on

Saturday night they met. But we are asked, How, then, if the day continued onwards till the evening of Sunday, did Paul depart “ the morrow," supposing him to have left on the Sunday morning? The word epaurion, rendered "on the morrow," does not necessarily denote a different day, but difference in time of day. Were we to read, "Paul discoursed with them ready to depart in the morning," we should, we apprehend, be quite as near both the meaning of the word and the fact of the case. The term epaurion is a compound word composed of epi-upon, or in composition towards, and aurion, from aura, the morning air. So that it is no forcing of the text to read as suggested, but on the contrary shews that the evangelist used a word which interfered neither with the Jewish nor Greek method of calculating time, and was yet equally intelligible to both readers. According to Jewish notions, Paul left the day the brethren met; according to ours, he left the day after; but the term employed by Luke clears the question.-ED.

CHRISTIAN LIFE.-QUERY AND REPLY.

DEAR BROTHER MILNER,-In Col. iii. 3, it is said, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Query-What life is it which the apostle says is hid with Christ in God? some affirm that it is the former sinful life of individuals before they became followers of the Lord; if so, shew us how this can be? An answer to the above through the Christian Advocate will oblige yours in love, Cowdenbeath, 6th Jan., 1860. GEO. RAMSAY.

The life of the third verse is evidently the same as that of the fourth. When the apostle adds to the words "Your life is hid with Christ in God" the further thought "When Christ our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory," he identifies the life as that which we have not in sin, but "in Christ," for he is said to be "our life," and he being now hid from us in God, our life is also said to be hid with him in God. But when he our life is no longer hid, but appears in glory divine, then we as the sons of God, made like to the first-born, shall also appear in like glory. His glory is now hid, so ours; but when his is manifested, so ours also.-ED.

SEAT RENTS.-QUERY AND REPLY.

DEAR BROTHER MILNER,-Is there any good and proper reason why the incidental attendants at the meetings of the Christian Disciples may not contribute towards the defraying of the rental of meeting-house. Your or any contributor's reply, will oblige

Y.

To sanction such a thing were to introduce a custom not only unknown in the New Testament, but manifestly repugnant to its principles. It is the institution of a co-partnery between the church and world, exactly of such a kind as the unconverted are most disposed to accept, and by which the church is most likely to suffer. Once a man's money is taken for a given object, he cannot in truth be told that he has neither part nor lot in the matter. And it is no answer to say-Well he pays for his seat and he gets it, for in truth he pays not for the seat so much as what he hears, and so doing it

cannot be argued that the gospel is preached to him without charge. In short it is the insertion of the point of the wedge of a purely worldly policy which cannot fail to operate injuriously upon the churches. At whatever cost let us maintain a consistent adhesion to the great priniple that men first give themselves to the Lord, and to his people ccording to the will of God, and then offer their gifts.-ED.

Cloud of Witnesses.

REFLECTIONS ON A SKULL.-Such of our readers (a fast-lessening and!) as were pupils of that remarkable man and first-rate teacher, Or John Barclay, must remember well his sudden bursts, made all e more memorable, that he disliked formal moralizing upon his vourite science. There was one occasion when he never failed to reak out. It was when concluding his description of the bones of e skull. His old pupils knew what was coming, the new ones were et a wondering; all saw some suppressed emotion working within im-his language was more close and rapid; that homely, sensible, Onest face, was eager with some acknowledged central feeling, and after nishing the Sella Turcica, and the clinoid processes, he threw down e sphenoid bone, and the time being up, and his hand on the open or of that well-known arena in which he moved, he seemed as leaving; indeed, we believe he intended then to leave, when turng round upon the class, with a face serious almost to anger, and a ice trembling with feeling, he said, "Yes gentlemen! there is a od, omnipotent, omnificent, and eternal," and vanished under the llery into his room. Depend upon it, this single sentence made a eper impression on his hearers than any more elaborate demonstran after the manner of Paley.---Locke and Sydenham. By John own, M.D.

Intelligence.

THE EVANGELIST AT WORK. Of date January 16th, Brother therham writes from Findochty, Banffshire,-"We are having fine hearing in this village of respectable, intelligent fishermen. od meetings for two Lord's days, and on the intervening Monday 1 Friday evenings. Besides conversations daily of a very ingeous and interesting character. The village is in a fine agitation. e ministers of the neighbourhood are alarmed, but pursue a aking policy. Three "Revds." refused my speaking at a village ree on Thursday last-quite to the annoyance of the villagers I their own damage. I had a better congregation on Friday, tly, I suppose, in consequence. Already we are reaping a little it. We have been into the woods two miles off this morning, at daybreak immersed an honest, pious, respectable fisherman I his good wife, whose daughter was immersed in Banff some time ce. We may immerse more before I leave. But, at all events, ny are convinced, and we may hope for much fruit eventually. have sanguine hopes of two worthy men-Independents-who are eady convinced. One of them confessed to a neighbour that (reing to a fireside chat with me) although he laid on all his oars, could not make one inch head-way against me. Next Lord's day I probably conclude my stay here, as the fishermen will be off im

mediately almost to West Highland fishing. Bro. Hossack came over on Saturday again and left this morning. Next Lord's day I expect three or four over from Banff, and that we shall join in the Royal feast and mutual teaching. Probably I will return to Banff for the last Lord's day in January. This brings me to say that the Banff brethren cordially desire me to extend my stay for the month of February also. Portsay, Macduff, Fraserburgh, and Peterhead will be the rival openings for my labours. Portsay is connected by a 6d. or 8d. railway ride with Banff." It was hoped that Bro. Rotherham should by this time have been joined by Bro. Hurt, of Tottenham, but in the meantime his health and the work immediately before him preclude; we trust, however, that his health may shortly be fully restored.-ED.

