make large quotations from Augustine's two Epistles to Januarius, (Epist. lib. i. epist. 54, 55) to which however I beg to refer the reader: they are peculiarly significant in reference to the temper and practices of the times. The churches were so overloaded with ceremonies that the condition of the jewish people in this respect was 'more tolerable' than that of christians; and yet Augustine, feeling as he did, not merely the weight of the load, but its ill tendency, instead of boldly going back, at once, to the apostolic rule, and arguing from the spirit and intention of that rule (Gal. iv. 9—11) so leaves the door open to superstition, that no bar was placed in the way of foolish and mischievous innovations; nor in fact was any effective endeavour made to rid the churches of these encumbrances. Augustine seems, once and again, to be approaching a faithful protest against the formalism and will-worship of the universal church, and yet he draws back, terrified at the possibility, as it seems, of being ranked by his high church friends, among the hated and persecuted remonstrants. Another opportunity will present itself for showing, in particular instances, to what lengths this great and good man went in sanctioning the most dangerous superstitions of his times.

rendered christianity an object of contempt to the saracen conquerors of the next century. Yet was there, at the same time, a rising movement toward reform. The question of apostolic simplicity in matters of observance, was moved; more than two or three raised a remonstrant voice against the frauds, abuses, and illusions of the age. This remonstrance, had it been listened to as it deserved, and entertained in a humble and christian temper, to what happy reforms might it not have led? Had there been found, among the principal churchmen of that age, a common measure of discretion, or humility, and practical wisdom, a timely check might have been given to the natural progress of this mass of errors; yes, and the papacy, and its sanguinary history, might have been cut short, and pure christianity once again sent out through the world! And who better than Augustine might have led this early reformation, commanding as he did, by his piety and talents, the respectful regards of christendom, and himself possessing, beyond any of his contemporaries whose writings have come down to us, a true feeling in theology. It remained only, that, in a tone of christian meekness and wisdom, he should have entered upon a mild parley with the remonstrants. He might well have made himself the interpreter of their principles, and have taken up their argument. In one word he might have thrown himself ingenuously upon the inspired rule of faith, challenging the Church to follow him in the path of a sincere return to apostolic authority. Thousands, on all hands, it is probable, would have responded joyfully to such a challenge. There was, as is evident, a latent, yet powerful feeling of impatience under the weight of human inventions: men groaned beneath the load, and waited only for a voice which should have bid them throw it aside. Oh that it had been whispered to Augustine, at that dark moment, to think, and speak, and act, as a true father of the Church! A wise religious reform, at that moment, must have renovated Europe, socially and politically: it could not but have imparted a moral force to the western nations, enabling them to repel the barbaric hordes; and would at the same time have given to each community the internal vigour, requisite for constituting itself irrespectively of the dissolving empire. And how shall we estimate the religious consequences

of a return, at that time, to the christianity of the New Testament?

Fruitless regrets are these! Augustine, the hope the last hope of his times, joined hands with the besotted bigots around him who would listen to no reproofs ;-he raised his voice among the most intemperate, to drown remonstrance. Superstition, and spiritual despotism, illusion, knavery, and abject formalism, received a new warrant from the high seat of influence which he occupied the church drove its chariot, with mad haste, down the steep, and thenceforward nothing marks its history but blasphemy, idolatry, and blood! The popery which even now is gathering over our heavens from all quarters, is little else than the digested superstition which the good Augustine set forward in his day.

Whatever other instance we might select, the inference will, I think, be the same-namely, that the Church, meaning thereby the visible system, has been left, from age to age (if the phrase will not be misunderstood) to its fate, among other systems, exposed to the east wind, and to the north wind-liable to droughts and to hurricanes, to blights and to mildews; and that, while vitally benefited by grace imparted to individuals, and externally benefited by the incomparable excellence of its theology and morals, it has never been what the theory of the papacy supposes it to have been always; or what the scheme of church principles assumes it to have been down to the middle of the fifth century.

