and we are left "without God in the world." But while thinking of him as human we are also compelled to think of him as divine, as having transcendent conditions of existence, which cannot be participated in by any creature, and which cannot be represented in thought by the imaginative faculty. He is the Infinite One, whose existence fills eternity, whose presence fills immensity, and between whom and the noblest of his creatures there must ever remain an immeasurable distance. The awful grandeurs and unfathomable mysteries of the Godhead bridle the freedom of speculation, humble the pride of reasoning, and restrain the boldness of speech. "Dangerous were it for the feeble brain of man to wade far into the doings of the Most High, whom, although to know be life, and joy to make mention of his name, yet our soundest knowledge is to know that we know him not as he is, neither can know him; and our safest eloquence concerning him is our silence, when we confess without confession that his glory is inexplicable, his greatness above our capacity and reach. He is above, and we upon earth; therefore it behoveth our words to be wary and few."

EDITOR.

ART. VI.-MERCY RATHER THAN SACRIFICE: THE LAW OF CHRISTIAN LIFE.

AN EXPOSITION.

"And it came to pass as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples. And when the pharisees saw it they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners? But when Jesus heard that he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice; for I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."-Matt. ix. 10-13.

THIS paragraph discloses the very spirit of Christianity. In the

He is, himself, its best exponent. Taking him as its type, it is not simply to be accounted a serious thing. It is a thing of joy and gladness, imbued with a spirit of love and power. The son

* Hooker.

of man came eating and drinking. Accordingly those who espoused his cause were found to be liberal and hospitable. Though he never encouraged what is called "free living," yet he always did encourage the moderate use of the good things of this life. Whatever was bland, cheerful, and of happy tendency; whatever was humane, beneficient and benevolent he smiled on, and approved. No monkish sanctity or monkish sentimentalism. found quarter with him. His was a religion for the open stage of life. It was pervaded with love too, and quite at variance with the crabbed and morose Judaism then prevailing. The popular religion had degenerated into dry uninteresting forms and points. Under the name of zeal for God a system of religious bitterness held sway. It is an outbreak of this that is manifested in the record before us. Here is an interesting scene-a feast, held in the house of this first evangelist or gospel-writer. In his modesty he slips over the fact that the entertainment was got up in his house and at his cost. The third evangelist publishes what could not come so well from Matthew's pen. "And Levi" (the same as Matthew) "made him a great feast in his own house and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down. with them." Luke v. 29. His call to grace brought forth good fruits and budded forth in hospitable deeds. Unwilling to lose sight of his former associates he invited a large company of persons who pursued the same unpopular calling which he had now abandoned, that they might reap the benefit of Christ's society and discourse. Their presence gave occasion to what comes out in the sequel. Here are some practical lessons for us to dwell The first is

on.

I. THAT IT IS LAWFUL AND PROPER FOR CHRISTIANS TO ASSOCIATE WITH SINNERS, TO DO THEM GOOD.-Not for any purpose is it lawful to companionate with sinners-but to do them good. This is the ground on which our Master justified himself for being found in bad company. The pharisees took exception to his free manners and to the cordial bearing he observed in the presence of ungodly publicans. They wished to shape him by their square, and to see him act by the rule of holiness as they held it. But his character was not like their's, cut into hard squares and severe points; it was a beautiful round, without a single corner, a globe of virtues, perfectly human, one merging into another, and the whole adjusted by the law of proportion. On the subject of communion there was an angle in their notions where his ideas were quite circular. Because he did not scowl and frown on the sinful part of the guests, and keep them at a distance, or bid them quit the table, the precise pharisees murmured out their displeasure to his disciples, not having the fortitude to make a direct attack upon himself. Their objection was based on a right principle, and was plausible.

It is a true rule that there must be a distinction preserved between good and bad characters, and that the good must be careful to maintain their purity intact. Scripture precept is clear and ample to this purpose. It is indirectly hinted-" Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Ps. i. 1. It is plainly forbidden to hold fellowship with sinners,-" And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Eph. v. 11. The subject is logically argued, on the ground of an eternal difference between right and wrong, moral good and evil. (See Cor. vi. 14-18.) How then does the conduct of Jesus agree with this? We are to be separate from sinners-he was surrounded with them. We are to come out from among themhe went in among them. We are to shun them-he sought them. It was a fine handle for these separatists. Putting the worst construction on it, they insinuated that he was like-minded with these sinners, that he endorsed their sins, and was in full sympathy with their character. It was easy for him to repel this charge, and make out his vindication in a few simple utterances. His first argument was, that these moral invalids were in need of medical aid and oversight. He was present amongst them as the Physician of souls. Even a doctor of medicine is allowed to be amongst his patients. The decency and respectability he is accustomed to may be lacking in certain quarters where his vocation calls him. None but unreasonable people would find fault with him for being in low company. And he himself would be unworthy of his humane profession, if he could not overstep genteel and seemly limits to minister to the sick and perishing. Blessed Saviour! Though his sense of right and his recoil at impurity were in advance of any man's he was always ready to stand face to face with the veriest moral outcasts where good might be done. On errands of mercy, we may venture into similar scenes. In general we must observe the precepts and cautions of Scripture about ungodly company. Yet we must not strain those precepts and cautions to generate unkindly feelings towards the wicked, or to discourage them from coming over to us and to our principles. An overfreedom will bring us under the charge of sanctioning their sins. An over-strictness will nurse moroseness and engender self-conceit. Towards a sinful world, which needs your kindness and your prayers, avoid a spirit of bitterness. Asceticism and misanthrophy are no part of Christianity. It breathes philanthropy, generosity, tenderness. Its purity makes it flinch from sin. Its charity prompts it to seek the sinner, to recover, convert, and save him. We must not go with sinners, but we must, if possible, get sinners to come with us. If our presence with them under certain circumstances will open to us a door of usefulness, and enable us

