into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purg1ng all meats?) And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man" (Mark vii. 15-23). This teaching prepared the way for the abolition of the restriction. VL RESTORATION OF THE ORIGINAL LIDERTY. First taught by the vision of St. Peter. "Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour: and he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it bad been a great sheet knit at the four comers, and let down to the earth : wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beast~, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God bath cleansed, that can not thou common. This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven" (Acts x. 9-16). The first purpose of this vision was to show the acceptance of the Gentiles, who, according to the now received Jewish interpretation, were repre- sented by the unclean beasts; but that was not the only lesson taught; there was also involved the conception that the whole system of clean and unclean meats was abolished. This doctrine, as we have seen, was adopted and enforced by St. Paul, and he says that it is as a Christian that he bas learnt this lesson, "I know, and am persuaded by (in) the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself. . . . All things indeed are pure" (Rom. xiv. 14--20). 11 Meat commeuileth us not to God" (1 Cor. vii. 8 ). 11 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. xiv. 17). VII. PBOHIBITION OF BLOOD, AND THINGS STRANGLED, CONTINUED BY THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM. The Council of Jerusalem, in deciding the terms on which the Gentiles should be admitted to the Christian Church, forbade the eating of things offered to idols, and blood, and things strangled. The first of these restrictions rested on a different principle; the second and third are a continuation of the Mosaic regulations, and the reason why they are retained is given. "For Moses of old time bath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogue every sabbath day" (Acts :xv. 21). Inasmuch as the Christian Church consisted of Jews and Gentiles, and the former of these regarded themselves as bound by the Mosaic legislation, the Synod of Jerusalem desired that the Gentiles should concede to their brethren so farns not to partake of those things which Jewish Christians thought themselves bound to abstain from, lest there should be a schism between the two divisions of the Church. This law bad become one of charity solely, and would naturally be abrogated, or rather cease to bind, when the occasion for it ceased. As in the parallel case of meats offered to idols, " no man" was to "put a stumbling-block or an occasion to fall in his brother's wo.y" (Rom. xiv. 13). 11 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbletb, or is offended, or is made weak" (Rom. :xiv. 21). "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eo.t no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend" (1 Cor. viii. 13). But no flesh was now forbidden by a positive regulation of God. 'fhe rule had become one of charity, and when the number of Jewish Uhristians ceased to be- considerable in relation to Gentiles, it naturally came to an end. Ver. 44.-" Ye shall be holy; for I am holy." This is the pervading principle of both dispensations. I. Omm:.!l'ALLY MAN WAS CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF Goo. (Gon. i. 27.) St. Paul tells us that the likeness consisted" in righteousness and truo holiness" (Eph. iv. 24). The likeness continued until man fell. After the Fall, God's imago, though not oblite- rated, was no longer reflected in man, except in a blurred and perverted manner, as in a cracked mirror. Man ceased to be holy, and bis communion with God wns lost. !I. THE DESIRED EFFECT OF REVEALED RELIGION 1B TO RECOVER THE LOST IMAGE A.ND BO TO RESTORE COM.MUNION BETWEEN Goo AND MAN. Under the old di9pensa- l Or," Thi, he said, making all meats clean" (Revised Version). li4 THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. [en. ::u. 1-47.
tion, a legal and conventional holiness was brought about by means or the sacrifices &Dd purifieations. Man was replaced in a state of symbolical, thoucrh not real holiness and so fa.r a.nd so long as that state was main_tained by ceremonial ~ites and cleansings' the r<'lation of communion with GoJ. was symbolically restored and preserved. In th~ new dispensation, that which was symbolized only before, became really effected in the <lllSe of those who, having been adopted in Christ, were sanctified by the operation of the Holy Spirit in their heart, and thus "put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness" (Eph. iv. 24). ' ' ' III. HIGHER CONCEPTION OF HOLINESS UNDER THE GOSPEL THAN THE LAW. Under the Law, on the principle, "Ye shall be holy," is founded the command to abstain from ceremonial uucleanness or defilement? "Ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, ••• neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that -creepeth on the earth" (eh. xi. 44). In the New 'l'estament, the same principle is inYoked as the ground of avoiding moral, not physical, uncleanness "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain froin fo~cation . • . for God hath not called us ;into uncleanness, but unto holiness" (1 Thess. iv. 3-7). And the very text before us is quoted for the purpose of urging upon the Christians no mere ritual purification, but the highest spirituality of life. 11 As he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written Be ye holy• for I am holy" (1 Pet. i. 15, 16). ' • IV. PRACTICAL CONCLUSION. 11 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfectincr holiness i~ the fear of G?O-" (2 Cor. _vii. 1);, "Wha~-~nner of persons ough~ ye i:; be in all holy conversation and godliness? (2 Pet. w. 11). Carnal cleanness is not sufficient• moral uprightness is not sufficient; our aim must be holiness, as God is holy, and ~ this holiness was manifested in Christ.
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS.