THE

FAMILY MONITOR.

No. VIII.

AUGUST, 1831.

VOL. I.

FEASTS AND FASTS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND EXPLAINED.

St. Bartholomew's Day.

Aug. 23.-This day is set apart to celebrate the martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, who is reckoned in the catalogue of the apostles, and supposed by many to be the same person as Nathaniel, of whom our Saviour entertained that high and honourable character, telling him that he was "an Israelite indeed, in whom was no guile;" that is, a man of that simplicity and integrity which is much valued by God.

After our Saviour's ascension, this good man travelled into India, where he industriously preached Christianity, and left behind him St. Matthew's Gospel, written in Hebrew. From thence, it is said, he went into the northern and western parts of Asia, converting the inhabitants of Hierapolis to the true faith; but at last he removed to Albanople, where, endeavouring to reclaim the people from idolatry, he was, by the command of the Roman governor, barbarously put to death, being first flayed alive and then crucified.

EXPLANATORY REMARKS ON THE EPISTLES AND GOSPELS FOR THE PRESENT MONTH.

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity.

EPISTLE. 1 Cor. xii. 1.

Spiritual Gifts.-The word "gifts" is supplied by expositors. Perhaps "men" is to be substituted, so that the apostle's mean

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ing shall be, that he would not have the Corinthian brethren ignorant concerning those men, who asserted that they were inspired by the Holy Ghost, and yet, nevertheless, declared Jesus accursed.

Carried away unto these dumb idols.--The apostle's meaning is, that when they were heathens (Gentiles) they were enslaved by their priests to the worship of dumb statues, or gods. The epithet "dumb" is here inserted to signify that the idols communicated nothing to their worshippers, whereas Christians spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. This he proceeds to illustrate in the following verse. For instance, whoever "speaks" by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost cannot call Jesus accursed, as certain Jewish exorcists did, who, nevertheless, laid claim to the divine influences. St. Paul on the contrary declares, that whoever thus speaks of Jesus is moved by the evil spirit, whereas he, who by his mouth and in his heart, calls Jesus Lord, exhibits an evidence that he is really inspired.

Diversities of Gifts,-i. e. of spiritual gifts, or endowments of the Spirit.

Differences of Administrations,-or varieties of ecclesiastical functions, or officers.

The same Lord,-i. e. Christ. Observe the mention of the three persons of the ever-blessed Trinity, in this, the preceding, and the following verses. "The Spirit" gives various gifts; Christ gives or appoints “ various officers in the church ;" and all supernatural operations or performances are, in the last verse, ascribed to God “ the Father.”

. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man,-meaning that every Christian partakes either in an ordinary or in an extraordinary degree of the gifts of the Spirit, and thus can manifest his inspiration; in contradistinction to those who, being led by "dumb" idols, can give no proof that they are inspired. To profit withal,―i. e. to benefit not only himself, but the Church of Christ.

The word of wisdom.-Probably the faculty of discoursing accurately and profoundly of the mysteries of the Gospel.

The word of knowledge.-Probably the faculty of confirming the doctrines of the New Testament by apt appeals to the Old Testament.

To another faith. To carry him through persecution.

Working of miracles.-A different gift from that of healing, viz. the faculty of working terrifying miracles. See the case of Ananias and Sapphira.

Discerning of spirits,-i. e. the power of distinguishing true prophets from false.

Kinds of tongues,—i. e. languages for the use of the apostles when they conversed with people of foreign nations.

All these worketh, &c.-Meaning that the same Holy Spirit worketh, or causeth these several varieties of gifts, and also that he distributed them to each Christian according to his good pleasure.

AS HE will.-Observe an argument for the personality of the Holy Spirit-a will is here ascribed to him.

THE GOSPEL. St. Luke, xix. 41.

The city.-Jerusalem.

If thou hadst known. More correctly, "O that thou hadst known,”—as much as to say, happy had it been for thee.

Even thou.-City once beloved of God! The beauty and joy of the whole earth-even privileged with the presence of the Messiah, but at last most ungrateful and wicked.

