by a mental perception of the truths and the requirements of the Gospel, we are drawn aside and deceived by the delusions of a carnal mind. Judas the traitor, who was present with our Lord on this occasion, could say as much. We are cheating ourselves to our own destruction. True happiness and peace arise solely from keeping the commandments of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. "Great peace have they who love thy law, and nothing shall offend them." The more we engage, body, soul and spirit, in doing the will of God, the more shall we know of happiness; whereas the less fervently we serve him, the less peace shall we enjoy. This supplies the key to all the inward sorrows and trials of the Christian; there is no backwardness in God to supply the blessing of peace; but there is a lack of consistency in the life and conversation of the believer, which too often mars his enjoyment of it; and on many occasions of deep heartfelt proving, when we feel as if forsaken by God, and altogether shut out from the light of his countenance, it would be well to look inwardly at our hearts, to see whether this does not arise from some root of bitterness springing up within, and to examine our daily walk that we may discover whether there is not some laxity of Christian deportment, with the indulgence of which it would not be safe for us to enjoy happiness or peace. Let us then not only "know the Lord," but "follow on to know him; " let us be diligent, and "labour more abundantly" for Christ's sake. Let us profess with the Apostle, "My Lord and my God," and let the whole of our lives shew that "we do the things which he has commanded us." Let us "do good unto all men;" and never think that we are too poor, too insignificant to do anything: let the rich give of their abundance-let the poor give even of their deep poverty; and where silver and

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gold are wanting, let the cup of cold water be given, and verily the reward shall not be withheld. The heart that has been stimulated to act for Christ, in his name and in his spirit, shall truly be partaker of a happiness and joy which nothing earthly can supply, which no earthly power can take away;-" a joy unspeakable and full of glory."

"If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them."

EXPOSITION III.

JOHN XIII. 18-35.

I speak not of you all: I know whom I have chosen but that the scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that when it has come to pass, ye may believe that I am he. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receireth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto him, Lord who is it? Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night. Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God shall also glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify him. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

A FRAGMENT out of the Gospel of St. Luke, where he is narrating the occurrences and the conversations of the

same period as John, seems very suitably to introduce the verses which we have now to consider. In the xxii. chapter, verses 28, 29, 30, Luke represents our Lord as saying, "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table, in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." "I speak not of you all, I know whom I have chosen." John xiii. 18. Judas was then present, and though he was numbered among the apostles, yet for him was reserved no such honour as eating and drinking at the Saviour's table, and sitting on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, therefore our Lord justly adds, "I speak not of you all." I know whom I have selected for that honour, even you who have continued with me faithful to my cause, sincerely attached to my person, and prepared to endure all things for the advancement of my kingdom on earth. He, however, who is not heir to such a promise, who though present here, is not, as ye are, clean," but is still impenitent, obdurate, hardened, and about to fill up the measure of his guilt,-He is now among us at this supper-table, now sitting down at this friendly meal with his master, "that the Scripture may be fulfilled, he that eateth bread with me, hath lifted up his heel against me," and "now I tell you," I mention this at the present time to you, before yet his crime is made manifest "before it come, that when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am He," that is, that ye may have this double evidence to lead you to put your trust and confidence in me; first, when you find my words verified by what is to follow, and then are led by the very same event to perceive that "I am He," whom David typically represented when using the language to which I have just referred.

We may readily conceive that this discourse of our Lord must have cast a gloom over his disciples. Could it be that one of their own number should thus act towards their beloved master? They had been accustomed to hear him vilified, and his name cast out as evil, they were wont to see him persecuted and calumniated by the scribes and pharisees, those bitter enemies who followed him with malicious hatred from the commencement of his public ministry until they crucified him on Calvary; but they had hitherto considered their little band united as

man to the gracious Being whom they followed; and yet one even of them was to lift his head against his

master!

Our Divine Redeemer with the utmost tenderness led their thoughts away from the reflections arising from his declaration; and proceeded to assure them, that though an enemy was among them, yet those who remained faithful would find their labours in his cause accepted and honoured. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me, and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.'

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Alas, how painful is the thought that there is, perhaps, never an assembly of God's professing people, in which it may not be said of some, that they "have lifted up their heel against the Saviour." Think of his table, the blessed feast which was on this occasion instituted, how often hast it been polluted by the presence of the secret enemy-how often has Christ been thus "wounded in the house of his (professed) friends." Yes, beloved, have not some of us reason to remember with shuddering horror, the time when we too brought discredit on the cause of Christ, by sitting down at his table, and then going our way, and if not actually scoffing at him, and outwardly spurning at his