things God had prepared for them that love him. The things now revealed in the gospel, had been hid for ages, and not made known to the sons of men. Christianity is now a mystery explained, a secret revealed—that which was hid in God, made known—the purpose of God developed—a promise fulfilled according to the Scriptures of the prophets, and the commandment of the everlasting God, made known among all nations for the obedience of faith. EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH. An apostle has thought it needful to enjoin upon us, “Earnestly contend for the faith formerly delivered to the saints.” An old soldier of the cross, when about to put off his armor, rejoiced that he had fought a good fight, kept the faith and finished his course. In the course of his warfare, we are informed that he disputed “two whole years” in a certain school, or contended for the faith. This warfare, disputing or contending, is an advocacy, a defence and maintenance of the faith once delivered to the saints. The first thing, in order to this advocacy, is to ascertain what the “faith once delivered to the saints” is, and the next thing is to advocate it, maintain and defend it with every power. The faith exists in two forms: 1. In its concentrated, embodied, or constitutional form, as it is presented for the confession of the new convert, in a single proposition, that it may be received or rejected by either an affirmative or a negative answer. 2. In its fully developed or detailed form, as we find it spread upon the pages of the christian Scriptures. This is the creed of the church by which she is governed and guided in all her journey through this world.