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 BV 4810 .044 1889 
 
 Life's golden lamp for dail 
 devotional use 
 
Life's Golden Lamp 
 
 iFor 3:>ailg 2?ebotioual mt. 
 
 A TREASURY OF TEXTS FROM THE VERY 
 WORDS OF CHRIST 
 
 WITH COMMENTS THEREON BY AS MANY MINISTERS OF THE 
 
 GOSPEL AS THERE ARE DAYS IN THE YEAR; AUTOGRAPH 
 
 OF EACH CONTRIBUTOR; SUGGESTIVE SCRIPTURE 
 
 HEADING AND APPROPRIATE LINES 
 
 FROM FAMILIAR HYMNS. 
 
 REV. R. M. OFFORD. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 NEW YORK OHSKRVER. 
 
 ■^'j AND 38 Park Row. 
 
 1889. 
 
Copyright, ISSS, 
 By R. M. Offord, 
 
 Uniiexsits Press: 
 John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 
 
PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 THE peculiar features of this work would surely justify 
 its production even though there were ten times as 
 many daily text books in existence as there are. These 
 features are apparent ; and the constant use of the book 
 will be likely to commend them more and more. 
 
 The words of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ furnish 
 a text for each day of the year. Three hundred and 
 sixty-five ministers of his gospel have paid tribute to their 
 Master and rendered service to his people by their effort 
 to emphasize and enforce his gracious sayings. May 
 their reward for this service so cheerfully contributed be 
 from the Master himself and be rich and abundant ! 
 Many denominations and various parts of the world are 
 represented. Each contributor has signed his name to 
 the material furnished by him, and the autographs have 
 been faithfully reproduced by photography. 
 
 A stanza of poetry, generally from some familiar hymn, 
 and as far as possible in harmony with the text and the 
 comment, has been added, while each page opens with a 
 suggestive heading. These headings, though invariably 
 portions of Scripture, are not taken from the words directly 
 
IV PREFATORY NOTE. 
 
 spoken by the Saviour. The Epistles furnish many of 
 them, while others have been selected from the Old Testa- 
 ment. The common English version has been drawn 
 upon for all the texts and headings. A reference to the 
 headings and their context will help to bring out the 
 delightful harmony of Scripture. 
 
 An index at the close of the book will enable the 
 reader to ascertain the particular church affiliations of 
 each contributor. 
 
 It is hoped that Christians the world over may find the 
 book to be a means of grace, and that the years as they 
 pass may bring it an ever widening circle of readers. 
 May the Lord whose words are the vital portion of the 
 book grant that as these are read from day to day in its 
 pages, they may not return to him void ! 
 
 The task of selection, compilation, correspondence, 
 and editing involved has been one of great joy. Though 
 the work may not be the box of spikenard, exceeding 
 precious, broken over the Master's feet, may he graciously 
 regard it as a cup of cold water tendered his disciples 
 " in his Name ! " 
 
 December, 1888. 
 
THESE SAYINGS OF MINE. 
 
 This is my beloved Son, in xvhom I am well pleased ; hear ye him. 
 Matt. xvii. 5. 
 
 W/iosoez'er ivill not hearken icnto my words which he shall speak 
 in my name, I will require it of him. — Deut. xviii. 19. 
 
 The words that I speak unto yon, they are spirit, and they are life, 
 John vi. 63. 
 
 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, 
 I will liken him unto a wise man, 7vhich built his house jipon a rock: 
 atid the rain descended, and the floods cafne, and the wields blew, and 
 beat upon that house ; aJid it fell not : for it was founded jipon a rock. 
 Matt. vii. 24, 25 
 
 The Cotnforfer, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will 
 send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things 
 to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. — John 
 xiv. 26. 
 
 God, who at sundry tifues and in divers manners spake in time 
 past tinto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken 
 unto us by his Son. — Heb. i. 1,2. 
 
VI THESE SAYINGS OF MINE. 
 
 Therefore we ought to give the 7nore earliest heed to the things 
 •which zve have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. — 
 Heb. ii. I. 
 
 And all bare him witness, and 7vondered at the gracious words 
 which proceeded out of his mouth. — Luke iv. 22. 
 
 For he taicght thetn as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 
 Matt. vii. 29. 
 
 Grace is poured i^tto thy lips. — PSALM xlv. 2. 
 
 Never man spake like this man. — John vii. 46. 
 
 Lord, to whom shall we go ? thou hast the words of eternal life. — 
 John vi. 68. 
 
 H01.V sweet are thy words tmto my taste ! yea, sweeter than honey 
 to my mouth .' — PSALM cxix. 103. 
 
 Lord, evermore give us this bread. — John vi 34, 
 
 O send out thy light and thy truth : let them lead me. — PSALM 
 xliii. 3. 
 
 77/1' 7oord is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. — 
 Psalm cxix. 105. 
 
LIFE'S GOLDEN LAMP. 
 
Hct t!)e fcDorli of €:f)rist tibcll in ^ou ticl)!^ in all lufstrom. 
 
 COLOSSIANS Hi. l6. 
 
January i. 
 
 (B\)t true lijgfjt noin 0f)m£tl). — i John ii. 8. 
 
 As long as I am in the xvorld, I a?n the light of the zuorld. — 
 John ix. 5. 
 
 THIS is one of those I ams peculiar to John's gospel by 
 which Jehovah revealed himself through the manhood 
 of Christ, even as he showed himself to Moses at the bush, 
 
 "That which doth make manifest is light!" So Christ 
 has revealed to us what, but for him, we had not known. 
 By that one utterance to the woman at the well, " God is a 
 Spirit," etc., he has told us more concerning the spirituality, 
 the unity, and the fatherhood of (iod than the wisest of 
 ancient philosophers had reached. By his sacrifice of him- 
 self upon the cross for the sins of the world, he has forever 
 met the need which men were seeking to satisfy by the offer- 
 ing of bulls and goats upon the altar. By his resurrection 
 from the dead and ascension into glory, he has brought life 
 and immortality to light, and illumined for us the darkness of 
 the future life. Nor is this all; everything that has bright- 
 ened human life in the individual heart, in the family, in so- 
 ciety, and in the nation has come from him. Truly this 
 "light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to be- 
 hold" this sun. Let us therefore walk in its brightness, for 
 he that followeth that " shall have the light of life"*' 
 
 I heard the voice of Jesus say, 
 
 " I am this dark world's light. 
 Look vmto me; thy morn shall rise, 
 
 And all thy clay be bright." 
 I looked to Jesus and I found 
 
 In him my star, my sun ; 
 So in that light oflife I walk, 
 
 And glory is begun ! 
 
January 2. 
 
 Me pread) C|)rist micifieti. — i Cor. i. 23. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into 
 the ground and die, it abideth alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth 
 much fruit. — John xii. 24. 
 
 HOW true this utterance in its application to him who 
 gave it ! He spake as never man spake, and lived as 
 never man lived; yet his ministry was by no means fruitful. 
 Crowds hung upon his lips, but their attachment was short- 
 lived ; and when he was put upon trial, few or none stood 
 by him. Almost literally the corn of wheat abode by itself 
 alone. But after the Saviour's death, at the first proclama- 
 tion of the gospel on the day of Pentecost, three thousand 
 souls were added to the Church, and on subsequent days 
 "multitudes, both of men and women," — so that the cruci- 
 fied Saviour was more effective than the living Jesus. The 
 blood of the cross is the great secret of awakening, conver- 
 sion, and holy living. 
 
 How true is the saying in regard to all the followers of 
 the Lord Jesus ! Sacrifice is the indispensable condition of 
 success. We must renounce in order to prevail. He that 
 seeks his life loses it; he that loses his life finds it. One 
 must sow in tears if he would reap in joy. Master and 
 scholar have the same experience, — that suffering is re- 
 quired in order to fruitfulness and victory. It is the furnace 
 that purifies and renders efficacious ; the spices must be 
 bruised to bring forth their fragrance. Happy they who 
 recognize this law of the divine economy, and are content 
 to suffer if only they may be made to bear much fruit ! 
 
 Faithful cross ! above all other, 
 
 One and only noble tree ! 
 None in foliage, none in blossom, 
 
 None in fruit, thy peers may be. 
 
 J. NEALE (Translation). 
 
January 3. 
 
 ge sfjall finti rest for uoiir souls. — Jer. vi. 16. 
 
 Come unto me, all ye that labour and aic heavy laden, and I ivill give 
 yon rest. — Matt. xi. 28. 
 
 THIS is a tired world ! Multitudes tired of body or tired 
 of mind or tired of soul ! Every one has a burden to 
 carry, if not on one shoulder, then on the other. In the far 
 East water is so scarce that if a man owns a well he is rich ; 
 and battles have been fought for the possession of a well of 
 water. But every man owns a well, a deep well, — a well of 
 tears. Chemists have tried to analyze a tear, and they say it 
 is made of so much of this and so much of that, but they miss 
 important ingredients. A tear is agony in solution. But by 
 divine power it may be crystallized into spiritual wealth, and 
 all burdens may be lifted. God is the rest of the soul that 
 comes to him. He rests us by removing the weight of our 
 sin, and by solacing our griefs with the thought that he 
 knows what is best for his children. A wheat-sheaf cried out 
 to the farmer, " Why do you smite me with that flail } What 
 have I done that you should so cruelly pound me ? " But 
 when the straw had been raked off the wheat and put in the 
 mow, and the wheat had been winnowed by the mill and had 
 been piled in rich and beautiful gold on either side the barn 
 floor, then the straw looked down from the mow and saw the 
 reason why the farmer had flailed the wheat-sheaf. 
 
 " Come unto me," — O precious words 
 
 I hear the Saviour saying ! 
 He calls the weary ones to rest ; 
 He calls the toil-worn and oppressed ; 
 
 He calls the lost and straying. 
 
 " Come unto me," — O gracious words 
 
 Such tender love displaying ! 
 Dear Lord, I come — no merits mine — 
 I come to trust thy love divine ; 
 
 I come thy call obeying. 
 
 R. M. offori>. 
 
January 4. 
 
 poiner. — Acts x. 38. 
 
 T/ie spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath ajiointed me to 
 preach the gospel to the poor ; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, 
 to preach deliverance to the captives, and recoz'crijig of sight to the blind, 
 to set at liberty the7n that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of 
 the Lord. — LuKE iv. 18, 19. 
 
 "T)Y their fruits ye shall know them " is the test which our 
 XJ Lord asked to have applied to himself. When John 
 was in prison and wondered whether Jesus was indeed Mes- 
 siah, no direct answer was given. The messengers were kept 
 near to Jesus for a time and then sent home with the com- 
 mand to tell what they had seen, from which John was to 
 answer his own question. The Master applied this prophecy 
 to himself and asked the people to believe he was Messiah, 
 not because of what he said, but because of what he did. 
 The best evidence of Christianity is what it does for human- 
 ity. Wherever there is good news for the poor, hope for the 
 broken-hearted, deliverance for captives, a better physical life 
 for the masses, there the Spirit of God is at work. The glory 
 of Christ is that he saves men body and soul. Christianity re- 
 peats the claim of its Founder; it' appeals for acceptance, not 
 to any authority, but to a new life which has come to the world 
 since the Advent. The Spirit is doing the same work through 
 the Church that it did through Christ. Love and service 
 for the children of God always follow the indwelling of the 
 Spirit of God. 
 
 Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace ! 
 Hail the Sun of Righteousness ! 
 Light and life to all lie brings, 
 Risen with healing in his wings. 
 
January 5. 
 
 ^n inheritance . . . t^at fatJctf} not ainag. — i Peter i. 4. 
 
 Ai^ain, the /ctngdom of Iieaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; 
 the luhich ivhena man hath found, he hidetli, and for Joy thereof goeth 
 and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. — Matt. xiii. 44. 
 
 IF our Lord calls the kingdom of heaven a treasure, what 
 an unspeakable treasure it must be! In Romans 14, 17, 
 the Holy Spirit through Paul tells us what the kingdom of 
 heaven is. It is "righteousness, and peace, and joy, in the 
 Holy Ghost." Just as there is a mutual indwelling between 
 Christ and the believer, — he dwelling in Christ and Christ 
 dwelling in him (John vi. 56), — so the Christian dwells in the 
 kingdom of heaven, and yet the kingdom of heaven is in him. 
 It is a treasure of protection around him and a treasure of 
 experience within him. 
 
 When a poor sinner finds this heavenly treasure, he gives 
 up everything to be fully possessed of it, for all else is of no 
 account in comparison. It is alHance with God. It is to be 
 partaker of the divine nature (2 Peter i. 4), to be partaker of 
 God's holiness (Heb. xii. 10). For the "righteousness" is 
 God's righteousness (Romans x. 3), the " peace " is God's peace 
 (Phil. iv. 7), and the "joy " is the joy of the Lord Jesus Christ 
 (John XV. 1 1), all given by the Holy Ghost. 
 
 y>y^ 
 
 Ct^^ 
 
 He feeds in pastures large and fair, 
 
 Of love and truth divine ; 
 O child of God, O glory's heir, 
 
 How rich a lot is thine ! 
 
 LYTE. 
 
January 6. 
 
 rae injjici) babe bclicijctj tic enter into test. — iieb. iv. 3. 
 
 W/iy are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your 
 hearts? — LuKE xxiv. 38. 
 
 TROUBLED by reason of their unbelief ! How it resisted 
 the testimony of those who had seen the risen Christ 
 and yielded not, though he himself stood before them and 
 spoke to them in tones of wonted greeting ! " Terrified and 
 affrighted " even in the presence of him whom they loved ! 
 Their minds were disturbed by " reasonings," — intellectual 
 doubts as to the reality of his resurrection, and the fulfil- 
 ment of his promise. Their unbelief, so obstinate and un- 
 yielding, may serve to establish our faith in their subsequent 
 testimony, but brought to them only distressing unrest. 
 
 Intellectual doubt destroys the peace of the soul. We 
 walk by faith, not by sight. Yet he who believes is more 
 hkely to see than he who believes not. Faith in God, in the 
 certified truths of the gospel, in his promises, and in his over- 
 ruling providence, brings rest. God reigns ! Not a sparrow 
 falleth on the ground without him. His kingdom is sure to 
 come in spite of all obstacles. The darkest experiences are 
 but the appointments of his infinite wisdom, and in the midst 
 of them he will manifest himself. In every garden of Geth- 
 semane an angel; in every lonely chamber the risen Saviour! 
 Do not question, but trust. Be not troubled, only believe. 
 
 While looking to Jesus, my heart cannot fear, 
 I tremble no more when I'see Jesus near ; 
 I know that his presence my safeguard will be, 
 For " Why are you troubled t " he saith unto me ! 
 
 J. N. Darby. 
 
January 7. 
 
 (3oti gjall ini'pc atoag all tears from ti^cir tges. — Rev. vii. 17. 
 
 Blessed are they that mourn : for they shall be comforted. — 
 Matt. v. 4. 
 
 THE Master, when he said this, was fulfilling the proph- 
 ecy, — " He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted" 
 (Isaiah Ixi. i). He was speaking in the same line as when 
 he said, " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy 
 laden, and I will give you rest ! " (Matt. xi. 28). 
 
 The words reach beyond the mourners simply over sin. 
 They indeed are blessed in their consciousness of pardon 
 and safety, but there is more than that here. He, the infi- 
 nite Saviour, came to bring the kingdom of heaven, God's 
 reign in the soul. That is a kingdom of peace. The be- 
 liever comes to him and is blessed in the coming. He comes 
 with his heart borne down with earthly sorrow. Where else, 
 to whom else in all the world can he go } Earth cannot help 
 him. He comes to a sympathizing Saviour (Heb. iv. 15), and 
 he is in a place of calm. He hardly knows why or how, 
 but peace and rest are in his heart, and they are blessedness. 
 
