SERMON XVII.

3 JOHN, 2.-" Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."

THE incidental notices of personal history and private friendship with which the Sacred Volume abounds give to it a peculiar charm. It was this characteristic of the Bible which endeared it to us in the morning of life; and, before we were capable of appreciating its higher and more important communications, we delighted to linger on those scenes of domestic tranquillity or valorous achievement which its pages present. And the histories which entertained and charmed us in the days of romantic joy become the monitors of maturer life, and serve to confirm and to illustrate the general warnings and instructions which the Inspired Penmen have delivered. Although this is a more prominent feature of the Old Testament history than of the writings of the New Dispensation, yet its brighter and more explicit revelations are diversified with delineations of individual character and private friendship, in which the power and influence of the truth are proved and exemplified. In addition to the personal history and character of the great Founder of the Church, which will ever be a source of the purest interest and delight to them that love his

name, as well as the great pattern and exemplar of holiness, there are many bright and glowing pictures of moral excellence in the personal history of his disciples; and in Paul and Peter, in Cornelius and Lydia, in Stephen the first martyr, and in the venerable disciple whom Jesus loved, we perceive the most interesting variety of individual character, and a general illustration of the power and efficacy of their common faith.

But while we select these distinguished and prominent personages as the theme of meditation and as examples to be imitated, much interest and instruction will also be found in those less conspicuous characters which the page of Inspiration presents, and which, in a cursory perusal of the Sacred Volume, we are apt to pass over without notice or reflection. Of these, that of the individual to whom this short epistle was addressed is one. With many this may perhaps be the first time that they have been led to make his character the subject of particular consideration; and yet it will reward the most minute examination. Of his birth and history we can obtain but little information, and even that little is chiefly conjectural; but the virtues and excellencies of his character, as they are alluded to and vouched for by this inspired apostle, furnish a very pleasing subject of reflection, and present a fine illustration of the influence of the Gospel on the intercourse and the charities of social life. Several persons bearing the name of Gaius are mentioned in the history of the apostles, and in the epistles of St Paul. But to institute any minute

inquiry to ascertain which of them was the friend and correspondent of St John,-whether he was Gaius of Corinth, whom Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, styles his "host, and the host of the whole church;" or Gaius of Derbe, who was a fellow-traveller with St Paul; or Gaius of Macedonia, who accompanied the apostle to Ephesus, and was present at the riot excited by the silversmiths of that city, it is not material to inquire; but the most generally adopted opinion on the subject I find is, that he was the first of the individuals we have mentioned; and the reason for fixing on Gaius of Corinth seems to be, that the testimony which Paul bears to his kindness and hospitality corresponds with the commendation given of him by his venerable correspondent in this epistle. And it is indeed an amiable character that John brings before us in his letter to his Corinthian friend. He had received the truth in the love of it, and was living under its influence; and he manifested its influence in the kindness with which he treated and lodged the stranger, and especially in the encouragement and support which he afforded to the servants of Christ amid their labours and sufferings in their Master's service.

In the comfort and happiness of this interesting individual, St John took a deep and lively interest. And this concern for the happiness of Gaius was not confined to his spiritual condition and his eternal state; he breathed a prayer for his temporal comfort; and, while his greatest joy was to be assured that he walked in truth, he was desirous also that

prosperity and comfort might be his earthly portion. St John was not one of those visionary enthusiasts who, in their ardour in speaking on spiritual subjects, seem to forget corporeal wants, and affect to undervalue all that pertains to the convenience and comfort of life. His highest anxieties about his friend reached forward to eternity, but he was not unmindful of the temporary accommodations of the house of his pilgrimage; and while he was solicitous about the salvation of his soul, he was not unconcerned about the tabernacle in which it was lodged. "Beloved," says he, "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." This benevolent wish suggests to us some observations of great practical interest and importance, which will lead us to some counsels and consolations of the most solemn kind. Let me, therefore, bespeak your serious and uninterrupted attention; and may the Lord seal all our instruction with a blessing on our hearts!

I. The first inquiry that naturally suggests itself on reading this benevolent wish, relates to the prosperity of the soul. The apostle makes the prosperity of his friend's soul the measure of that temporal prosperity which he wished him to enjoy,— the standard by which he adjusted his wishes for his welfare in every other respect. The expression is, no doubt, a peculiar one; and to speak of the soul prospering seems a new and singular phraseology. It has, indeed, little of the fashion and phi

losophy of this world about it, and has nothing in it to meet the fastidiousness of modern taste. But

it is replete with the most valuable and important truth, and embraces facts with which the present and eternal happiness of men are indissolubly involved: What, then, do we mean when we say that the soul prospereth? A man is said to prosper in his temporal circumstances when his efforts to secure a command of the means of earthly convenience and comfort have succeeded,-when his industry has met its legitimate reward,-when his barns are filled with plenty, and when he sees the luxuries and elegancies of life placed within his reach. In like manner, his moral and religious prosperity is effected when the means which God has afforded for his spiritual improvement have been faithfully resorted to, and crowned with a blessing. Man comes into this world a poor and destitute creature. He is ignorant and feeble; and it is not till after years of painful attention and laborious effort that he comes to have some acquaintance with the scene in which his Creator has placed him, and qualified to act his part in the brief and shifting drama of life. But he has a higher destiny to fill than to act his part on the vain and uncertain theatre of time. The voice of Infinite Wisdom calls him to glory, honour, and immortality. And for this high calling he has no natural or hereditary meetness or preparation. Every circumstance in his moral constitution naturally disqualifies him for the inheritance of the saints in glory. He comes into the world with passions and propensities which