Are we not

to do them spiritual service, our Master's example indicates what should be done. The problem to be wrought out is, how to do the world a benefit without getting spiritual damage to ourselves. We are less free to follow Christ in this direction than in some other things. And why? because of the difference there is between him and us. He had more power against evil than we have. He was less susceptible of moral contagion than we are. His virtue was proof against temptation. The company of satan for forty days in succession leaves not the scent of evil on him. But who are we that we should adventure so prolonged a trial? weak? And are not the cautions of the scripture based upon the fact that we are weak? Our aptitude at imbibing the spirit of those we associate with, is the ground and reason of the scripture cautions and precepts that are given to us. Why must we keep good company? Just that our defective goodness may be strengthened and matured. "He that walketh with wise men shall be wise." Prov. xiii. 20. Why must we shun evil company? Just that we may not become evil by inhaling the bad breath of our associates, and so adopt their character. "Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man thou shalt not go, lest thou learn his ways and get a snare to thy soul." Prov. xxii. 24-25. The weak should avoid trying occasions. Some strongminded christians might take a liberty that would be fatal to others. Very admonitory things have taken place for want of due caution, or by christians dashing heedlessly into the battle field. without respect to their armour, or miscalculating their moral vigour. Hence it is, that some have parleyed with infidels to make believers of them, and instead of succeeding have themselves become infidels. Others have sought to reform the degraded and vile, and coming into close contact with coarse vice have been entangled and conquered, and fallen deep into the pit whence they sought to lift others. Their fall is our beacon of warning. Being much in the presence of sinners we are almost sure to take harm. Sad to think that we should be so low in character, when, if we had more of the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind we might be better able to render service to the world! Many christians have so little spiritual power in them that it is unsafe for them to grapple with the world. Let us be wise in our generation. If we be very much in the society of sinners we will take hurt. If we seldom or never allow ourselves social contact with sinners we shall abridge our opportunities of doing them good. Exclusiveness never did and never can serve the cause of truth and love. It tends to widen the breach between the church and the world. It repels and hardens. It sets religion in an aspect of unlovely asperity. As the lights of the world, we must not be darkened by retirement, nor hidden in a shell. We must

come forth and glow, and shine on the highways of the world. Connivance at sin would misbecome us; but so would neglect of the sinner. Every sinner is related to us, being of like constitution, having a soul valuable as our's, redeemed by the same blood, and just as capable of salvation. Let us play the physician to our perishing kindred, and thus show ourselves the followers of Jesus. So far our first lesson. A second lesson is

II. THAT KINDNESS IS PREFERABLE TO RELIGIOUS EXACTNESS AND OSTENTATION.—"But go ye and learn what that meaneth; I will have mercy and not sacrifice." By the way, the great Teacher is a fine example to preachers in the respect which he pays to the written word, and the frequency with which he refers to and quotes from it. Both in respect to doctrine and duty his appeal is mostly to the sacred canon, although he was himself an authority, and was truth embodied. The quotation in this instance is from Hosea vi. 6. "I desired mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." We may subject this quotation to that rule of interpretation which allows the negative to be understood as a comparative. "I desired mercy and not sacrifice," meaning "I desired mercy rather than sacrifice." That this is the true import is evident on reading the second clause of the verse" and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." It is important to apply this rule of substituting the comparative for the negative in this instance. It saves us from going into a crusade against religious formalities. Both the mercy and the sacrifice are well pleasing to God, for he appointed both. And why should his own appointments and ordinances be otherwise than pleasant to him? If both mercy and sacrifice can be attended to, by all means let them have attention, and never in any instance treat either negligently. It is only when they come into collision, and one of them must perforce be foregone, that there can be any warrant to discard either. In case of collision, the preference must be given to mercy, and the sacrifice suffer the indignity of neglect. It is fitter that the letter of religion suffer than that the spirit of it be violated. Let the scaffolding be injured rather than the building. The kernel is more precious than the shell. Scaffolding and shell are both useful too, though they are secondary in their respective relations. Some things are good and others are better. Let us understand terms. Sacrifice means particularly the ancient offerings presented on the Jewish altarcomprehensively it means everything pertaining to religious observances and forms. Mercy is charity, bounty, graciousness of disposition, prompting to deeds of kindness. And mercy has high privileges. It may violate church order. It may dishonour rites, and ceremonies, and positive institutions, even those which bear on them the mark of divinity, much more then those that are but of