 That is for to-day. But the " shall be " looks forward to a 
 time when God shall wipe all tears away (Isaiah xxv. 8 ; Rev. 
 vii. 17; xxi. 4). The anticipation of future blessedness 
 touches and lightens the present sorrow. 
 
 tz^c^J 
 
 I 've welcomed tears e'er since the day 
 
 I saw that by and by 
 God's own dear hand will wipe away 
 
 The tears from ev'rv eve ; 
 And I have learned to welcome grief, 
 
 For grief doth bring me grace. 
 I would not know the Lord's relief, 
 
 Had woe with me no place. 
 
 R. M. Offord. 
 
January 8. 
 
 OTf)at0oeijer is born of (3oti obercomctf) tjje tootlti. 
 
 I John v. 4. 
 
 To him that ffi'ercometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, zvhich is 
 in the midst of the paradise of God. — Rev. ii, 7. 
 
 HEREIN is Paradise regained ! What was lost through 
 the transgression of the first Adam is restored through 
 the obedience and sacrifice of the second Adam, — the Lord 
 from heaven. How inspiring to those who seek for glory 
 and honor and immortality is this assurance of an eternity 
 of blessedness in the presence of God himself! — for heaven- 
 ward our best hopes tend. 
 
 We need, however, to be constantly reminded that it is 
 through conflict we pass into this blessed inheritance. There 
 is a victory to be won, — the victory over a sinful heart 
 within, and a sinful world without. For this we need the 
 whole armor of God (Eph. vi. 10-17), that with a steadfast, 
 abiding faith, a faith that overcomes the world, we may 
 attain eternal felicity through him who loved us and gave 
 himself for us. The conflict may be long continued; but at 
 last we shall be able to raise the glad shout of triumph, " O 
 death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 
 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 
 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ ! " 
 
 Look up, ye saints of God ! 
 
 Nor fear to tread below 
 The path your Saviour trod, 
 
 Of daily toil and woe. 
 Wait but a little while 
 
 In uncomplaining love ; 
 His own most gracious smile 
 
 Shall welcome you above. 
 
 H. \y. BAKER. 
 
January 9. 
 
 M^at is tfjg petition? ... it stjall be granteti i\\te. 
 Esther vii. 2. 
 
 /^ji, an(/ it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and 
 it shall be opened unto you. — Matt. vii. 7. 
 
 IN this most wonderful of sermons there are few words more 
 wonderful ; but disciples of Jesus verify them daily. " I 
 love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my suppli- 
 cations. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore 
 will I call upon him as long as I live." Asking, seeking, and 
 knocking are the ways in which we reveal our desires ; and 
 desire is the key of heaven. " Blessed are they which do 
 hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall be filled." 
 We cannot refrain from asking for whatever we truly desire. 
 We cannot keep from seeking what we know to be infinitely 
 precious. We are sure to knock at the door which is between 
 us and the object of our warmest affections. Father, I ask for 
 thy loving-kindness, which is better than life. Son of God, I 
 seek for thy grace, which in weakness makes me strong. 
 Holy Spirit, I knock at the door which is always opened to 
 the humble and the contrite heart. May all thy mercies and 
 my infirmities constrain me to ask without ceasing until thou 
 hast given, to seek without fail until I have found, to knock 
 without fear until it has been opened unto me ! 
 
 />^^i>^--2>U^ 
 
 What various hindrances we meet 
 
 In coming to a mercy-seat ! 
 Yet who that knows the worth of prayer, 
 
 But wishes to be often there ? 
 
 eOWPER. 
 
January io. 
 
 2rf)e spirit of %iU. — Romans viii. 2. 
 
 T/ie 7uind bloiveth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound 
 thereof, but canst not tell whence it covieth, and whither it goeth : so 
 is every one that is born of the Spirit. — John iii. 8. 
 
 WIND, though invisible, is a tremendous power, moving 
 commerce over the seas, bringing winter and sum- 
 mer, and mingling the germs of vegetation which cover the 
 world with beauty. We see the effects, and know a few laws 
 of the wind's action. Disregard of those laws involves dis- 
 comfort, disaster, disease, and death. 
 
 The Chinese say wind is the key to nature. According 
 to their Fung-Shway doctrine, the science of meteorology 
 involves all knowledge. 
 
 Thus, but above all superstition, is the work of the Holy 
 Spirit. His being and activities are full of mystery, yet 
 their presence and power are felt in imperial sway by un- 
 told millions. Knowing God through the Spirit is entrance 
 upon all knowledge. Born of the Spirit, mere existence has 
 become life. Hitherto becalmed and drifting helplessly, we 
 now full our sails and move forward. All the beauties of the 
 revolving seasons come to the soul. Years that were a desert 
 are now a paradise of Christ-like sacrifice and heavenward 
 preparation. Unbelief is a vacuum which the Holy Spirit 
 cannot enter. Violation of the laws of the Spirit involves 
 sorrow, ruin, and despair; but trustful obedience, that stum- 
 bles not at the mysteries of the Infinite, insures peace, pros- 
 perity, and eternal joy. 
 
 Eternal Spirit, we confess 
 
 And sing the wonders of thy grace ; 
 
 Thy power conveys our blessings down 
 
 From God the Father and the Son. 
 
 Thy power and glory work within, 
 
 And break the chains of reigning sin, 
 
 All our imperious lusts subdue, 
 
 And form our wretched hearts anew. watts. 
 
January i 
 
 0xitht not tf)e J^olg spirit of i3oti. — Eph. iv. 30. 
 
 Whe7-efore I say uitto you. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall 
 be forgiven nnto men : but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost 
 shall not beforgivefi unto men. — Ma'IT. xii. 3 1 . 
 
 WHILST all sins are mortal unless expiated and re- 
 pented of, we are to beware of one that is so pecu- 
 liarly virulent as to leave no room for repentance. The 
 blood might cleanse it if applied ; but the blood will never 
 reach it, as it is beyond the jurisdiction of grace. Prayer 
 for it is as unavailing as if offered for the impenitent dead, 
 or for the conversion of Satan. It is like a disease from 
 which no patient has ever recovered. 
 
 Whether the Pharisees had committed this sin, or were only 
 forewarned of their peril, we are not informed. Perhaps no 
 mere man can ever in this life be sure that his case is beyond 
 hope. But as this sin is directed against the person and 
 operations of the Holy Ghost, the terrible warning is still 
 in season. We should fear to condemn a work because it 
 fails to satisfy our prejudices or our sectarianism. Whilst 
 professing to be only criticising human methods, we may 
 be passing judgment on the Spirit, condemning his work 
 as excitement and delusion, and ascribing it to Beelzebub. 
 Our opposition may be in varying degrees, from mere grum- 
 bling to extreme blasphemy or persecution ; but it is always 
 mischievous in its effects and perilous to our souls. 
 
 ^^^^<^>^', 
 
 Holy Ghosr, with light divine, 
 Shine upon this heart of mine ; 
 Chase the shades of night away ; 
 Turn my darkness into day ! 
 
 Cast down every idol throne, 
 Reign supreme, and reign alone ! 
 
January 12. 
 
 In ^J)om ]i am incll pkaseti. — Matt. iii. 17. 
 
 /I?/' ///^ Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that 
 himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that 
 ye may marvel. — John v. 20. 
 
 THE Father loveth the Son even as he loveth himself. 
 One with him in essence and attribute, and at one with 
 him in purpose and operation, the divine Father has loved 
 his divine Son from the innermost eternity with infinite 
 affection. From the Son of his bosom the Father has no 
 secrets. He unveils to his Well-beloved the whole counsel 
 of his will ; and the Son comprehends all his intentions, 
 coincides in all his purposes, and co-operates with him in all 
 his actings. The works of the Father, existent in design 
 from eternity, are executed, one after another, in time, through 
 and by the incarnate Son in his official character of media- 
 tor. The successive disclosures of divine purpose are caused 
 to progress from the great to the greater in ever-increasing 
 majesty and glory, in order that those who witness them may 
 marvel, — for though they may not constrain to faith, they com- 
 pel wonder. This marvelling will attain its climax when the 
 great works of Christ shall have reached their culmination 
 in the final quickening of the dead and the last judgment. 
 Then they who have recognized him as the Son of God shall 
 be excited to a joyful ecstasy on being raised to eternal life, 
 while those who have been wilfully blind to his sonship and 
 Saviourhood shall be overwhelmed with everlasting dismay. 
 " Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and perish ! " 
 
 fl(A^ ^^^tr 
 
 Behold your Lord, your Master, crowned 
 
 With glories all divine, 
 And tell the wondering nations round 
 
 How bright those glories shine 
 
 Anne Steele. 
 
January 13. 
 
 5i|oiii sljall ioz fsrapc, if tuc neglect 00 great saltation? 
 
 Heb. ii. 3. 
 
 IVoe Jinto thee, Ckorazin ! woe unto thee, Bethsaida ! for if the 
 mighty works, which were done in you, had been done ift Tyre and 
 Si don, they would have repented long- ago tn sackcloth and ashes. 
 But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for lyre and Sidon at 
 the day of judgment, than for you. — JMatt. xi. 21, 22. 
 
 THE sinner to whom no opportunities of repentance come 
 is lost. Tyre and Sidon stand in the text as the ter- 
 rible examples whose judgment measures the intolerable. 
 But of how much sorer punishment is he worthy who has 
 trodden under foot the Son of God ! The sinner to whom 
 opportunities come but pass unheeded, has his part in the 
 more intolerable lot of Chorazin. Tyre and Sidon are cities 
 in Satan's land;. Chorazin and Bethsaida are Satan's strong- 
 holds, which he can trust to fortify themselves against every 
 approach of the Saviour, and to repel his every advance. 
 God grant that we have not Chorazin hearts ! 
 
 How infinitely solemn a crisis the gospel brings to every 
 city, household, life, to which it gains access ! A sweet sa- 
 vor of Christ unto God, it is in all; but to one it is a savor 
 from life unto life, to another a savor from death unto death. 
 What a spectacle of mercy and judgment! Alas to us who 
 have seen these mighty works, if they remain to us but a 
 spectacle without us, and not a living po\yer within ! 
 
 / 
 
 Depth of mercy •' can there be 
 Mercy still reserved for me ? 
 
 Can my God his wrath forbear, 
 IMe, the chief of sinners, spare .'* 
 
January 14. 
 
 2rf)ou art mg portion, © ILorti, — Psalm cxix. 57. 
 
 But one thtjig is needful : and Mary hath chosen that good part, 
 ivhich shall not be taken away frotn her. — Luke x. 42. 
 
 DO not let me judge Mary lazy. She has done her work 
 and " left" Martha to the cumbrous service she did not 
 " choose " to do. Surely the Master had not favored ne- 
 glected duty. Work we must, and that hard, for what- 
 soever our hand findeth to do, we must do it with our might. 
 But let me never lose the one thing needful by choice, for 
 that was Martha's fault. Martha chose excess of service. 
 Mary ^//c'j'^ "the one thing needful." 
 
 Every day brings its own cares and duties; every day, like 
 Paul himself, we must serve God " with many distractions ; " 
 but amid them all, like him, we must be able to say, " This 
 one thing I do ... I press toward the mark." 
 
 Pause, O my soul, and consider ! What life am I choosbtg? 
 Fretful, irritable, do I make my much service an excuse for 
 neglecting prayer and praise and God's word.^ That is 
 Martha, — blamed. Calm, tranquil, do I do what I can in 
 this life, yet careful to serve God always "with a quiet 
 mind".'* That \s Mary, — praised. What shall I do to-day 
 and always .'' 
 
 C bcUfoOi^ CJc 
 
 Opc^/iXJtj^^ 
 
 Grant, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful 
 people, pardon and peace, that we may be cleansed from all 
 our sins and serve thee with a quiet mind, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord ! Amen ! collect. 
 
 Give me a calm, a thankful heart, 
 
 From every murmur free ; 
 The blessings of thy grace impart, 
 
 And make me live in thee ! Steele. 
 
January 15. 
 
 Bought toitf) a price: tfirrcforc glorifg (^oti. — i Cor. vi. 20. 
 
 Herein is my Father ohrifiea, that ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye 
 be my disciples. — JOHN xv. 8. 
 
 " 1\ /FEET for use " seems to be the language of everything 
 iVl God has created. The Christian is no exception to 
 this law. He, like the Master, is to be among men "as one 
 that serves." Fruit-bearing is the sign of a thrifty life. By 
 it the disciple knows he is abiding in Christ, and through it 
 he brings help and cheer to others. "Much fruit," — it is 
 the hope of this poor sinning world. There are so many 
 needing help, opportunities for serving are so numerous, that 
 only they who abound in good works fulfil the divine ex- 
 pectation. A true Christian should resemble a fruit-laden 
 tree. We are taught here that God does what we are 
 prompted to ask for in Christ's name, to the end that we 
 may be useful, and because of our gracious attainments, 
 beautiful. We become disciples by thus bringing forth fruit. 
 Thinking Christ's thoughts, asking 'for things in his name, do- 
 ing his will, and ministering through what we are, and by 
 what we do. to others' good, we attest our discipleship. All 
 forceful life springs out of union with Christ. We need not 
 bring forth the self-same fruit, for the Father is glorified, not 
 so much in the kinds of fruit, as in the all-essential fact that 
 we are fruitful. Let each disciple serve in his or her own 
 way, for it is the service that blesses. Fruit of every kind 
 stands in evidence that we are rooted in Christ, and because 
 of it is the Father glorified. 
 
 h^ ^/^/{yb^ 
 
 1>tL- 
 
 Long as I live beneath. 
 To thee, oh, let me live ; 
 
 To thee my every breath 
 In thanks and praises give. 
 
 Whate'er I have, whate'er I am. 
 
 Shall magnify my Maker's name. 
 
January i6. 
 
 Neit|)cr is i\)txt salbation m ang otijcr. — Acts iv. 12. 
 
 / am the zuay, the truth, and the life : no man cometh ttnto the 
 Father, but by me. — John xiv. 6. 
 
 THE heading of this chapter is, " Christ comforteth his dis- 
 ciples ; " and truly he gives the best comfort simply by 
 telling about himself. The lirst verse begins, " Let not your 
 heart be troubled." This verse seems to say to doubting 
 Thomas, " Let not your mind be troubled." It is a release from 
 perplexity. Heaven often seems distant and unknown, but if 
 he who made the road thither is our guide we need not fear to 
 lose the way. We do not want to see far ahead, — only far 
 enough to discern him and trace his footsteps. Christ does 
 not give us the full revelations of God and heaven at once : 
 we could not bear them now. He gives us himself, and in 
 that gift everything is secure. If you own the mines you will 
 not lack treasure. If the fountain is yours you will have water 
 day by day. Our peace lies not in believing much, but in be- 
 lieving well. If our faith in him is unwavering he will return 
 it with knowledge. The way to escape from doubts is to 
 think about Christ. What we need is not explanation, but 
 confidence. Sometimes we know not what to believe, but al- 
 ways we know whom we have believed. Religion is not a 
 theory, nor a doctrine ; it is the coming of a person to a per- 
 son, by a person. They who follow Christ, even through 
 darkness, will surely reach the Father. 
 
 I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou 
 
 Should'st lead me on ; 
 I loved to choose and see my path ; but now 
 
 Lead thou me on. 
 
 Keep thou my feet ; I do not ask to see 
 The distant scene, — one step enough for me. 
 
 Cardinal Newman. 
 
January 17. 
 
 B0 it f)cartilg, as to tfte ILortJ. — Col. iii. 23. 
 