REVIVALISM IN THE WEST OF SCOTLAND.-Glasgow city and neighbourhood have been under sensible and manifest revival on religious subjects during these many months past, and the baptised congregations have felt the prevailing influence in a considerable degree. There are twenty organised and separate congregations in this city, besides many in the surrounding towns. Some of them holding a reciprocal communion, others have little interchange of sentiment and still less of fellowship. The baptisms during last year in the case of eight churches, which we have taken note of, number four hundred persons, and this with little or no aid from exciting and pathetic lectures. A silent, steady advance has been made, and is making, and the present must form a noticeable epoch in the spread of Baptist principles and sympathies. A century will soon close since baptism by immersion of professed believers in Jesus was practised here. Many, very many, have been the backsliding brethren, too many have been like the twelve chosen men sent to spy out the fair land of promise, and become frightened at imaginary giants-they have left the advance ground and fallen again into the ranks of Pedobaptism-under the false and dangerous name " Forbearance!" A brighter day will arise-" The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits," as, perhaps, this Revivalism may be a prelude to it. A great earthquake precedes the dividing of the city into three parts" when Babylon"-spiritual Babylon-" came in remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath ;" and the rending asunder of long established and well-defined practices-in which men have taken shelter as being divine ordinances-they will be left naked and their shame seen to all men. Let then the solemn and admonitory words of the Lord Jesus in this the latter day have a due effect on every mind, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garment."- —J. B., Glasgow.

BAPTISMS.-A married man gave himself to the Lord and was added to the church in Crossgates by baptism, December 29th. Since last report, three very promising young men were baptised and added to the church in Banff. At Pathhead, Fife, on Lord's-day, January 15th, one male, and on Thursday, 19th, one male and three females, after confessing the Saviour, were baptised into his death. Two young persons were last month baptised, in Nicolson-street Hall, Edinburgh, and added to the church.

Printed by Samuel Owen, Wrexham.

"WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE."

ADVOCACY implies a cause. Where there is no cause, there can be no advocacy. An advocate is one who pleads the cause of another. When then it is said, "We have an Advocate," it is of course meant that we have a cause or interest at stake, and that it is committed to the defence of him whom we style our advocate.

A cause, moreover, implies a question of right or wrong. It not only denotes an issue, but a charge. It supposes wrong one way or other, and the object of advocacy is to save from the issue of the wrong committed or charged.

A trial is also implied. Every cause requires to be duly heard. It cannot be advocated without a hearing. No hearing, no advocacy. It is at the trial principally that the ser vices of the advocate are required. When then we say that we have an advocate, we admit that we have a cause involving a question of right or wrong, and that we anticipate the due trial of our cause, and that at this crisis, in particular, our advocate will be in his place and make himself heard on our behalf.

But more than this. For in so speaking, it is also meant that we have committed our cause to the advocacy of him of whom we so speak and hope. It is implied that we have availed ourselves of his personal willingness to serve us in his official capacity. It denotes that whatever the terms of that service be, we have complied therewith, and may now, without presumption or arrogance, think of this friend and say respecting him, "We have an advocate."

Herein lies the speciality of these words of the apostle. For it is plain that when he says, "And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous," he refers to those who, like himself, had entered into that blessed covenant relationship which is had only through the gospel. He addresses those who were participators with him in that hallowed fellowship which is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

By this it is not meant that mankind at large have no interest in the advocacy of the Lord Messiah, but that those only who, by the reception of the Saviour as presented for the acknowledgement of mankind in the gospel, derive the benefit of his advocacy. God has graciously given all men an interest No. 3, Vol. IV.-March, 1859.

in his Son, our Saviour; but all men have not taken advantage of this God-given interest. And thus it is that the apostle restricts himself as he does. In speaking of the Saviour as an Advocate, he speaks of him as our Advocate-the Christian's Advocate. But in speaking of him as the propitiation, he declares him to be not merely the satisfaction for the sins of those whose Advocate he is, but the propitiation for the whole world. Altogether, this language is most significant, “And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." In respect to advocacy, there is limitation, but in regard to propitiation, there is the widest universality.

The truth is, the Saviour does not, will not, cannot advocate the cause of that man who declines acceptance of his advocacy. There must, in the nature of things, be a personal recognition of the Messiah in his official relationships before the benefits of his advocacy can extend to any individual sinner. But with respect to his becoming the propitiation or satisfaction for the sins of the world, man required not to be consulted. His becoming the propitiation for the sins of the world qualified him to become the Advocate of all who, complying with the terms of the good news, commit their cause to him. Just as among men a man does not require to consult those who may become his future clients whether he shall qualify himself to become an advocate, so the Saviour had no need to take counsel of mankind whether, by giving himself for them, he should qualify himself as Advocate with the Father. But just as a man must accept the services of a qualified advocate in order to derive the benefit of his advocacy, so must sinners receive the Saviour as such, or in other words, commit their cause to him before they can say, “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the

righteous."

Now in contemplating the Messiah as the Advocate of his people, we find their cause guarranteed by at least three considerations-we refer to the standing, character, and interest of the Paraclete.

As to standing it is said, "We have an Advocate with the Father." Now these words, "with the Father," suggest the status or position of our Advocate. And this is of first importance, because were he not of sufficient standing he could not plead in the proper court. Our cause is one that must be