And yet, in perfect consistency with protestant principles, we may look on the other side of this dark-coloured tissue, and thence derive comfort in regard to our faith in the divine government. One kind of consolation, and it is sufficient, connected with a review of church history, is drawn from the recollection that the true church-the company of the faithful—the mystic body, has never failed, whatever evils might abound in the visible church; but another sort of consolation remains to us in reviewing the course of events, as parts of the GREAT SCHEME OF HUMAN True it is that the ecclesiastical system of the sixth century, if compared with apostolic christianity, deserves the most decisive reprobation: barely can it claim to be called

AFFAIRS.

christianity. And yet, when this mass of superstition is regarded in relation to the paganism which it had supplanted, the horrid usages it had put down, or the ferocious northern temper which it tamed, who will not admire the plain indications of a benign interposition, mitigating evils which were not to be averted, and making provision for the transmission, to a better age, of the elements of natural and religious truth, which otherwise must have utterly perished: the deluge was indeed to come; but an ark was provided.

Thus too, those very establishments, and that same ascetic doctrine, which, as related to pure christian principles and morals, we wholly condemn; when viewed on another side, and in relation to the lawless violence, the confusion, the anarchy, and the gross sensuality and ferocity of those ages of barbarism, we must regard gratefully ;-gratefully, in a religious sense, as instances of that economy of mercy which marks the divine government of the world. Terrible evils are permitted to exist, and to hold their sway, during long periods; nevertheless there are means of relief, there are assuagements, there are places of asylum, and cities of refuge;—there is ever a balm, a medicine, a redemption, included in the divinely governed economy of human affairs.

In this view then, we return once more to the broad import of our Lord's parable. Taking it as in analogy with that of the grain of mustard seed,' and as referring to VISIBLE CHRISTIANITY, we may trace its application to the course of events, through eighteen centuries.

The seed sown over all the roman field, quickly sprang up, and how cheering was the greenness of true virtue, beneficence, and meek wisdom, which suddenly brightened the face of the wilderness ! 6 First the blade'-that is to say, a grateful moral verdure and beauty, full of promise. But the religion of Christ, considered as a visible institute, and as related to other religious systems and to civil polities, was to become fruitful: it was not to remain a mere system of opinions, or moral rule: it was to overpass all institutes, to survive all existing polities, and, in the end, to be the only religion, and the only polity: for all the kingdoms of the world shall, at the last, become visibly the kingdoms of Christ, so that the universal empire which was once offered

to Messiah in mockery by Satan, shall be conferred in truth by him who hath, in his eternal counsel, 'set his king on his holy hill.'

'Then the ear.'-A tangible promise of the future visible triumph of christianity, was given when imperial Rome, herself mistress of the world, threw off her paganism, bowed to Christ, and placed his doctrine and law where they should ever be, by the side of the throne. The public triumph of the Gospel under Constantine and his successors, whatever incidental evils may have resulted from it, should be regarded as the 'earing' of this' plant of renown.'

Then the full corn in the ear.'-The gradual development (commenced at the reformation) of the genuine principle of NATIONAL RELIGIOUS EXISTENCE, which is just now struggling through its crisis, as well of argument as of political strife, but is destined to make its way, shall be understood at length, and gratefully acknowledged and submitted to as the true and only foundation of just, peaceful, beneficent, and permanent government: then shall the meek inherit the earth.'

The argument intended to be drawn from this parable (a key parable it might be called) may thus be summed up-That' HE who soweth the seed' is the Lord himself, and not any of his ministers, appears from the attribution of the sovereign and final act to the same party;—it is He who putteth in the sickle; and especially must we think so when this particular phrase is considered where it occurs in other places of Scripture. That the parable, in its principal sense at least, relates to the church and doctrine of Christ as visible and as cognizable by all men, and not to the true church and the spiritual economy, appears from the terms under which its progress is spoken of;-'it groweth, he knoweth not how,' by the energies of the 'earth' which receives it, and while he who has sown it sleeps, and wakes, waiting passively the time when the field of the world shall be yellow to the harvest. Now, while the changing condition of visible christianity in the world from age to age, is doubtless, along with all other institutes, systems of opinions, social interests, and events, great and small, good and evil, under the exact control of the Supreme Will and Wisdom, yet the parable, as well as the manifest