 Verily I say iiiito you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than 
 all they zvhich have cast into the treasury : for all they did cast in of 
 their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even 
 all her living. — Mark xii. 43, 44. 
 
 THIS incident of the third day of the Passion Week of 
 our Lord suggests or vivifies many truths. It illustrates 
 the thought that the apparent insignificance of our service 
 makes the doing of it the more significant. It makes plain 
 that Christ values our service, not by reason of its intrinsic 
 merit, but by what it costs us. It shows that Christ sees and 
 appreciates our service, though he may speak to us no word 
 of commendation. It has for us a lesson of faithfulness in 
 things secret. " The gods see it," said the Greek sculptor as 
 he carved the part of the statue that was to be hidden from 
 men's eyes. It teaches the duty of giving with each gift — 
 ourselves. It proves that God is the supreme being to whom 
 all service is to be given. The divine and not the human 
 represents the ideal of humanity. This incident thus illus- 
 trates not a few of the truths of the atonement of him " who 
 gave himself for us." 
 
 We give thee but thine own, 
 
 Whate'er the gift may be; 
 All that we have is thine alone, 
 
 A trust, O Lord, from thee ! 
 
 W. W. HOW. 
 
January i8. 
 
 &zi gour affection on tilings nhoht, — Col. iii. 2. 
 
 //e also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the 
 word ; and the care of this world, and the decdifiilness of riches, 
 choke the word, and he becometh unfriutful. — Matt. xiii. 22. 
 
 HERE is a call to early soul-culture. The thistles from 
 which our Lord fetches his illustration grow rapidly 
 and in wild profusion on all ploughed fields of Palestine, 
 springing up, however, after the wheat, which when white and 
 dry and seen from a distance, they closely resemble. With 
 these thistles, therefore, which all ploughed land bears, the 
 wheat if it be late sown will have sore struggle for any 
 vigorous and fruitful life. 
 
 We are thus taught to have divine truth timely sown and 
 well advanced in the soul before the summer heat, so getting 
 start of the weedy growths of our maturer years, — life's mid- 
 summer. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of 
 riches, which deplete the soil, outcrowd and overtop the 
 tenderer and too late sown plant, destroying its worth and 
 fruitfulness. 
 
 We should claim, seize, and improve for Christ first op- 
 portunities. The opening spring ought to find us before- 
 hand with the weeds, early at work in our own heart's garden 
 and the hearts of others, especially the young, getting start 
 of the Devil by preoccupation of the soul for God. 
 
 Perhaps this opportunity may come to me to-day. The 
 Lord help me to improve it, and forbid tliat either cares or 
 riches choke his word ! 
 
 Almighty God, thy word is cast 
 
 Like seed into the ground ; 
 Now let the dew of heaven descend 
 
 And righteous fruits abound. 
 
 cawood. 
 
January 19. 
 
 Ji hwio ti)at mg l^etjcemer libet!).— Job xix. 25. 
 
 Fmr not ; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and 
 was dead; a/id, behold, I am alive, for evermore, Amen; and have 
 the keys of hell and of death. — Rev. i. 17, 18. 
 
 A SOLEMN exultation burns along these words. Each 
 throws its light on some dark place in our thoughts, 
 our lives. 
 
 I. "Fear not." Why should we fear.? If Christ be the 
 First and the Last, that secures that all between goes well. 
 He is beginning and end, — " author and finisher." A strong, 
 all-including hand bears us along,. its grasp stronger than 
 death, because it is the grasp of Life. " Fear not ! " 
 
 IL "The 'Living One' was dead." How came one 
 who was Life to die ? Saint John, to whom these words were 
 spoken, well knew, for he was with him in Gethsemane and 
 at Calvary. So the reddened door opens into Atonement. 
 Life was also Love, and therefore died for us. Now, he is 
 " alive forevermore " to apply the atonement which he has 
 made. On his work we may now rest in peace. 
 
 in. He holds in his imperial grasp the "keys." What 
 are keys for.? There is but one answer, — to lock in, and to 
 lock out. O child of God, you cannot die until the time 
 comes ! You are locked out of your grave, and Christ has 
 the key. No fierce disease or cruel accident can swing the 
 door and thrust you in untimely. The key is in Christ's 
 hand. He and he only can use it. 
 
 The First Begotten of the dead, 
 For us he rose, our glorious Head, 
 
 Immortal life to bring ; 
 What though the saints like him shall die? 
 They share their Leader's victory, 
 
 And triumph with their King! 
 
 Kelly. 
 
January 20. 
 
 5^e mxzt}) for gOU. — i Peter v. 7. 
 
 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye 
 shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; nor yet for your body, zuhat ye 
 shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than 
 raivienf ? Behold the foivls of the air : for they sow not, neither do 
 they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heavenly Father feedeth 
 them. Are ye not much better than they ? — Matt. vi. 25, 26. 
 
 " npAKE no thought " (Revised version, " Be not anxious "), 
 1. which means do not worry ; and the reason is, you 
 have a heavenly Father who can and will provide. What- 
 ever betide, we must not lose confidence in God. When 
 Abraham departed from the home where he expected to 
 spend his old age, and turned his face toward the unknown 
 scenes of Canaan, God said, " Fear not, I am thy shield," 
 and this same "fear not," like a soothing refrain, purls to the 
 end of Holy Writ. 
 
 The world tries to casi away care. Hence the endeavor to 
 drown it in pleasures, to neutralize it by absorption in busi- 
 ness, to amuse it with the aims of ambition. But care thus 
 cast away, often returns like a boomerang. Scripture tells 
 us, " Cast thy burden o?i the Lord, he shall sustain thee." 
 The care is a care. Often it is a painful reality. We must 
 have prudent thought about temporal affairs, and about our 
 families. Scripture has no encouragement for lazy people, 
 but it abounds in consolation for the toiling children of men. 
 Now the true course is, not to cast away that care, but to 
 consign it to God, who is as deeply interested in the objects 
 of our care as we are; whose wisdom will direct what is 
 best for them, and whose power can secure the accomplish- 
 ment. Cares tend to crossness. Let us sweeten each cup 
 of bitterness by some promise of our heavenly Father. 
 
 The birds without barn or store-house are fed ; 
 From them let us learn to trust for our bread. 
 
 Newton. 
 
January 21. 
 
 iFruit tt}at mag abounti to gour account. — phil. iv. 17. 
 
 /j'^r ///^/ is faithful in that zvhich is least is faithful also ;'« much : 
 and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. If therefore 
 ye have not beeji faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will com- 
 mit to your trust the trice riches ? — LUKE xvi. lo, II. 
 
 '"T^RUE riches!" Then there are riches untrue, — false, 
 X delusive riches, riches that mock the hopes of men, 
 bringing disappointment, care, hardness, greed, instead of 
 the Hberation and repose they promised. There are such ! 
 Solomon describes them as winged. Jesus calls them deceit- 
 ful. Paul pronounces them uncertain. But they have use. 
 They are among those " least " things which may prepare the 
 way for nobler trusts. 
 
 The chemical sunbeam, acting on the gross elements in 
 the plant, produces color, fragrance, flavor, in flower and 
 fruit ; and the unrighteous mammon — wealth that has no 
 moral worth and that tends so easily to evil — may be trans- 
 mitted into the true riches of character, strength, achieve- 
 ment, heavenly treasures, under the constant touch of the 
 actinic ray of fidelity. 
 
 All possessions are trusts, and all trusts are tests. The 
 test both discovers the disposition and develops it. He who 
 is faithful is advanced to larger service. He who is unfaith- 
 ful is declared unjust; he wrongs all, the Master most, him- 
 self next ; he is in danger of winning the curse of the fruitless 
 fig-tree, the bitter doom of barrenness. The choice reward 
 of faithful well-doing is increased opportunity to do good. 
 
 Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to yield thee 
 
 Gladly, freely, of thine own ; 
 With the sunshine of thy goodness, 
 
 Melt our thankless hearts of stone. 
 
 Mrs. alderson. 
 
January 22. 
 
 J^e tf}at fjatjj tjje Son ^atfj life — i John v. 12. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son 
 of inan^ and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth 
 my flesh, and drinketh 7ny blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise 
 him up at the last day. — John vi. 53, 54. 
 
 THIS statement, so absolute, so authoritative, and so sol- 
 emnly reiterated, was a fan with which the Saviour 
 purged his floor. Many were so scandalized by it that from 
 that hour they forsook him. So is it always. To declare 
 in any age that for us sons of men there is no remission of 
 sins, and no entrance into everlasting life apart from the 
 death of the Son of man, is to rouse the repugnance of the 
 natural heart. From the days of Cain, God's way of life 
 by means of death has been an offence to many. Many 
 also, like Abel, have by faith fed on the Lamb slain from 
 the foundation of the world, and found his flesh meat in- 
 deed and his blood drink indeed. Thus they received and 
 nourished eternal life, and lived in hope of the resurrection 
 of the just. 
 
 How can I share this life, and attain to this resurrection.? 
 By no mastication of material elements, but by personal trust 
 in an ascended Saviour. Jesus' words, being spirit and life, 
 impart life wherever received. Hence his deepest complaint 
 is, "There are some of you that beheve not." He has the 
 words of everlasting life. Here he speaks them. You may 
 accept them ! You may reject them ! You cannot alter 
 them ! 
 
 Extol the Lamb of God, 
 
 The all-atoning Lamb ; 
 Redemption in his blood 
 
 Throughout the world proclaim ! 
 
 c. Wesley. 
 
January 23. 
 
 ^liuau ticliberctj unto tieatj) for 3tQm' sake. — 2 Cor. iv. u. 
 
 //e that loveth his life shall lose it ; and he that hateth his life in 
 this Ivor Id shall keep it unto life eternal. — John xii. 25. 
 
 OUR Lord describes the career and close of two kinds 
 of life, of which one is to love the present world with 
 its pleasures, which is deplorable loss now, and will, unless 
 faith and repentance prevent, lead to the fearful perdition 
 of "the second death." The other is to hate life in this 
 world by denying ourselves those delights which war against 
 the soul, and to bear without shrinking reproach and suffer- 
 ing, to preserve the "inner man" unhurt and victorious. 
 
 The extent of the eternal life promised to self-denying 
 believers is beyond our grasp of thought. There are some 
 hints of its nature in the words of Christ and his apostles, 
 of which the chief is the enjoyment of the glorified presence 
 of the Redeemer, and the attainment of the promised recom- 
 penses of present sacrifices and faithful stewardship. Saint 
 PauFs view of heaven was that of being with Jesus, while 
 Saint John conceived eternal life to consist in being like 
 him; and all who follow in their footsteps shall, after the 
 wreck of all earthly things, escape with their life to the happy 
 shore of perfect peace. They shall see him from whom shall 
 flow those influences which shall change them " from glory 
 to glory," and amidst the revelations of "his love all life "shall 
 be Sabbath rest, all space temple, and all service adoring 
 worship and praise. 
 
 We are the Lord's ; then let us gladly tender 
 Our souls to him in deeds, not empty words ; 
 
 Let heart and tongue and life combine' to render 
 No doubtful witness that we are the Lord's. 
 
 C. T. ASTLEY (Translation). 
 
January 24. 
 
 OTJat Jast tfjou tjjat tfjoii tiitigt not receibe? — i Cor. iv. 7. 
 
 .S*? likewise ycy when ye shall have done all these things which are 
 commanded yoti, say, We are unprofitable servants : we have done that 
 which was our duty to do. — LuKE xvii. lo. 
 
 CHRISTIANS are at once sons and servants of God. 
 This fact suggests the true measure of Christian merit. 
 All ought to serve God ; but the obligations of a redeemed 
 soul are peculiarly tender. God's claims upon his time and 
 talent are such that he can do nothing above what is re- 
 quired. None can put God under obligations. We are 
 here warned against undue pride of achievement. Our best 
 performance is imperfect. The servant's tasks are never 
 finished. 
 
 The remembrance of this necessity of work laid upon us 
 prevents undue self-complacency. Duty is a reality. " Stern 
 daughter of the voice of God," says Wordsworth ; while 
 Schiller affirms, " When duty grows thy law, enjoyment fades 
 away." The Christian who takes this view will render a 
 servant's obedience. Gratitude and love change drudgery 
 to voluntary service, while duty gives love character and lifts 
 it above mere sentiment. Duty should be love's guide. 
 
 Strength increases with the performance of duty. Thus 
 the willing servant grows in capacity and usefulness. The 
 Lord graciously accepts the loving duteous service of him 
 who humbly acknowledges his own unworthiness. He who 
 obeys in such a spirit is already a child of God, a joint-heir 
 with Christ. 
 
 When all is done, renounce your deeds, 
 Renounce self-righteousness with scorn ; 
 
 Thus will you glorify your God, 
 
 And thus the Christian name adorn ! 
 
 GIBBONS. 
 
January 25. 
 
 iJ^irst purr, tf}m peaccatilf. — James iii. 17. 
 
 Blessed are the peacemakers : for they shall be called the children of 
 God. — Matt. v. 9. 
 
 HE who speaks this blessed loving text is God incarnate, 
 God the Son, Jesus Christ, the only all-sufficient Sa- 
 viour. In the economy of God he is the greatest peace- 
 maker known to earth. For this peace he was '' slain from 
 the foundation of the world." For this peace, in God's love 
 for the world, his only begotten Son was given. For this 
 peace as the only able one, he made the only propitiation for 
 the sins of the world, and thus bought us, one and all, and 
 thus became as the God-man our Lord under the exaltation 
 of God, who gave him a name above every name as a reward 
 of his infinitely humble, acceptable, and profitable work, that 
 every tongue should confess Jesus Christ as Lord to the 
 glory of God the Father. For this peace the Master sent 
 his ministry- forth and the Holy Ghost to bless them in the 
 establishment of his Church for the salvation of men. For 
 this peace he ascended into heaven to carry on his work in 
 the presence of God, as the great Intercessor, with the marks 
 of his love in his hands, with wounds in his feet, and with 
 the open door in his side to his heart; and so he lives in the 
 smile of heaven to the end of his mediatorial kingdom. 
 
 And now as is the tree so are the branches and fruit; 
 they cannot help being blessed. It is in the very nature of 
 things in the providence of God. And so we naturally read 
 our text and learn our lesson, each in our own degree, as we 
 faithfully apply its use. 
 
 How sweet, how heavenly is the sight, 
 
 When those who love the Lord 
 
 In one another's peace delight, 
 
 And so fulfil his word ! 
 
 Joseph swain- 
 
January 26. 
 
 jFniitful in tberg poti irrork. — Col. i. 10. 
 
 Occupy till I come. — Luke xix. 13. 
 
 ACTION! — not that of the soldier fired with conquest, 
 but of the merchantman, cool in brain, shrewd in judg- 
 ment, augmenting invested capital. " Occupy " — do business 
 herewith — " till I come." The Christian life is a service of 
 usefulness. Gratuitously, every believer receives his " pound," 
 then comes responsibility ! An orthodox creed and a passive 
 life may join hands. The mere culture of moods does as lit- 
 tle for the soul as for the stock-market. Saved by faith, we 
 must live by works ! Duty slurred over robs the gospel of 
 its power and the disciple of his reward ! 
 
 To occupy, we must have knowledge. My successful busi- 
 ness friend knows what he is about. He who negotiates for 
 God must know God's word! Buoyant feelings are indis- 
 pensable. The worried man falls out of the commercial 
 arena. To win laurels in traffic, one must likewise curb his 
 passions with bits of steel and reins of raw hide. " Whoso- 
 ever will come after me, let him deny himself." We must 
 die to the flesh to live to usefulness ! Behold, moreover, the 
 steadfastness of duty. " Occupy " — not till acclaim ceases or 
 health loses its grip, but — " //// / cojne / " " He that endur- 
 eth to the end shall be saved ! " 
 
 Go, labor on, spend and be spent, 
 
 Thy joy to do thy Father's will. 
 It was the way the Master went ; 
 
 Shall not the servant tread it still ? 
 
