We must proceed to notice:— I.—_The object_, _which in this petition the Saviour seeks_. It is the unity of all _believers_ upon Earth. Not indeed that CHRIST is indifferent to the peace and love which ought to bind together _all mankind_ as one great family. He purposes to secure _this_; but he seeks to bless His Church, that thro’ it he may bless the world. Yes! beloved brethren,—Men ought to “_be one_” in the bonds of love and kindness. We are Brethren, all “one man’s sons,” and where there is a man, there is one who has a claim upon the thoughtfulness, the care, the kindness of his fellow man; and in order to promote the general well-being of our species, we should be _as one_. To us there cry the poor in their destitution—the ignorant in their darkness—the oppressed in their wrongs—the victims of war, murderous and impious war—the slaves in the chains, which tyranny has thrown around their persons, or set on their intellect and conscience; _these_, and sufferers in every other form of woe, appeal to _man_, the _family_, the _fraternity_ of man, for sympathy, pity, and relief. They are Men; they are Brethren; and these are outrages against our common claims, which should rouse all that hear the cry, to succour the suppliants. We have all one FATHER, and happy will be the time, when His divided and distracted household, shall again “love as brethren;” when the oppressor shall cease; when “violence shall not be heard in our borders;” when the clangor of war shall give place to the melting sounds and celestial song of “Peace on earth, and good will towards men;” when truth shall fill all intellects, and love reign in every heart. Bright! Glorious Day!—And shall this happy consummation ever bless this afflicted, burdened, groaning world? It shall! The Gospel _purposes it_, and to secure its accomplishment, the Gospel is daily putting forth its heavenly energy, and ere long, earth in love shall be the very emblem of the heaven of heavens. The fierce passions of the human spirit shall be subdued. “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid”; “the cow and bear shall feed”: “they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”—ISAIAH xi, 6–9. But another work must precede this. The Church must first be _made one itself_. The universal harmony predicted, and eventually to be realized in the world, must first pervade the elements of CHRIST’S Visible Church, and therefore as a means to that great end, even that the world may believe in, fully recognize, and submit to the authority of Him, whom GOD has sent, the Redeemer here prays, that His disciples may “be one;” implying thereby that the unity of the Church, is the great pre-requisite for the conversion of the world. 1.—_And who are His Church_, _His People_, _the subjects of this prayer_?