Thy day. The day of thy grace or especial favour—since, after having been visited by numerous prophets, thou art at last blessed with the personal appearance of the Son of God.

Thy peace.-Safety or happiness.

Hid from thine eyes.-By obstinate perseverance in sin. Sin not only incurs the wrath of God, but by searing the conscience and stifling reflection, blinds us to the apprehension of temporal misfortunes.

The days shall come.-In the time of Titus, the son of the Roman Emperor Vespasian: about forty years after this prophecy. Josephus, the Jewish historian, and also an officer in the army of Titus, narrates the exact fulfilment of our Lord's prediction.

The time of thy visitation. The time when God visited and redeemed his people by sending the promised Messiah.

Went into the temple.-Not into the holy of holies, but into the court of the Gentiles, an outer court of the Temple, where there

was a constant market held for the sale of animals used in sacrifice, and where there were money-changers for the accommodation of those who brought with them bills, or large pieces of and wanted them cashed or changed. See Matthew,

money, xxi. 12.

Hint for practical improvement of the Gospel. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, and yet left it to its merited fate. Behold at once the goodness and severity of God. (Rom. xi. 22.) Sinners wept over, and yet left to reap the fruits of their wickedness.

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

THE EPISTLE. 1 Cor. xv. 1.

Ye stand,―i. e. in which ye have hitherto persisted. Ye are saved,-i. e. put in the way of final salvation. First of all,-i. e. made it (the resurrection) one of the chief points of my preaching.

Rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.—The type of Jonas may be considered a prediction of Christ's rising; See Matt. xii. 40; and so our Lord's resurrection was according to the Scripture, although it was not foretold in words. Compare Psalm xvi. 10.

Of Cephas,-i. e. of Peter going to Emmaus. See Luke, xxiv. 34.

Of the twelve.-Although neither Judas (dead) nor Thomas (John, xx. 24) were of the number, and James probably was absent, yet the original number, or college of the apostles, is mentioned as being present. So also we say a society meets, when, perhaps, not a fourth part of it is present.

Five hundred brethren,―i. e. Christians. It was probably in Galilee that there were so many disciples. See Matt. xxviii. 10. In Acts i. 15, it is said, that the number of disciples, or constant followers of Jesus at Jerusalem, was only one hundred and twenty.

James, the son of Alpheus, the cousin-german of our Lord. His appearance is not recorded by any of the evangelists.

By all the Apostles,-meaning, possibly, by all who had not before seen him.

Born out of due time." An abortion." The apostle so calls himself, perhaps, because he had not been brought to embrace the gospel in "a natural" way, that is, by a long course of study; but there was something of force in the method of his conversion.

Least of the Apostles.—An humble acknowledgment, in consideration of his past life.

What I am.-Meaning, by the favour and mercy of God, from being a persecutor of the church he had become an apostle and a teacher of the Gentiles.

Not in vain. This favour of God was not abused, but produced its proper fruits.

Yet not I.—The apostle does not mean by this that he himself did not use his best endeavours; for he expressly says, that he laboured more abundantly than the rest of the apostles: only he gives us to understand that his own powers were not worthy to be compared with the operations of divine grace assisting him. He gives the glory, therefore, not to himself, but to God. Or they.-The rest of the apostles.

So we preach,—namely, that Christ both died, and rose again.

THE GOSPEL. St. Luke xviii. 9.

A publican.—A tax-gatherer, or collector of tribute-money for the Romans. The payment of this tribute was accounted by the Jews an intolerable grievance; hence those who collected it were regarded as enemies to the liberties of the Jewish nation. Our Saviour, in bringing these two characters (publican and Pharisee) together, appears to have chosen them as making the strongest contrast between what, in the public estimation, were the extremes of excellence and infamy.

As other men. Observe his presumption in judging of other men, when he could not know more than a few of them.

I fast twice. The Jews, especially the Pharisees, used to fast on Mondays and Thursdays, as the primitive Christians did on Wednesdays and Fridays.

I give tithes.-Meaning beyond those which were commonly paid; namely, such as were of doubtful obligation, yet enjoined by the tradition of the elders.