January 27. 
 
 m^o 
 
 t./^ 
 
 gou tatf) \z qtucteetJ. — Eph. ii. i. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, 
 •when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God : a7id they that 
 hear shall live. — JoilN v. 25. 
 
 WHO are the dead ? Alas, we know but too well ! Some 
 of them have been carried from our homes. Their 
 dust lies beneath the grass and the flowers in the cemetery. 
 Their images haunt tenderly our memories. Their influence 
 is woven, in many a golden thread, into our characters and 
 lives. But these are not "the dead" of whom our Lord 
 here speaks. He has reference to those who are "dead 
 while they live," "dead in trespasses and sins," who have 
 no perception of, or love for, or interest in, spiritual things, 
 who do not " live unto God." Even heathen have had some 
 perception of the possibility of spiritual death, present as 
 well as future. "What," said Socrates to his disciples, — 
 " what if some of those around us were already dead souls ! " 
 It is a terrible thought that even in the midst of the life and 
 beauty of the world, over a vast multitude of souls " death 
 reigns," and corruption is creeping. It may be that we our- 
 selves are spiritually dead, or litde better. But "the hour 
 cometh," it is not far away, it " now is," for the dead to 
 arise. Already it is the resurrection morn. Even now the 
 Son of God is calling, and all around us men are coming 
 to life. " Now is the day of salvation." " They who hear 
 shall live." But how can the dead hear? Because he who 
 speaks to Lazarus at the same time gives him the power to 
 hear, and to obey, and to " come forth." O thou who art 
 " the Resurrection and the Life," dispose us to hear thy voice 
 and awake from spiritual death to life eternal ! 
 
 Oh, let the dead now hear thy voice ! 
 Bid, Lord, thy banished ones rejoice ! 
 Their beauty 'this, their glorious dress, 
 Jesus, the Lord, our righteousness. 
 
 J. Wesley (Translation). 
 
January 28. 
 
 (3oti trras manifest in ti}e tef). — i Tim. iii. 16. 
 
 Believest thoic not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me ? 
 The words that I speak tmto you I speak not of myself: but the 
 Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. — JOHN xiv. lo. 
 
 THE words and works of Christ were the words and 
 works of God. We need not wait to prove the his- 
 toric miracles which Christ wrought upon men's bodies. 
 We have three greater miracles of his before us to-day, 
 his matchless character, his matchless words, his matchless 
 influence, — the miracle of a character too unique to be 
 invented, too pure and mighty to be human; the miracle 
 of teachings that the world's wisest men have almost uni- 
 versally admitted to be not only unequalled, but unap- 
 proached; the miracle of an influence upon individuals 
 and nations greater than has been exerted by any other per- 
 son that ever walked the earth. These present, indisputable 
 evidences show that Christ is able as well as willing to save 
 me and to save the world. 
 
 Christianity is a science, not a dream, because it is estab- 
 lished in part, like law and history, upon abundant and 
 reliable testimony; in part, like gravitation and the round- 
 ness of the earth upon a proved hypothesis that alone in- 
 cludes and harmonizes all the facts ; in part, like medicine and 
 chemistry, upon experiments and experience. No hypoth- 
 esis but that of Christianity explains how an unlettered 
 carpenter of Nazareth has become the best known, the most 
 beloved, and the most obeyed of any being " that e'er wore 
 earth about him." But there is yet stronger evidence in 
 experience. " Come and see ! " 
 
 Show us thyself, for seeing thee 
 Do we, dear Lord, the Father see ; 
 In all thy words and works we trace 
 The Father's heart, the Father's grace. 
 
 R. M. OFFORD. 
 
January 29. 
 
 gour labour is not in bain in tj)c iLorti. — i Cor. xv. 58. 
 
 JFe// do)ie, thoic good a )id faithful servant : thou hast been faithful 
 over a fexu things, I will 7Hake thee ruler over tnany things : enter 
 thou into the joy of thy lord. — Matt. xxv. 21. 
 
 GOD has the highest possible claim to our services, and 
 his claim is universal and constant. No peculiarity 
 of natural endowment, great or small, nor diversity of oppor- 
 tunity or means of doing good, works any change in the 
 matter of personal responsibility. All power and means 
 of doing good are the gift of God, and to meet our obliga- 
 tions all must be consecrated to his services. 
 
 Christ teaches us that the grandest possibilities are wrapped 
 up in every human life ; that by the right improvement of the 
 talents given, be they ten or one, we shall by and by become 
 rulers over many things and enter into the joy of our Lord ; 
 that constant d3votion to God is the true philosophy of a 
 successful life : " For what shall it profit a man if he gain the 
 whole world and lose his own soul .'* " Happy then the man 
 who recognizes the will of God as the rule of his every-day 
 life. It may, it will, require sacrifice, possible suffering, and 
 failure in many worldly enterprises and prospects, but fidel- 
 ity to God is assured success. To the faithful servant of 
 God triumph is not far off. To-day improve the talents 
 given; to-morrow the Master will say, "Well done," for the 
 "Judge standeth at the door." 
 
 Oh, may I, no longer dreaming, 
 
 Idly waste my golden day, 
 But, each precious hour redeeming, 
 
 Upward, onward, press my way 1 
 
 H. BONAR. 
 
January 30. 
 
 Christ 13 tf)e mti of tf)e lain for xisbUomm&e, 
 
 Romans x. 4. 
 
 Think not that I am cojne to destroy the law, or the prophets : I am 
 not co)?ie to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you. Till 
 heaven and earth pass, one Jot or one tittle shall z';/ no wi^ie pass from 
 the law, till all be Julfilled. — Matt. v. 17, 18. 
 
 HOW comforting are these words, which form a part of the 
 Sermon on the Mount, in which our Lord sets forth 
 the great principles of his kingdom ! He founded redemp- 
 tion upon law as revealed to Moses and the prophets. Chris- 
 tianity thus stands upon the bed-rock of revelation as made 
 before Christ; and the living Church, by its very existence, 
 confirms every " jot and tittle " of the Old Testament. Law 
 is love working out the eternal plan of God; its supreme, 
 serene dominion over all things, material and spiritual, is the 
 eternal repose of the universe. The gospel did indeed dis- 
 place the types and shadows of the ceremonial only to reveal 
 the grandeur of the moral law, as sunrise dispels the mists 
 only to disclose more clearly the mountains, standing in all 
 their rugged strength. There can in the nature of things be 
 no redemption without law, no mercy without justice, no par- 
 don without a stable throne ; only a sound ship can save 
 the wrecked. But Christ's expiatory death exalted the law. 
 God incarnate added to it a glory impossible to be derived 
 from the legal obedience or sufferings of mere creatures. 
 The cross shows the granite foundations of the divine gov- 
 ernment in greater massiveness than they had before been 
 seen. The heavenly hosts rejoice in obedience, as the plan- 
 ets in their swift courses. Grace and law are parts of the 
 same complete sphere. All the redeemed sing the song of 
 Moses and the Lamb. 
 
 But, fixed for everlasting years, 
 Unmoved amid the wreck of spheres, 
 Thy word shall shine in cloudless day, 
 When lieaven and earth have passed away. 
 
 Sir Robert Grant. 
 
January 31. 
 
 (JL\)txt 13 n0 iriant to i\)tm tf}at imx fjim. — PsalmxxxIv. 9. 
 
 Labour not for the meat 7ohich perishcth, but for that meat which 
 endureth nfito everlasting^ life, which the Son of man shall give unto 
 you : for him hath God the Father sealed. — John vi. 27. 
 
 WE 7nHst do work to live noiu ; we may so do it as to 
 live forever. The body of Jesus was hungry for 
 bread in the wilderness ; but his soul was more hungry for 
 that whicli came into his life through " every word of God." 
 If we will, we may reap two harvests from every deed, — one 
 in time, one in eternity. God has put the best things of 
 earth right beside the path of duty, which leads to heaven; 
 so Jesus says, " Seek first the kingdom of God . . . and all 
 these things shall be added to you." Not because of your 
 work, but your childhood. The prodigal started home to 
 get bread for his labor ; but he got the embrace, kiss, shoes, 
 best robe, fatted calf, and father's heart, — not for his labor, 
 but for his return to his father. As we lift life to God, we 
 harmonize it with man. This wipes out " all inhumanity to 
 man," reconciles all capital with labor, does away with all 
 oppression, and makes " the kingdom come and the will be 
 done on earth as it is in heaven." Thus the poorest task to 
 human being given holds in it the possibility of an "heir of 
 God, and joint heirship with Jesus Christ." The loneliest 
 and most obscure lot in life can open into full fellowship 
 with all the spirits of heaven. 
 
 '4/V\A 
 
 Beneath the spreading heavens, 
 No creature hut is fed ; 
 
 And he who feeds the ravens 
 Will give his children bread. 
 
February i. 
 
 Enib tfjis inas i\}t Bon of (^oti. — Matt. xxvii. 54. 
 
 If I do not the zvor/cs of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, 
 though ye believe not 7ne, believe the luorks : that ye may kno~o, and 
 believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. — John x. 37, 38. 
 
 THESE are remarkable words. Our Lord appeals to his 
 mighty works as proofs of his divine mission, and as 
 credentials that he came from God. Men resisted the evi- 
 dence of his words ; let them yield to the evidence of his 
 works. If they were not convinced by what he said, let them 
 be convinced by what he did. He' had said he was the 
 Son of God, — this they disbelieved; but how could they 
 deny that he was one with the Father when he did the 
 works of the Father, — works which none but God could 
 possibly perform, and which proved his goodness, his 
 mercy, and his love? Our blessed Lord again and again 
 draws attention to his miracles. When John sent his dis- 
 ciples to ask him, "Art thou he that should come, or do 
 we look for another ? " he made answer, " Go and shew John 
 again those things which ye do hear and see." 
 
 Let us mark, and rejoice that the Father and the Son are 
 one, "The Father in me, and I in him." As Christ said 
 again, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father;" "I 
 and the Father are one." One, — of a glory equal, of a 
 majesty co-eternal ; one in essence, one in purpose, one in 
 working. 
 
 Blessed thought ! For if Christ and the Father are one. 
 then, believing in Christ, my salvation is secure, — for the 
 Spirit proceedeth from tlie Father and the Son, and must 
 therefore be one with both; so that the Triune God are all 
 intent on my salvation, and nothing can separate me from 
 their love. 
 
 L^ 
 
 Christ our Lord and God we own, 
 
 Christ, the Father's only Son, 
 
 Lamb of God for sinners slain, 
 
 Saviour of offending man. c. Wesley. 
 
February 2. 
 
 i3g t|}C pollicr of tfic %irit of (^otl. — Romans xv. 19. 
 
 Verily, verily, / say mito you. He that beliez'eth on me, the works 
 that I do shall he do also ; and greater works than these shall he do ; 
 because I go unto my Father. — John xiv. 12. 
 
 THE words, "Verily, verily," render this verse emphatic. 
 They show how deeply our Lord felt the* truth he 
 uttered. To him it was prophecy; to his disciples is given 
 the blessed possibility to make it fact. 
 
 Living faith makes the disciple a branch of the true Vine, 
 and on the branch we seek the fruit. The work is the same, 
 for it comes from the same root. The disciple receives the 
 grace of full obedience and consecration and of loving, will- 
 ing service. That he should yield himself to such grace is no 
 strain upon the gospel; it is the proper thing for the imitator 
 of such a Saviour to do. Then comes the result. The branch 
 bears fruit more abundant than the root. 
 
 "Because I go to my Father"' gives the reason for these 
 greater works. Our ascended Lord now works through the 
 Spirit ; and his disciples left on earth are made the instruments 
 of greater spiritual results than any that attended the earthly 
 life of Jesus; hence the greater works of Pentecost, of every 
 true revival, of thousands of such disciples as Harlan Page. A 
 few years ago, a poor humble Nestorian was followed to his 
 grave by weeping crowds, who testified to a saving power 
 in his life upon them, — a striking illustration of this verse 
 fulfilled. '• Happy indeed is such a disciple ; the same bring- 
 eth forth much fruit." 
 
 J/LM 
 
 Work, for the night is coming, 
 
 Work through the morning hours ; 
 Work while the dew is sparkling, 
 
 Work 'mid springing flowers. 
 Work, when the day grows brighter, 
 
 Work in the glowing sun ; 
 Work, for the night is coming, 
 
 When man's work is done. an-nie l. walker. 
 
February 3. 
 
 Christ 3em& came into tf)e inorlti to sabe ginnery. 
 
 I Tim. i. 15. 
 
 j^or the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was 
 lost. — Luke xix. 10. 
 
 THE Son of God in his work for men identifies himself 
 with them by becoming, and constantly calling himself 
 the Son of man. He is among men and with men as a new 
 power in the life of the world. For one purpose only could 
 so great an event as the coming of the Son of man be de- 
 manded. For the ordinary regulation of life the resources of 
 the earth and the activity of man are sufficient, as each new 
 year of experience proves. But the fact that man was lost, 
 that he had wandered from his Father's presence and from 
 the knowledge of his Father's love, called for the coming of 
 the Son of man to bring man back to his true position. The 
 wisdom and love of the God of creation met the new demand. 
 
 Without the Son of man our daily duties and pleasures are 
 the endless and aimless wanderings of men lost in a trackless 
 existence. Under his guidance they are marches to a definite 
 end. If that end is not always clear to us or to others, it is 
 to him. He not only comes to seek, but to save. We respond 
 to the seeking voice, and at once the work of salvation begins. 
 It is sure of success, and every day that makes up a part of its 
 story shares in that certainty, and has now in all its events the 
 brightness of the sun which never shall set. 
 
 Jesus sought me when a stranger, 
 Wandering from the fold of God ; 
 
 He, to rescue me from danger, 
 Interposed his precious blood. 
 
 RoiiHKT Robinson. 
 
February 4. 
 
 J^eirs of tf)e kiuigtiom, — JamesH. 5. 
 
 Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father^ s good pleasure to give 
 you the kingdom, — Luke xii. 32. 
 
 HOW like " the good shepherd ! " What tenderness ! 
 What loving sympathy ! " Seek ye the kingdom of 
 God " as your Hfe-work. Enemies and dangers will confront 
 and oppose you. " Fear not them which kill the body." 
 "Fear not" anything. "Let not your heart be troubled, 
 neither let it be afraid." 
 
 " Fear not." " Your Father knoweth " your foes and your 
 needs. It is his pleasure to give you the kingdom. His 
 heart's joy is in it. His hand will accomplish it. 
 
 " Fear not, little flock." You may think I am sending you 
 "as sheep in the midst of wolves," which rush with open 
 mouth upon their prey. Seek and fear not; "for it is your 
 Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." 
 
 " Fear not." Your Father gives. Ye "are his children. 
 Where should the sons and daughters of the King dwell but 
 in the kingdom of their Father.? How can the Father do 
 otherwise than give you the kingdom.'* 
 
 " Fear not." Yea, rather, rejoice and be glad. Have con- 
 fidence and expectation. Look for the coming of the King. 
 Await the bestowment of the kingdom, with the throne and 
 the crown, the sceptre and the glory everlasting. 
 
 \/^^iZ^.c,//^^^^i.^^i_ 
 
 Cease, ye pilgrims, cease to mourn ; 
 
 Press onward to the prize. 
 Soon our Saviour will return. 
 
 Triumphant in the skies. 
 Yet a season, and you know 
 
 Happy entrance will be given, 
 All our sorrows left below, 
 
 And earth exchanged for heaven. 
 
