let thy most sacred blood cover and atone for these and all other sins! Be thou in the midst of us, and manifest thyself graciously and mercifully to our souls, that like thy disciples, we may experience thy mighty acts and wonderful works, and may thus be in a state to publish and recommend them effectually to others. Do this, and hear and answer this our prayer, for the sake of thy precious blood and merits!

Now, O Spirit of power and love

On my heart and soul flow down;

That I may thy influence prove,

And thy mighty acts make known. Amen!

Let us therefore read something respecting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the primitive believers on the sacred day of Pentecost, from

ACTS, CHAP. II. VERSES 1-4.

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all, with one accord, in one place. And suddenly there, came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house, where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Ghost, and began to gave them utterance."

And they were all filled with the Holy speak with other tongues as the Spirit

WHEN We look closely into the Holy Scriptures, we find that mention is made in them of three very

peculiar manifestations of the divine majesty and glory, in which God revealed himself in a more than ordinary manner. The first of these manifestations, which was made to the people of Israel, took place on the first Pentecostal day of the Old Testament, on the fiftieth day after the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, when the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai, and revealed himself, in great majesty, to so many thousands of the children of men from the Mount, with the sound of a loud trumpet, with thunders and lightnings, and with earthquakes, in such a manner, that the whole mountain trembled and smoked; as we may read by reference to Exodus chap. xx.

The second majestic and glorious revelation of God took place, likewise, in a general manner, to many thousands of people on the Pentecostal day of the New Testament, precisely fifty days after the resurrection of Christ. There came, as we have just heard, a rushing mighty wind from heaven, and the glory of the Divine Majesty manifested itself upon the disciples, not only upon the twelve Apostles, but upon the whole multitude of believers, and that quite openly, and in the sight of many thousand Jews and other people, who were present from all parts and quarters of the globe; even as we find various nations mentioned in the following 9th, 10th, and 14th verses.

The third great and general majestic revelation of the glory of God, of which the Scripture speaks, will take place at the great judgment day, when the

Son of man will appear in his glory, in the clouds of heaven, and all his holy angels with him, to judge all the kindreds of the earth.

All these three manifestations have the most intimate reference to each other, and the one always points to the other.

On the first Jewish Pentecost, in the Old Testament, the law of fear was given them, from Mount Sinai, written, with the finger of God, on tables of stone. In the second manifestation, on the Pentecost of the New Testament, the law of grace and love was given, written in the hearts of believers by the Holy Spirit, as by the gracious finger of Deity. The last great day of the manifestation of the Divine Majesty will show, when the Lord shall judge according to the law, which each one shall have had, whether and how he has lived and acted according to it. Paul clearly teaches this in the 2nd chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, where he thus writes, in the 9th, 10th, and following verses, Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man, that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. But glory, honour, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the law. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel."

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Now it might be said, what have we to do with

the first day of Pentecost, when God gave the law from Mount Sinai; for that law has been abolished? It is true, that in so far as it has reference to mere ceremonies, this law is abolished, and has no reference to us, as members of the New Testament; for Christ has torn asunder the handwriting that was against us on the cross. But the essential part of the Sinaitic law, instead of being abolished by Christ and his Spirit, is intended to be established in our hearts, by the faith of Christ. Now, the essential part of this law consists in this, that we should fear the Lord our God, walk in all his ways, and love him with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our strength. (Num. x. 12.) This command, as the substance of the law and the prophets, together with all other moral precepts, which are contained in the Ten Commandments, are also given to us. The Lord must render imperative upon us, upon every soul in particular, the law of fear. This commonly takes place at the commencement of conversion, when the Lord quickens and stirs up the law in our consciences and hearts, places before our eyes, on the one hand, its righteous and severe demands, and on the other, gives us clearly to know our departure from it, and entire inability to fulfil it; at the same time impressively convincing us of our damnable condition, namely, that according to the strict and blameless requirements of the law, we must inevitably be condemned, and that without mercy. Now when such a salutary terror is produced in the individual, respecting the state of his soul, and the sins he had.

previously committed; when he begins to see that the law is spiritual, but that he is carnal, and, as it were, sold under sin, and the law, with all its claims, presses itself upon him, with its perfect justice, then it is that the Lord proclaims the law from Mount Sinai, the law of fear. It then fares with such persons as it did with the children of Israel; they could not endure the voice of the Lord; there was nothing in them but terror, trembling, and quaking before the Majesty of God, which caused them to make the greatest promises. "All things," said they, "which the Lord hath spoken to us, we will do." Such is also the case with those, who are inwardly touched, convinced, and reproved by God, through the law. O, the individual then forms the fairest resolutions ! he will now act in a better maaner, he will now most assuredly lead a different life, and a better course; but it is never accomplished. The most sacred resolutions are never carried into effect; and, in the meantime, the mind remains disturbed, and the conscience is never satisfied. There must therefore be a new Pentecostal day, in order that men may be saved, namely, the Pentecost of the New Testament, in which the Holy Spirit, and with it, the love of God is shed abroad in the heart, in which the law is given in his heart, and written in his mind, and the man is thus entirely born again. Therefore, says Paul, "What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might.