 ROBERT SEACRAVR. 
 
February 5. 
 
 (goti f)at6 c!}osm t!)E iueafe tfjinp. — i Cor. i. 27. 
 
 .yt? ///^ last shall be first, and the first last. — Matt. xx. i6. 
 
 WHOM God accepts the world rejects. To human eyes 
 Dives was first and Lazarus last, but God saw 
 differently. Nero had all the world offered, — health, an 
 athlete's strength, intellectual culture, boundless wealth, abso- 
 lute power, great honor. Paul was poor, old, sick, impris- 
 oned, friendless. But the shout of triumph comes from the 
 dungeon, not the palace; from the poor old sick man, not 
 the athlete ; from the apostle, not the emperor. " I have 
 fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have 
 kept the faith." Who thinks of Nero to-day save with con- 
 tempt.'' while Paul is loved and honored throughout the 
 world, and will be to the end. Jonathan Edwards's congre- 
 gation rejected him by a vote of two hundred to twenty. 
 Even the King of heaven " was despised and rejected of 
 men." Saved by grace, we are rewarded according to our 
 faithfulness. The eleventh-hour laborers were as faithful 
 as the rest, and so were paid the same. The weakest, ob- 
 scurest child of God can be as faithful as Paul or Luther. 
 
 " Within the smallest flower I often find 
 A richer and more delicate perfume 
 Than in the largest, most pretentious flower, 
 That waves its petals in the summer wind." 
 
 The most beautiful window in the Lincoln Cathedral was 
 made of rejected bits of glass. From material rejected of 
 men, God will fashion some of the brightest and most glori- 
 ous ornaments of the temple on high. 
 
 a^-^c:3==LA^ 
 
 Let the world despise and leave me, 
 
 They have left my Saviour too ; 
 Human hearts and looks deceive me, 
 
 Thou art not, like man. untrue. 
 And while thou shalt smile upon me, 
 
 God of wisdom, love, and might, 
 Foes may hate, and friends may shun me, 
 
 Show thv face, and all is bright. lvtr. 
 
February 6. 
 
 ^eaUtJ toi'tf) tfjat l^olg spirit of pr0mi0e. — Eph. i. 13. 
 
 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Com- 
 forter, that he may abide with you for ever ; even the Spirit of truth ; 
 whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither know- 
 eth him : but ye knozu him ; for he dwelleth with you, arid shall be in 
 you. — John xiv. i6, 17. 
 
 HOW replete with inspiration is every clause of this 
 passage ! What wealth of deep spiritual meaning 
 does it convey ! Take the very term " Comforter," a Latin 
 derivative, — "con," "fortis," together with strength. Here 
 is implied the Spirit companionship that is strength-giving, 
 softened and sweetened by his tenderness and love. Christ 
 here assumes that he was the first Comforter. His mission 
 was to bind up the broken-hearted; to this end he held 
 within his incarnate person all the treasures of wisdom, 
 grace, and compassion. But the demands of his mediatorial 
 work made it expedient that he should go away. Comfort- 
 less or orphaned he could not and would not leave his dis- 
 ciples, hence another Comforter is promised. Equal in his 
 essence with the Father, yet was he officially subordinate 
 in the redeeming order, and so he prayed the Father and 
 his prayer prevailed. An abiding Comforter was sent as the 
 final manifestation of God to the Church. Bereaved, deso- 
 late, forsaken, lone one, wearing around the heart the rustling, 
 withered, dead leaves of departed joy, this is your great 
 heritage, — a companion who shall abide with you along 
 the untravelled eternities, even the Spirit of truth, who shall 
 guide you up the steeps of time and on to the blissful forever. 
 
 I worship thee, O Holy Ghost, I worship thee, O Holy Ghost, 
 I love to worship thee ; I love to worship thee ; 
 
 Mv risen Lord for aye were lost With thee, each day is Pentecost, 
 But for thy company Each night Nativity. 
 
 William f. Warren. 
 
February 7. 
 
 Cf}e tDorti 0f our (3ot} sfjall stanti for zhex. — isaiah xi. 8. 
 
 Heaven and earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass 
 away. — Mark xiii. 31. 
 
 WHO could speak thus but a man who was God? The 
 words cover everything that Jesus ever said. His 
 doctrines can never pass away. Human philosophies may 
 go out of date, the words of Jesus never; neither can the 
 law which he declared. The Sermon on the Mount will never 
 be toned down to the level of human morality ; and the 
 warnings of Jesus abide in force. Men may ignore them, 
 if they like, or explain them away; but this will make no 
 difference. They shall not pass away. But we need not 
 stop with this. This mighty assurance covers also all the 
 promises of Jesus. How many and how precious they are ! — 
 "Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out;" 
 " I am with you alway ; " and " I will come again, and 
 receive you unto myself." Truly such promises as these 
 are royal, godlike ! so great that faith often finds it hard 
 to believe them. But he abideth faithful. We feel that we 
 can depend on the rising of the sun and the nightly shining 
 of the stars and the order of the revolving year ; yet he as- 
 sures us these are not so certain as the fulfilment of his words. 
 Let us then hold fast the doctrine of Jesus, obey his law, heed 
 his warnings, and joyfully rest in his promises; and in the 
 end we shall confess with Israel, " Not one good thing hath 
 failed us of all that the Lord our God hath spoken." 
 
 S^"^ 
 
 Wide as the world is thy command, 
 
 Vast as eternity thy love ; 
 Firm as a rock thy truth must stand, 
 
 When rolling years shall cease to move. 
 
February 8. 
 
 Cfjaritg . . . trinket}) no cbil— i Cor. xiii. 4, 5. 
 
 yudge not, and ye shall not be judged : condenm not, and ye shall not 
 be condemned : forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. — Luke vi. 37. 
 
 NOT judged of God to whom all hearts are open and to 
 whom all at last shall give account. These words are 
 not to be understood to mean that the Church or the Christian 
 shall pronounce no judgment against evil, — that duty is ex- 
 pressly enjoined in not a few places in the New Testament 
 both by the Lord and the apostles. The Saviour's words in 
 this text are not to be interpreted as permitting the easy-going 
 indifference to evil which is so often simply moral cowardice. 
 His thought is directed rather to censoriousness, — that cap- 
 tious, fault-finding spirit which is quick to see evil and overlook 
 good. It is a spirit of rapid growth and wide opportunity. 
 As we see it in others, we wonder at its proportions and its 
 acuteness. It has an eye like a vulture's ; and often when its 
 possessor is thought to be enjoying the pure ether and the celes- 
 tial radiance of the upper air in which at the time he is float- 
 ing, it detects the single speck of carrion in the wide horizon 
 and descends upon it as if it were the all-important object 
 within its ken. The exhortation is, that we throttle this spirit 
 within ourselves; that we cultivate an eye that shall be quick 
 to discern good, a spirit always eager to wrap the work and 
 the person of others in the mantle of generous charity. It is 
 the command which gives birth to the virtue that Paul so 
 beautifully describes as the pre-eminent grace of the Christian, 
 the charity '' that suffereth long and is kind, that taketh not ac- 
 count of evil, that rejoiceth not in iniquity." 
 
 Love is kind, and suffers long, 
 Love is weak, and thinks no wrong ; 
 Love, than death itself more strong, 
 Give us heavenly love ! c. wokdsworth. 
 
February 9. 
 
 3Lijgi)t0 in tjje irrorlti. — Phil. ii. 15. 
 
 Ve are the light of the loorld. A city that is set on a hill catmot be 
 hid. N'either do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on 
 a candlestick ; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let 
 your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and 
 glorify your Father which is in heaven. — Matt. v. 14-16. 
 
 WE do not need to adopt any philosophical theory of 
 light to perceive the beauty and pertinence of the 
 figure by which our Lord represents his friends as the light 
 of the world. The world is dark because sin dominates it. 
 Sin darkens the mind so that God, truth, duty, the way of 
 salvation by Christ, are obscured. Therefore it needs light, 
 penetrating, revealing, awakening. Watch the earth when 
 the light of morning breaks over it! So the moral world 
 needs the spiritual light, — the light of Christian example, 
 instruction, influence. 
 
 This light is not our light. It is given from above. 
 Christ is the light of the world, and the light that is in us 
 is from him, as the reflected light of stars is from the cen- 
 tral sun. It is not given to be hidden, but to shine forth. 
 The old Roman law maintained the right of citizens to un- 
 obstructed light. Light is for the world. If we have it we 
 must let it shine. The light of the individual Christian 
 should make an illuminated home. The light of the united 
 Church should be like a lighted city at night, standing on a 
 hill. 
 
 Oh, let our love and faith abound ; 
 Oh, let our lives to all around 
 
 With purest lustre shine, — 
 That all around our works may see, 
 And give the glory, Lord, to thee, 
 
 The heavenly light divine. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
February io. 
 
 OTfjat persecutions C cntiurfti. — 2 T 
 
 IM. 111. II. 
 
 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth : I came not to 
 send peace, but a sword. — Matt. x. 34. 
 
 THIS statement is in apparent conflict with other declara- 
 tions of Scripture, and indeed with our cardinal con- 
 ceptions of the design of the gospel. Jesus elsewhere says 
 to his disciples, " My peace I leave with you ; my peace I 
 give unto you." The natal song of the' Redeemer was, 
 " Glory to God in the highest ! On earth, peace ! " 
 
 How shall we reconcile the seeming discrepancy ? First, 
 it is an inward peace and not external quiet that is promised. 
 
 Christ expressly tells his followers, " In the world ye shall 
 have tribulation." But he adds, "Be of good comfort; I 
 have overcome the world." The peace that he gives us, the 
 world can neither give nor take away. 
 
 Next, the world will never be at peace until the world be 
 subdued to Christ. A king can grant peace to his subjects 
 only while they remain loyal; when they are in rebellion he 
 must draw the sword. Our Saviour here represents himself 
 as a sovereign come to recover a revolted province. 
 
 Satan has usurped dominion of this world; he must be de- 
 throned. It is our noblest privilege to engage in this warfare 
 under Christ's banner. To those thus enlisted he says, '• Fear 
 not, little flock ; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give 
 you the kingdom." 
 
 J/iirj-t^^^ ^' /fat^Tf' 
 
 Fear not, O little flock, the foe 
 Who madly seeks your overthrow ; 
 
 Dread not his rage and power. 
 What though your courage sometimes faints! 
 His seeming triumph o'er God's saints 
 
 Lasts but a Httle hour. 
 
 Catharine Winkworth (Translation). 
 
February ii. 
 
 TOfjosE Bttt IS to ht burneti. — Heb. vi. 8. 
 
 Ve are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost his savo7ir, where- 
 with shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be 
 cast out, and to be trodden imder foot of men. — Matt. v. 13. 
 
 THE salt in Judea was native salt mingled with various 
 earthy substances. When exposed to the atmosphere 
 and rain, the saline particles in due time wasted away, and 
 what was left was an insipid earthy mass, looking like salt, 
 but entirely destitute of a conserving element, and absolutely 
 good for nothing. It was not merely good for nothing, but 
 actually destructive of all fertility wherever it might be 
 thrown; therefore it was cast into the streets to be trodden 
 under foot of men. The carcass of sheep or bullock might 
 be buried deep in this worthless mass, and the process of cor- 
 ruption not be delayed a moment. 
 
 What an illustration is this of the absolute worthlessness of 
 the form of godliness when the power is utterly lacking! If 
 the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted ? How 
 can its salting, conserving property be recovered? What can 
 you do with it ? So your savorless religion is not only worth- 
 less in its influence on others, but of no good to yourselves. 
 It will save neither them nor yourself from corruption. How 
 sad for one to have lost the power that belongs to the Christian 
 calling, and instead of being the instrument of saving others, 
 becoming a means of their perdition ! Well does the Saviour 
 say in another place, " Have salt in yourselves." 
 
 Lord, to me more grace impart ; 
 
 Make me faithful, Lord, I pray. 
 Purify and keep my heart ; 
 
 Make me fruitful day by day. 
 
 R. M. Of FORD. 
 
February 12. 
 
 J^e maketfj tfje gtorm a calm. — Psalm cvii. 29. 
 
 W7/jj/ are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ? — Matt. viii. 26. 
 
 THE reproving question bears its own answer. The dis- 
 ciples were fearful because they had so little faith. How 
 dull they were ! How little they understood him ! They did 
 not really know who he was. vSurely if they had taken in the 
 evidences of his divine personality and authority, which had 
 attended all he did and said in their presence, the sudden storm 
 on the lake would not have affrighted them with Christ in 
 the boat, although he were asleep. Were they not there by 
 his command, and what were winds and waves to him? 
 Could they perish with him on board .-^ Alas that we are 
 such cowards often in the face of danger, and forget who it is 
 that commands the ship ! 
 
 In recently crossing the Atlantic a group of passengers 
 after a violent storm huddled together on their steamer-chairs 
 condoling each other on their late fearful experiences, when 
 a lady of the company addressed the captain, who had drawn 
 near, and asked, " Captain, didn't you think we were going 
 to the bottom ? " Assuming an air of offended dignity, the 
 master of the ship replied, " Madam, when I signed the ship's 
 papers in the company's office, I agreed to carry this steamer 
 across the Atlantic Ocean from Liverpool to New York. The 
 bottom is not on my chart." 
 
 Now when Christ entered the ship with his disciples his 
 purpose was to cross the lake. The bottom was not on his 
 chart. But he answered their fears and bade the wind and 
 storm cease; and there was a great calm. 
 
 Jesus Jehovah, be our stay 
 Over the dark and troublous way. 
 Embarked with him we need feel no fear 
 Though the storm, the trial of faith, be near. 
 
February 13. 
 
 itet notf)m0 be tioiu t!)rouigj) . . . bam jglorg. — Phil. h. 3. 
 
 Take heed that ye do not your alms before vien, to be seen of them : 
 othenvise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. — 
 Matt. vi. i. 
 
 GIVING and sey-ving are the two thoughts of this pas- 
 sage. As to giving, Christ seems to take it for granted 
 that his followers in every possible way will relieve human 
 sorrow and want. He does not command them to feed the 
 hungry, clothe the naked, and deliver the oppressed, but in his 
 life shows how these exercises are the natural outcome of a 
 loyal love. For the true Christian no commands are needed 
 on these lines. There is, however, danger that men will give 
 for the sake of attracting attention and securing applause. 
 Here " take heed." He who gives from love to God shall 
 have reward, and may not concern himself whether his gifts 
 are unknown or known; but he who gives for the sake of 
 human commendation, or human recognition of any kind, 
 shall have no reward, save such as comes from the hollow 
 praise of men. All truly Christian giving is spontaneous 
 and self-forgetful. As to serving, this is to spring from the 
 same unselfish motive. We are not to do righteousness that 
 we may be personally commended, but that we may commend 
 Christ. In all our deeds our one aim should be to lead men 
 into the acceptance and obedience of the gospel. The more 
 vital our Christianity the more completely do we lose our- 
 selves in the one purpose to attract men to Christ and cause 
 them to share in his great salvation. 
 
 Mean are all offerings we can make ; 
 
 Yet thou hast taught us, Lord, 
 If given for the Saviour's sake, 
 
 They lose not their reward. 
 
 William Crosswell. 
 
February 14. 
 
 J^olxi long f)alt ge bcttocm tino opmions?— i Kings xviii. 2f 
 
 A''^ /-^<7/ is not with itic is ai^ainst me ; and he that gathereth not 
 with vie scattereth abroad. — Matt. xii. 30. 
 
 CHRIST had come to an issue with the leaders of the 
 Jewish people. He claimed to be their Messiah. To 
 disregard that claim was to reject him. This they did, and 
 called his power satanic. The common people looked to 
 these leaders for guidance, and followed their indifference. 
 
 We all influence each other. Influence is like force. It 
 always acts in some direction; and the direction is not af- 
 fected by its strength. A west wind is a west wind, whether 
 it is a cyclone or a zephyr. A great man and a child may 
 both work for Jesus, and the child just as truly as the man. 
 
 Some railroad men are on a hand-car. Whoever does not 
 work at the lever adds to the load. A poor family are strug- 
 gling for a living. Such of the children as earn ever so little 
 are doing a share, but those who earn nothing eat up the 
 earnings of the rest. The policeman that so far befriends a 
 thief as not to arrest him is the thief's ally. The army offi- 
 cer who tolerates mutiny is guilty of helping it on. 
 
 No man can sit on the edge of a sword-blade ; his at- 
 tempt would be his destruction. There is no half-way place 
 there ; so God calls for open, active friendship. As you 
 cannot stop breathing and not die, so you cannot neglect 
 Christ and not perish. 
 
 Lord, I am thine, — entirely thine, 
 Purchased and saved by blood divine 
 With full consent I thine would be, 
 And own thy sovereign riglu in me. 
 
 Samuel Davies. 
 
February 15. 
 
 33e cloti)0li initf} ftumilitg. — i Peter v. 5. 
 
 Whosoever will be great ani07tg yoti, let hint be your minister ; mid 
 whosoever zvill be chief among you, let him be your servant : ez<en as 
 the Son of man came not to be tfiinistered Ufito, but to minister, attd to 
 give his life a ranso7n for many. — Matt. xx. 26-28. 
 
 OUR Lord did not reprove the desire to be great. He 
 taught by what means greatness can be secured. 
 These men were not to make this the thought and purpose 
 of their life, nor were they to regard it as the unconditioned 
 gift of God. They could have it by becoming ministers to 
 others. This is not an arbitrary rule, but a necessary prin- 
 ciple. Greatness is not of bargain or reward, but the nat- 
 ural result of a great life. Usefulness wins the honor which 
 it does not seek. Nothing less than this gains our lasting 
 homage. We bow before high authority; we admire great 
 attainments; but it is service to which we give real honor, 
 and render sincere allegiance. To this we build monuments. 
 We gain our own approval when we have made ourselves of 
 use. This is in accordance with the divine nature, of which 
 we are partakers. God has revealed himself as love. As a 
 father he ministers to his children, and even to birds and 
 flowers. When the Christ came into the world it was to 
 give his life for men. It is through this gift that he has 
 made himself our Redeemer and our Lord. He taught that 
 this is the law of heaven. Those who "for the sake of the 
 Name" have ministered to others with the cup of water and 
 the personal helpfulness are his disciples, whom he receives 
 into the kingdom prepared for them. 
 
 O wondrous Lord, my soul would be 
 Still more and more conformed to thee, 
 And learn of thee, the lowly One, 
 And like thee, all my journey run. 
 
 BISHOP A. C. COXE. 
 
February i6. 
 
 ^ble ... to safae ... to tfjc uttermost. — Heb. vii. 25. 
 
 My sheep hear ?ny voice, and I kncnv them, and they follow me: 
 and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, 
 neither shall any man pluck them ojit of my hand. My Father, 
 ivhich gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to 
 pluck them out of my Father's hand. — John x. 27-29. 
 
 THE characteristics of the Saviour's sheep are presented 
 in these words, and their secure and happy condition is 
 also set before us. In the attitude of a shepherd, the Lord 
 Jesus shows us how near he comes to the needs of our sinful 
 humanity. This is presented in the former part of this chap- 
 ter, where we are taught that he calls and names his sheep, 
 that he leads and feeds them, and also that he gives his own 
 life for them. On the other hand, the sheep are brought be- 
 fore us in these most interesting and touching verses, that we 
 may understand what they are in character, and what they 
 shall be in the future of Christ's kingdom and glory. It 
 should be realized that these are the permanent and universal 
 traits of true discipleship. Whenever and wherever one of the 
 Saviour's true sheep is found, he will be one who receives him 
 as Master and Lord, and who hears his word and follows him ; 
 and the result will be that Christ will know him in the way of 
 recognition and of gracious assurance, and will give to him 
 eternal life. 
 
 Oh, what glory, far exceeding 
 
 All that eye^ has yet perceived ! 
 Holiest hearts for ages pleading 
 
 Never that full joy conceived. 
 God has promised, Christ prepares it, 
 
 There on high our welcome waits; 
 Every humble spirit shares it, 
 
 Christ has passed the eternal gates. 
 
 William J. Irons. 
 
February 17. 
 
 I John i. 3. 
 
 7/"rt! w^w /(7Z'^ w^, ^e will keep my words : and my Father will loz'e 
 him, and we will cotne unto him, and make our abode with him. — 
 John xiv. 23. 
 
 THIS fourteenth chapter of John is full of comfort for the 
 troubled Christian: i. Heaven is certain (v. 2). 2. 
 The way is plain (v. 6). 3. Power for service is granted (v. 12). 
 4. Our prayers will be answered (v. 13). 5. The Comforter 
 will come (v. 16). 6. Christ will return (v. 18). 7. Fellowship 
 with the Father is promised (v. 23). What more could we 
 ask ? Not only is the future home assured, but here in this 
 life we are promised fellowship with God. But remember, 
 this is conditioned on our loving the Lord and keeping his 
 words. The Person and the Book — the incarnate Word and 
 the written Word — should be the centre of our thoughts. If 
 then, " the words of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom," 
 we can appropriate this beautiful promise and say with joy, 
 " Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
 Wywykdtoui&Ljxk 
 
 Love divine, all love excelling, 
 
 Joy of heaven to earth come down, 
 Fix in us thy humble dwelling ; 
 
 All thy faithful mercies crown. 
 Jesus, thou art all compassion, 
 
 Pure unbounded love thou art. 
 Visit us with thy salvation ; 
 
 Enter every trembling heart. 
 
February i8. 
 
 (goti for Cbrist'g gafee jjat]^ forsibtn gou. — Eph. iv. 32. 
 
 .SV?«, (5^ of good cheer ; thy sins be forgive7i thee. — Matt. ix. 2. 
 Thy sins a^r forgiven. — Luke vii. 48. 
 
 HOW happy the child who knows he has been forgiven ! 
 Especially is this true if he is conscientious, — one who 
 has been taught the truth by the Spirit of God. 
 
 A Christian is a child redeemed. He has the simplicity, 
 the trust, the joy of a child, not only at his conversion, but 
 often after he hears the voice of Jesus saying to him, " Thy 
 sins are forgiven thee." The moralist, the socinian, the world- 
 ling, the formal professor, knows nothing of this; but the true 
 disciple does. 
 
 Let me give an illustration, A theological student just 
 completing his course was a good prey for the adversary. 
 Satan told him he was not a Christian ; how then could he 
 consistently preach the gospel ? For days he was in darkness. 
 At length his burden became intolerable. This matter must 
 be settled. He shut the door of his study and tried to pray: 
 the heavens seemed to him like brass. In his distress he 
 opened the Bible. The first verse he saw was, " Son, be of 
 good cheer ; thy sins be forgiven thee." 
 
 Light came, and with it joy. Was it a chance? Was it a 
 delusion ? No ; forty years have passed, and that student now 
 testifies in this sermonette the Lord is true. They that trust 
 in him shall not be confounded. When Jesus says the word 
 " forgiven," he seals the truth with his Spirit. Has he spoken 
 this word to you ? 
 
 ^L-1^ 
 
 My burden at his feet I laid, 
 And knew the joy of heaven, 
 
 As in my willing ear he said 
 The blessed word, " Forgiven. 
 
 p. STRYKER. 
 
February 19. 
 
 Christ inbfl is our life. — Col. iii. 4. 
 
 I am the living bread which cavie doxun from heaven : if any man 
 eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: aiid the bread that I will give 
 is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. — JoHN 
 vi. 51. 
 
 AS our bodies need bread for the sustenance of the physi 
 callife, so also do our souls need their proper food. 'in 
 response to this profounder need, our blessed Lord graciously 
 offers himself. He came down from heaven that he might 
 make this offer. As in the olden time the manna fell from 
 the skies to feed the people of God, so has Christ descended 
 from his throne to be the spiritual food of humanity. The 
 manna was only a feeble type of the nobler sustenance given 
 us in our Lord. It was itself corruptible, and administered 
 merely to the necessities of the corruptible nature. Christ 
 is the living bread. 
 
 Let us remember, however, that the Christ who is the living 
 bread for humanity is not the pre-existent Son of God, nor 
 even the man of Nazareth, but the crucified and risen Saviour. 
 The bread which Christ offers to men is his flesh given in 
 atoning sacrifice upon the cross, and carried through the 
 grave. As grain must be ground in the mill and pass through 
 the oven before it can become bread, so Christ to become 
 the true bread of humanity must be subjected to the tribula- 
 tions of an earthly life of loneliness and persecution, and 
 pass through the fiery furnace of suffering and death. They 
 only are nourished by the bread of life who bv faith receive 
 and assimilate the crucified Christ. 
 
 Jf-J ftmna^^ 
 
 Bread of heaven, on thee we feed, 
 For thy flesh is meat indeed. 
 Ever let our souls be fed 
 With this true and living bread. 
 
 JOSIAIl CONUIZR, 
 
February 20. 
 
 31 inas get up from cbcrlasting. — Prov. 
 
 vni. 23. 
 
 Your father Abrahain rejoiced to see my day : afid he saiu it^ and 
 was glad. . . . Verity, verity, I say tiuto you, Be/ore Abraham was, 
 I am. — John viii. 56, 58. 
 
 THE continuous life of Christ in creation and in the history 
 of this world from first to last underruns various ques- 
 tions as to redemption and salvation, solving many such prob- 
 lems satisfactorily. The work of Christ through the Divine 
 Spirit is potent alike in external and indwelling Christian life. 
 The lack of the Christ-life among professing Christians, as it 
 seems, causes Tolstoi' and other able leaders to question 
 whether true Christianity as yet exists to any considerable 
 extent on this planet. Far from being a religion worn out 
 and ready to pass away, the perfect day of Christ, the true 
 Christendom, is yet to come : for the real Christian's true life 
 has this unmistakable quality, — it is inevitably and invariably 
 manifest in the self-sacrificing, self-effacing devotion to God 
 and humanity of Christ-like living. The ground of Christian 
 missions then is not so much the fear of hell as the love of God. 
 The Church's missionary charter is our Lord's commission, 
 " Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every 
 creature: go, teach all nations ! " Christians, incited to daily 
 Christian living at home, are thus directed to undertake 
 devoted efforts reaching far abroad, for those enlightened 
 by the gospel day owe a vast unpaid debt to Abraham and 
 the past. To Greece and Rome and Egypt, to learning, 
 whether of the orient or Occident, as well as to Mahometan 
 scholars and the Jewish Scriptures, Christians owe a debt of 
 honor, to be paid in proportion as we teach all that they may 
 come to see and know the truth as it is in Jesus, and that so 
 finally may be fulfilled our Lord's high-priestly prayer that 
 "all may be one." 
 
February 21. 
 
 iForbearintji one anotf)fr, anti forgibing one anotljcr. 
 
 Col. iii. 13. 
 
 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass as^ainst thee, go and tell him 
 his fault between thee and him alone : if he shall hear thee, thou hast 
 gained thy brother. — Matt, xviii. 15. 
 
 '"T^HY brother," — this brings to mind the relationship 
 X which all Christians sustain. " One family we 
 dwell in him," " of whom the whole family in heaven and 
 earth is named." What a privilege to be recognized as a 
 "brother" in it! "If thy brother trespass against thee!" 
 Alas, how liable we all are by word or act to commit this 
 offence ! " To err is human." "In many things we offend 
 all." " If a man offend not in word, the same is a perfect 
 man," This fact is the basis for mutual charitableness. If 
 when another has thus trespassed against us, we can forgive 
 it without a word being said about it, we ought to do so; 
 but if we cannot, then our elder Brother saith, " Go and tell 
 him his fault between thee and him alone." Do not tell 
 any one else about it. We must remember, however, that to 
 secure a successful hearing, we must "go" in a Christian 
 spirit and at a proper time. " If he shall hear thee, thou 
 hast gained thy brother." What a blessed result to both 
 parties, and to the cause of our Redeemer ! " Bret/ire7i, if 
 any of you do err from the truth, let him know that he 
 which converteth a sinner from the error of his ways, shall 
 save a soul from death and hide a multitude of sins." 
 ^'■Brethren, if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are 
 spiritual restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, con- 
 sidering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." 
 
 Oh, give us hearts to love like thee I 
 
 Like thee, O Lord, to grieve 
 Far more for others' sins than all 
 
 The wrongs that we receive. 
 
 Sir E. Dennv. 
 
February 22. 
 
 OTfjatsoctier is not of fait!) is sin. — Romans xiv. 23. 
 
 O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ? — Matt. 
 xiv. 31. 
 
 PETER'S perilous enterprise had in it a good deal of 
 presumption, and very little faith. Happy he who has 
 been taught to discern the difference between these two. 
 Faith accepts duty even when there is danger. Presump- 
 tion accepts danger even when there is no duty. True faith 
 is never foolhardy. It may dare anything at the call of the 
 Master, but it may dare nothing recklessly. He who trusts 
 God need not fear. He who tempts God need not hope. 
 
 But there was an element of vanity as well as of presump- 
 tion in Peter's behavior. It would be a great feat if he could 
 walk on the tempestuous waves. Mingled with the enthu- 
 siasm of his affection was an ambition to exhibit his bravery. 
 This neutralized what little faith was in him. Faith will 
 have nothing to do with display. When self-conceit enters 
 in, the virtue of faith oozes out. Self-trust and Christ-trust 
 are mutually exclusive. Vanity forestalls victory. True 
 faith, like true charity, vauntcth not itself, is not puffed 
 up, doth not behave itself unseemly. Fear and trembling 
 are the steadfast friends of triumphant faith. If when the 
 difficulties of life thicken, we have nothing to support us but 
 our own ardent feelings and enthusiastic resolves, we must 
 surely be overcome ; but if we can look away from our 
 troubles to Christ, and say, though heart and flesh faint and 
 fail, "Thou art the strength of my heart and my portion 
 forever," we will walk unflinchingly on the floods. "This is 
 the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." 
 
 Increase our faith, and dear our vision, Lord, 
 
 Help us to take thee at thy simple word ; 
 
 No more with cold distrust to bring thee grief, 
 
 Lord, we believe, help thou our unbelief ! w. f. suerwin. 
 
February 23. 
 
 J^ungrg anti tjjirstg, ti)£ir goul fainteti in tfjem* 
 Psalm cvii. 5. 
 
 And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that 
 land ; and he began to be in want. — Luke xv. 14. 
 
 HOW graphically our Lord portrays human experience ! 
 Every turn in this most simple and yet most marv^el- 
 lous of all his wondrous parables delineates some phase 
 of practical truth. When the prodigal had spent all that he 
 called his own, then arose the famine. 
 
 Possessed of wealth, surrounded by affluence,- the thought 
 of want had never presented itself. Soon, however, he dis- 
 covered the exceeding deceitfulness of sin. It not only palls 
 on the taste, but destroys, alienates, and produces irremedi- 
 able want where before had existed profligate abundance. 
 
 What words can depict the hunger of the soul ! The fig- 
 ure of the poor outcast, envious even of the swine that he 
 herded, is unequalled in its power to set forth the unutterable 
 misery of the soul when bankrupt in truth and love and all 
 that really sustains Hfe. 
 
 Note well that the famine was in that land. O soul, 
 ahungered, needy, and despairing, in thy native land want 
 never comes ! Only because thou hast turned thy back on 
 thy Father's house and hast wandered beyond his domain, 
 in the forbidden territory of lust and sin, has thy patrimony 
 failed thee and want consumed thee. In that home which 
 thou didst so lightly abandon, there is unfailing plenty and 
 room for all. 
 
 Thou who homeless, sole, forlorn. 
 Long hast borne the proud world's scorn, 
 Long hast roamed the barren waste, 
 Weary pilgrim, hither haste. 
 
 Anna l. Barbaulu. 
 
February 24. 
 
 ilorti, teacf) us to prag! — luke xi. i. 
 
 After this manjier therefore pray ye : Our Father which art in 
 heaven, Halloiued be thy tia^ne. — Matt. vi. 9. 
 
 WHO as Jesus can teach us to pray? Only the Son of 
 God knoweth the Father, and only the Son of man 
 — the man Christ Jesus — knoweth the depths of the human 
 heart. Christ is light. He is love also, and as he alone 
 knows our need, so he only knows the fulness of blessing 
 and glory to which divine love has chosen us in him. 
 
 The invocation is the countenance of the prayer, in which 
 its very soul and heart shine forth ! Jesus reveals, gives us 
 the Father. He is the only begotten; but he became man 
 and died for us, and by his resurrection he became the first 
 begotten, the first born among many brethren. The Holy 
 Ghost, who brought you to Jesus, cries in you, Abba Fa- 
 ther! Look thou to Jesus, and then in him say, Father. It 
 is the word of faith ; and faith cannot be without love, and 
 therefore you say. Our Father. The filial spirit is the broth- 
 erly spirit; and hope beholds heaven, for there is our treas- 
 ury, our future inheritance. 
 
 Our first petition, fundamental and comprehensive, is, Hal- 
 lowed be thy name. To know God is eternal life. Every 
 name of God by which he revealed himself to Israel is 
 precious. Every name is substance; but his perfect name 
 is Jesus. May his name be a strong refuge of safety to us, 
 an all-sufficient consolation and joy, a bright light and per- 
 fect standard, a victorious weapon against temptations and 
 worldliness, summary and seal of all the blessings of the new 
 covenant ! 
 
 " Abba, Father," Lord, we call thee, 
 Hallow'd name from clay to day. 
 'T is thy children's right to know thee ; 
 None but children " Abba " say. 
 
 Robert hawker. 
 
February 25, 
 
 ©f tjinc oinn l}aijc Ine gibm tjjee. — e Chron. xxix. 14. 
 
 Verily I say unto yoUy Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in 
 the whole zuorld, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be 
 told for a memorial of her. — Matt. xxvi. 13. 
 
 THESE words were spoken to comfort one in distress. 
 Simon had invited Jesus to supper. Seeing Lazarus, 
 — once dead — and Simon cleansed of leprosy, type of sin, 
 Mary longed to express her love to the conqueror of natural 
 and spiritual death. 
 
 She took an alabaster box of precious ointment and poured 
 it on his head. John characteristically shows her depth of 
 love by adding, " She anointed his feet and wiped them with 
 her hair." Judas, hypocritically, and "some of the disci- 
 ples," honestly, reproached Mary for not selling the ointment 
 and giving it' to the poor. There was apparent good reason 
 for the reproach, for the Master had often commended in 
 word and in deed the care of the poor. Mary was troubled 
 lest she had made a mistake, but she was comforted by 
 the prophetic promise that in the whole world, wherever the 
 gospel shall be preached, her act would be told for a memo- 
 rial of her. " More than three hundred pence " would have 
 relieved much distress, and the ointment poured upon Christ's 
 head was of little material use. But an act is estimated not 
 by its results, but by its prompting motive. Mary's motive 
 was to honor her Lord. Recognizing the motive, he com- 
 mended the act. And so he will recognize and commend 
 every act, great or small, springing from a like impulse. 
 
 /^!>r^-Z^^^^d^ 
 
 We lose what on ourselves we spend 
 We have as treasure without end 
 Whatever, Lord, to thee we lend, 
 Who givest all. 
 
 C. WORDSVVORIH, 
 
February 26. 
 
 ^ toj)olegome tonc[Uf is a tree of life. — prov. xv. 4. 
 
 ^«/ I say tin to you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they 
 shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words 
 thou shall be justified, and by thy words thou shall be conde?nned. — 
 Matt. xii. 36, 37. 
 
 HOW tenderly and tragically impressive are these words 
 of Jesus ! They surely do not come under the idle cate- 
 gory. We are amazed at the minuteness of the divine inspec- 
 tion. Does God care for the divisions and subdivisions of 
 things in this world .'' 
 
 The Old Testament declares that " the steps of a good 
 man are ordered by the Lord," and the New Testament adds 
 that the "hairs of your head are all numbered." It is not 
 strange, then, that words should be taken into the scale of 
 judgment, — for words are the betrayal of nationality even 
 here. With the eyes shut we can classify talkers. So too 
 are words the betrayal of companionship. Watchful parents 
 quickly trace the friendships of their children by the words 
 they use ; and words also indicate the thoughts and inward 
 character. Hot, hasty words reveal the spirit's life ; so idle 
 words, betraying a careless, indolent spirit, become the evi- 
 dence of a just condemnation at the great assize. Idle words 
 caught from the lips and repeated, penned, and printed give 
 to strangers their estimate of their author. Words are more 
 than air vibrations. They build up and demolish, strengthen 
 and discourage, drive to despair and lead to Christ. 
 
 Oh, what need of pardon, of blotting out the records in 
 atoning blood, when we remember that all the idle words have 
 been registered ! Not by what another has said of us, but by 
 our own words shall we be justified or condemned. 
 
 ^a^^uu^^ocZ a(^. L/u\ 
 
 Uy^^ut.^ 
 
 7 
 
 Take my lips, and let them be 
 
 Filled with messages from thee. f. r. havergal. 
 
February 27. 
 
 Conu m id t]^e tnaters. — Isaiah iv. i. 
 
 Whosoet'er dr'niketh of this water shall thirst again : but whoso- 
 ever drittketh of the zv.xter that I shall give him shall never thirst ; but 
 the xvater that I shall give him shall he in him a ivell of water spring- 
 ing up into everlasting life. — John iv. 13, 14. 
 
 ENLIGHTENED by the great Teacher the woman of 
 Samaria saw that no fountain of earthly joy could sat- 
 isfy her immortal spirit. Would that all who thirs't for riches, 
 honors, pleasures, could have their eyes thus opened ! The 
 principle of divine grace, implanted in our hearts, becomes 
 "a well of water springing up into everlasting life." Our 
 merciful Saviour invites, yea, urges us all to come to him and 
 assuage our thirst. Have we done this ? If so, we are sure of 
 heavenly support amid earthly trials, and of eternal bliss. 
 An African missionary of my acquaintance exclaimed when 
 dying, " How grand a thing it is to have the certain con- 
 sciousness of everlasting life!" He had quenched his thirst 
 at this wonderful fountain. It bubbled up in his glad expe- 
 rience, as he bade adieu to sublunary scenes. Friends, drink 
 yourselves, freely, and persuade others to do likewise. The 
 four lepers at the gate of Samaria said one to another, ''We 
 do not well ; this ts a day of good tidings, and we hold our 
 peace." 
 
 Come to the living waters, come ; 
 
 Sinners, obey your Maker's call! 
 Return, ye weary wanderers, home, 
 
 And find his grace is free for all. 
 
 J. WESLEY 
 
February 28. 
 
 i^cpt bg tfje potoer 0! (^oli. — i Peter i. 5. 
 
 Are not two sparrozas sold for a farthhio ? and one of the?n shall 
 not fill on the ground withoitt your Father. But the very hairs oj 
 your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more 
 value than many sparroivs. — Matt. x. 29-31. 
 
 THIS is an argument from the less to the greater. Does 
 God care for oxen? For our sakes, no doubt, this is 
 written. " Much more," is the frequent formula by which 
 God proves to us from what we already know and clearly see 
 what he desires to teach us regarding his providential care. 
 We are of great worth because we can know God, can love 
 God, can serve God; because we shall live forever. There- 
 fore God cares for us. " The redemption of their soul is 
 precious." 
 
 God's providence is universal. " His kingdom ruleth over 
 all." He can govern all only by controlling each. He man- 
 ages the stream, because he'presides at the fountain. God's 
 providence is minute and specific. Great doors swing on small 
 hinges. God's very greatness enables him to care for the 
 little; only the Infinite can pay attention to infinitesimals. 
 It is "trifles that make perfection." Telescopes reveal the 
 magnitude of God's creation; microscopes, the minuteness of 
 his care. God's providence is benefcent. " All things work 
 together for good.'" " As for you, ye thought evil against me, 
 but God meant it unto good." Even the wrath of man is 
 made to subserve God's beneficent purpose. '• All things are 
 yours." " Fire and hail ; snow and vapor ; stormy wind, ful- 
 filling his word." " I know the thoughts that I think toward 
 you ; thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you an expected 
 end." " Trust in the Lord." 
 
 The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, 
 
 I will not, I will not desert to his foes ; 
 
 That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, 
 
 I '11 never, no never, no never forsake. George Keith. 
 
February 29. 
 
 Incline gout ear, anb come unto me. — Isaiah iv. 3. 
 
 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth 
 say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, 
 let him take the water of life freely. — Rev. xxii. 17. 
 
 THE Bible is God's message to mankind, and its contents 
 may be summed up in a word, — come. We have 
 "Come," in Genesis and in Revelation; " Come," in the 
 prophets and the gospels. Under righteous sentence of death 
 on account of sin, God bids us come into the Ark for shelter. 
 Though he is holy and just, and we are guilty, yet may we 
 come to him, — for he can make away with the crimson of our 
 guilt and the scarlet of our transgression. Athirst for peace 
 and rest and joy and bliss, he bids us come to the never-fail- 
 ing, the ever-satisfying waters. We have nothing to give him 
 in return, but he bids us come without money and without 
 price. To every soul burden-worn and weary, Christ says, 
 " Come unto me and rest." Burden of sin, burden of sorrow, 
 burden of care, burden of temptation, each may be brought 
 to him. None can be turned away, for he says, " Him 
 that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." Nor shall any 
 coming one fail to find satisfaction, for Christ says again, 
 " He that cometh to me shall never hunger." The last chap- 
 ter of the Bible, almost the last verse, repeats the call. It 
 is the call of the risen Christ now. He came from heaven to 
 give once more heaven's invitation to earth, God's message to 
 man. Let us therefore come. 
 
 Come, ye dying, live forever; 
 
 'Tis a soul-reviving flood. 
 God is faithful ; he will never 
 
 Break his covenant sealed in blood, 
 Signed when our Redeemer died ; 
 Sealed when he was glorified. j. Montgomery. 
 
March 
 
 Belobcti, let IIS lobe one anotj^er. — i John iv. 7. 
 
 A )ie7v comma7idinent I give unto you, That ye love one another ; as 
 I have loved you, that ye also love one anothei'. By this shall all men 
 knoiu that ye are ?ny disciples, if ye have love one to another. — John 
 xiii. 34, 35- 
 
 NO one can really love the Saviour without loving those for 
 whom he died ; and we are bound to love one another 
 as Christ loved us. His love is not dependent upon our 
 worthiness, — alas for us all, if it were ! He loved us before 
 we loved him, and having loved his own, he loves them to 
 the end in spite of all their frailties. We are called to love 
 the fallen all the more, because they so much need our love, 
 and should continue to love our brethren, although we may 
 see that they are full of infirmities. 
 
 True love is always faithful, as well as charitable and tol- 
 erant ; but it ceases to rebuke as soon as the signs of peni- 
 tence appear. When Jesus met the disciple who had just 
 before denied him, he had no word of reproach to utter, be- 
 cause he had seen the poor man's bitter tears. Those whose 
 lives had been crimsoned with sin Jesus forgave, because 
 they '• loved much." True love is always forgiving as well 
 as faithful. 
 
 " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down 
 his life for his friends;" and this is what Christ did. He 
 even laid down his life for his enemies, and prayed for his 
 murderers as he hung upon the cross. Our love for those 
 around us is to be measured by what we are willing to do for 
 them. True love is always ready to make sacrifices. It re- 
 joices in the opportunity of helping others. Faith may lan- 
 guish and hope grow dim, but love outlasts them both, '• for 
 the greatest of these is charity." 
 
 Love is the golden chain that binds 
 
 The happy souls above ; 
 And he 's an heir of heaven who finds 
 
 His bosom glow with love. Joseph swain. 
 
March 2. 
 
 Cfjis is ti}e true (3oti, anti eternal life. — i John v. 20. 
 
 /4»d this is life eternal, that they might knmv thee the only true 
 God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. — John xvii. 3. 
 
 CHRISTIAN philosophy epitomized! Two thoughts ap- 
 pear, shining Hke upper and lower harbor lights to 
 guide the mariner home. Life ! — creation's great fact, rivet- 
 ing attention in every leaf and flower, demanding thought 
 with every breath and heart-beat, questioned by every long- 
 ing hope of humanity, —what is it, not alone physically and 
 mortally, but spiritually and eternally? Science hangs her 
 head and answers evasively, or in a circle. Human philos- 
 ophy confesses ignorance. We grope unsatisfied ; not a ray 
 of light till it bursts resplendent from the life and lips of 
 Christ! This is not mere eternal existence of which Jesus 
 speaks. Lost souls, fallen angels exist in living death for- 
 ever. Real living, worthy living, is no question of years, but 
 of growing character and quality of being. '' To be spirit- 
 ually minded is life." Immortal souls live only as they com- 
 mune with God. 
 
 But how may I attain it? Seeking to know God is the 
 only way. But human searching cannot find out the infinite. 
 To our unaided sense he is " the unknown God."' Hence we 
 need Immanuel, God revealed. Now, to know Jesus Christ, 
 whom he hath sent in all his fulness as redeemer, teacher, 
 and king, is to know the only true God, and this is life eter- 
 nal within our reach, for " he that hath the Son, hath life." 
 
 Life 's but a means unto an end ; that end, 
 Beginning, mean, and end of all things, — God. 
 
March 3. 
 
 (goti 10 not unrigf)teou0, to forget gour , . . labour ot loije. 
 
 Heb. vi. 10. 
 
 And "whosoever shall give to drink laito one of these little ones a cup 
 of cold water only in the nafne of a disciple, verily I say unto yon, he 
 shall in no zvise lose his reivard. — Matt. x. 42. 
 
 I 
 
 N the name of a disciple." How carefully our Lord dis- 
 tinguishes between deeds and motives! A little deed 
 of kindness from a great motive reveals nobility of character. 
 To do it for Christ's sake reveals the loftiest nobility. A 
 little act is often a surer test of character than a great one, 
 because it is spontaneous. So-called great occasions often 
 complicate our motives. Ambition or love of praise try to 
 insinuate themselves. 
 
 "A cup of cold water." How much it does! It refreshes 
 the whole physical man ; and because the giver of it shows 
 thought which is wide awake, and tenderness and sympathy, 
 his " over soul " wakens the higher nature of the thirsty man, 
 and so a cup in Christ's name is a double cup. " Every- 
 thing for Christ." That makes the whole life kingly. The 
 buckles upon the girth of the king's saddle are royal. This 
 spirit gives by unconscious influence a thousand cups of 
 comfort and inspiration. We are handing them out because 
 giving is the spirit of our Hfe. We shall not know while 
 here about all the refreshing cups we have given; but the 
 record is made in heaven: "Inasmuch as ye have done it 
 unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it 
 unto me." 
 
 a/v 
 
 cl U\(5jka^yiy?cM. 
 
 Blessings abound where'er he reigns ; 
 The prisoner leaps to lose his chains; 
 The weary find eternal rest, 
 And all the sons of want are blest. 
 
 c. wfslhv 
 
March 4. 
 
 J^ealmof ... all manner of disease. — Matt. iv. 23. 
 
 Rise, take up thy bed, and zvalk. — John v. 8. 
 
 DIVINE authority and divine love are beautifully mingled 
 in this short, simple command. Jesus, the friend of 
 the friendless, addressed it to a wretched sufferer beside the 
 pool of Bethesda, who had long waited in vain for some one 
 to help him into the healing waters. The reader of this para- 
 graph may be a sin-diseased lingerer who is wasting life in 
 waiting for — you can hardly tell what or whom. Why waste 
 another moment ? Jesus stands beside you. He bids you 
 repent, trust him, and follow him. As soon as you are 
 willing to obey, he gives you strength to obey. That poor 
 cripple had only two weak and withered limbs to " rise " 
 with, but the instant that his will obeys Christ, a divine 
 power shoots through nerves and muscles, and he stands 
 erect. He wanted to arise, made the honest effort, and di- 
 vine strength did the rest. His part in the blessed trans- 
 action was faith ; Christ's part was saving grace. The two 
 combined make the biography of every converted sinner on 
 earth or in heaven. The first act you perform, the first sin 
 you refuse, and the first effort you make simply to please 
 your Saviour, puts you on your feet. Thenceforward the 
 Christian life is a walking with Christ and a working for 
 Christ until you reach the Father's house in glory. 
 
 Thy work alone, O Christ, 
 Can ease this weight of sin ; 
 
 Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, 
 Can give me peace within. 
 
March 5. 
 
 raf)0 inill go for us?— Isaiah vi. 8. 
 
 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh han<est ? 
 behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields ; for 
 they are white already to harvest. — John iv. 35. 
 
 IN the natural world there are four months, more or less, 
 after the seed is sown before the harvest can be ex- 
 pected. In like manner, months and years sometimes elapse 
 between the preaching of the gospel and the gathering of 
 converts. But, as at Sychar, it is not always so. " Behold ! 
 lift up your eyes, and look on the fields " — these fields of 
 human souls — in many lands. The sowers of the Word 
 have gone forth. Much seed has been sown. Some gospel 
 sheaves have been gathered. But the sphere is widening; 
 many fields are already white for the harvest. Multitudes in 
 many heathen lands are even now ready to renounce idolatry, 
 and like the Samaritans, to receive Jesus as the Saviour of 
 the world. But, while some fields are ripe and others are 
 ripening, much ground is still unsown, God calls for both 
 sowers and reapers. " Who will go for us ? " Yes, " IV/iof'' 
 One may sow and another reap ; but when sowers and reap- 
 ers see the fruits of their joint labor safely garnered in 
 heaven, they will "rejoice together." They will together 
 share the joy of their Lord. 
 
 ^CCa-v/^-^^^ 
 
 Where are the reapers ? Oh, who will come 
 And share in the glory of the harvest home ? 
 Oh, who will help us to garner in 
 The sheaves of good from the fields of sin ? 
 
 eben e. rexford. 
 
March 6. 
 
 3tmQ (irt^ist maketf) i\}tt 6a]^olc. — acts ix. 34. 
 
 Daiightei-, he of good comfort : thy faith hath made thee whole ; 
 go in peace. — Luke viii. 48. 
 
 THIS potent touch which Jesus honored was prompted by 
 a reaHzation of present and pressing need. The woman 
 fully understood the malign nature of her ailment, and was 
 persuaded that it was incurable unless Christ should interpose 
 for her relief. 
 
 This realization of need and helplessness was the result of 
 repeated trial and failure. Only after that she had spent all 
 her living upon physicians and grew nothing better, but 
 worse, was she persuaded that her case was hopeless unless 
 the great Physician would aid her. Under constraint of 
 these convictions she came to Christ, she touched, and was 
 healed. 
 
 Jesus never rejects us because we insist upon making trial 
 of every conceivable device that gives promise of relief be- 
 fore we intrust ourselves to his care ; but when we come to 
 him with the conviction of helplessness that sin engenders, 
 and touch him by that simple faith which relies solely on 
 him, he will speak to every sin-sick soul those words of 
 cheer : " Go in peace ; thy faith hath made thee whole." 
 
 Heal me, O iny Saviour, heal ; 
 Heal me, as I suppliant kneel ; 
 Heal me, and my pardon seal. 
 
 Thou the true Physician art ; 
 Thou, O Christ, canst health impart, 
 Binding up the broken heart 
 
 Godfrey Turing. 
 
March 7. 
 
 (ITjeg sljall be mine, saitfj tfje 3Lorti of j^ostg. — Mal. iii. 17. 
 
 77/^« //^rj-/ a few names rjen in Sardis which have not defiled their 
 oarments; and they shall ivalk with me in white : for they are 
 loorthy, — Rev, 3, 4. 
 
 THE Sardian Church, nominally alive, was dead. But 
 a few lived righteously, as a few bowed not the knee 
 to Baal in the days of Elijah ; as in all times and in all 
 churches, doubtless, a remnant is, in which truth survives to 
 become the seed of future generations of faith. God never 
 leaves himself without a witness. 
 
 2. The few, in contact with a body of nominal Christians 
 " who have the name, but deny the power,'' have been kept by 
 God's grace in their faith. They have been alive to God and 
 his works, — have been letting their light shine so that men 
 seeing their good works have glorified their Father in heaven. 
 Though hindered and stumbling, they have been faithful; 
 though imperfect, they are taught to look toward perfection. 
 
 3. "shall followers of Christ stop following him because 
 the church to which they belong dies to spiritual life? The 
 pressure of a tendency will be present to push them down 
 into .spiritual sleep. But the grace of Christ is sufficient for 
 them. There is no eni'ironffieiii of evil so bad as the oiviron- 
 jnent of God's grace is good. He who is faithful in the midst 
 of unfaithfulness is walking worthily and advancing toward 
 that purity which is moral whiteness and light. 
 
 yi/Urhr\^ Uoiiliui.^^ 
 
 Courage, faithful souls and tried, 
 Ye who in his truth abide, 
 Keeping near the Saviour's side ! 
 
 Ye shall walk with him in white ; 
 Ye shall reign with him in light; 
 Ye shall share his glory bright. r. m. offord. 
 
March 8. 
 
 J^£ £ber libetlj to nxKkz inttxczQmn, — Heb. vii. 25. 
 
 And I knew that thoji hear est me always : but because of the people 
 which stand by I said it, that they may belitve that thou hast sent me. 
 — John xi. 42. 
 
 CHRIST possesses all the incommunicable attributes of 
 proper, personal divinity. He is called the Son of God 
 with reference to an order of subsistence we cannot compre- 
 hend, — an official subordination cheerfully accepted for our 
 sakes, and the assumption of a human nature provided by 
 the Father. No essential inferiority is intended ; Christ and 
 the Father are one. This fact explains the prevalence of his 
 intercession. 
 
 In order that the Jews might know that he was one with 
 God and wrought all his works in him, Christ preceded the 
 raising of Lazarus with an audible address to the Father, 
 adding, " And I knew that thou hearest me always." 
 
 It is a pleasant and inspiring thought to us who believe 
 that the High-Priest of our profession, now in heaven, con- 
 tinues to appear before God for us. This assures us of ne- 
 cessary temporal good, and of spiritual blessings in adequate 
 measure at appropriate seasons and in unfaiHng supply. In 
 our experiences of temptation, conflict, sorrow, and fear, 
 when burdened with responsibilities and worn with care, and 
 in the closing moments of earthly life, Christ will ask that 
 we may receive the grace we need and at last be received 
 to glory. Blessed be God for the hope of heaven through 
 him who ever liveth to make intercession for us ! 
 
 The atoning work is done, 
 
 The Victim's blood is shed, 
 And Jesus now is gone 
 
 His people's cause to plead. 
 He stands in heaven their great High Priest, 
 And bears their names upon his breast. 
 
March 9. 
 
 J^is commantimmts are not gricbous. — i John v. 3. 
 
 Take my yoke upo)i yoii, and learn of me; for I am meek and lo2uly 
 in heart : and ye shall find rest nnto your souls. For my yoke is easy, 
 and my burden is light. — Matt, xi, 29, 30. 
 
 IT is the within that makes the without. If the soul be jar- 
 ring, no circumstances can be chiming. If the inner life 
 be smitten with winds and tossed, the brightest and stillest 
 outward prospect will look stormy. If the soul but know 
 how to sing inwardly, there shall be birds enough outside to 
 sing, even amid the most wintry weather. The great trouble 
 is heart trouble. 
 
 It is the philosophy of Christianity that it searches for the 
 soul ; if that be made right, prisons will become palaces. 
 Rest for soids is the supreme gift. 
 
 The great Teacher tells us that the way of the reception of 
 this supreme gift is the way of ihtyoke. ' This is the inexor- 
 able way. The lawless soul must be the clashing soul. I 
 was riding smoothly and easily sixty miles an hour; the rea- 
 son was, the train submitted to the yoke of the rails. What 
 crash and destruction had the train determined on a way of 
 its own ! If I would have rest I must come under the yoke 
 of the divine will. There can be no other path. Sings 
 the Psalmist, '* I will walk at liberty because I keep thy 
 commandments.'" 
 
 And if we need teaching and direction along this road of 
 the yoke, we are to look to Christ ; we are to emulate his 
 lowliness and meekness. Instant submission to the Father's 
 will was the meaning of his life. " My meat is to do the 
 will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." He was 
 under the yoke and so at rest. What was for the elder 
 Brother is also for the brethren. 
 
 ^^u^ //cnc^li^ 
 
 Rest is not quitting the busy career ; 
 Rest is the fitting the soul to its sphere. 
 
March io. 
 
 ^0, eberg one tijat tjirstctfj. — Isaiah iv. i. 
 
 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me ; and him that 
 cometh to me I will in no wise cast 'ont. For I came down from 
 heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of hitn that scfit me. — 
 John vi. 37, 38. 
 
 WHEN Jesus said, " Him that cometh to me I will in no 
 wise cast out," it was a statement of such breadth 
 that it was difficult for the human mind to receive it. That 
 the most abject, forlorn, far-straying sinner would be received 
 if he came back to Jesus, required that it should be supported 
 by what would overwhelm all the infidelity and depravity of 
 the heart of a sinner who had the slightest desire to return to 
 God. The proofs which he affords are in the statement, first 
 of all, that " God so loved the world that he gave his only be- 
 gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not per- 
 ish, but have everlasting life." Now he adds that the Son 
 also loved the world, and that therefore he had come down 
 from heaven so as to put himself in such a position that man 
 might come to him. To remove every scruple and silence 
 every doubt, he asserts that his coming was under the 
 double motive of love for mankind and devotion to the 
 Father; that what the Father willed he willed, and he came 
 down from heaven to carry out that will ; and the Father's 
 will was that he should lose nothing of what had been given 
 him, and the Father had given to him every single human 
 being that would come to him. And so the blessed Jesus 
 gives to mankind the most overwhelming assurance that none 
 should be lost except those who would not come unto liim. 
 
 (i_aAJiiL^^ a&Q^A^ 
 
 If I ask hitn to receive me 
 
 Will he say me nay ? 
 Not till earth, and not till heaven 
 
 Pass away. J. NEALE (Translation). 
 
March ii. 
 
 Purge out therefore tf)c olti Uaben. — i Cor. v. 7. 
 
 Take heed and betvare of ihe leaven of the Pharisees and of the 
 Saddiicees. — Matt. xvi. 6. 
 
 ACCORDING to Luke's record, the "leaven of the Phari- 
 sees" is h-.'pocrisy. A hypocrite is one who acts a 
 part. The signilication of the word has only that of evil in 
 it. That being so, it is quite easy to be a hypocrite, — a 
 Pharisee; the difficulty is not to be one. There is constant 
 need of the warning. Beware of hypocrisy. Social influences 
 are ever at work to convince men and women that their busi- 
 ness is to make their life a masquerade. Worst of all is this 
 when, as with the Pharisees, one's religion is but acting a 
 part, an outside show, a seeming, a masquerade. 
 
 God is light. Light reveals. Shine into our hearts, O 
 Light, that all darkness may be dispelled. Make us children 
 of light, since it is a God of light we serve. 
 
 If children, then heirs. God is our Father. He is the 
 living God. He is the God of the living.^ We are united to 
 his Son. He ever liveth. Every true soul lives with him, 
 lives like him, lives as long as he lives. We will beware of 
 the '• leaven of the Sadducees " by always keeping in grateful, 
 happy memory that we belong to the race of which Christ 
 is head ; that we are one with his family in heaven and 
 earth. 
 
 I am trusting thee for cleansing I am trusting thee, Lord Jesus, 
 In the crimson flood. Never let me fall; 
 
 Trusting thcc to make me holy I am trusting thee forever, 
 By thy blood. And for all. 
 
 F. R. Havergal- 
 
March 12. 
 
 ^t qrHqM^ tje longins soul. — psalm cvi 
 
 1. 9. 
 
 TAey that are zu/iole have no need of the physician, but they that 
 are sick : I came not to call the righteous^ but sinners to repentance. — 
 Mark ii. 17. 
 
 '"T^HE truth taught in these words is apparent in the ex- 
 1 perience of Christian workers in every land. Where 
 there is no conviction of sin there can be no fitness to hear 
 the Saviour's call to repentance. Many a man will admit 
 that he is not in robust health who does not feel ill enough 
 to call a physician, and there is an every-day sense of the 
 need of food and drink, which is easily satisfied. But the 
 feeling that one is sick unto death, and the sense of hunger 
 and thirst such as one has in the heat of a desert with no 
 knowledge of a supply at hand, are very different things. 
 So many a man will admit in a general way that he is a sin- 
 ner, when the admission only means that he is not so good a 
 man as he ought to be ; but to realize that one is really guilty 
 before God and needs the Son of God to save him from eter- 
 nal punishment is a very different thing. It is only when 
 the Holy Spirit brings the soul to a sense of its sinfulness 
 in the sight of God that it is ready to hear Christ's call to 
 repentance and obey it. 
 
 The gospel call is addressed to the hungry, thirsty, bur- 
 dened, and weary. These words all denote feeling a deep 
 sense of want. 
 
 y^ifUi/^ 
 
 His name is Jesus, and he died 
 
 For guilty sinners crucified ; 
 
 Content to die, that he might win 
 
 Their ransom from the death of sin. 
 
 No sinner worse than I can be, 
 
 Therefore I know he died for me. g. w. bethune. 
 
March 13. 
 
 ^nti took upon ]}im tf)e form of a gcrbant. — Phil. ii. 7. 
 
 /am among you as he that serveth. — Luke xxii. 27. 
 
 HERE is the true criterion of greatness, — willingness to 
 serve. Judged by the canons of the gospel, the most 
 illustrious life is that which has in it the largest ingredient of 
 sacrifice. '' O God, author of peace," runs the old prayer, 
 '• whom to know is to live ; whom to serve is to reign." 
 
 Even in the traditions and mythologies of the old heathen 
 races, the heroes are men who proved themselves such by 
 their readiness to dare and to suffer in the service of others. 
 The legend of unselfish, much-enduring love has always been 
 the fascinating one, has always laid hold of the imagina- 
 tion and swayed the heart as none other does or can do. 
 Whether the central figure be that of the warrior going out 
 unattended into the wilderness to fight the dragon which has 
 laid the country waste, or that of the brave youth leaping 
 full-armed into the gulf, because the soothsayers have de- 
 clared that only the sacrifice of the best will suffice to save 
 the city, the secret of the story's power lies in the specta- 
 cle of a life laid down in order that other lives may be lifted 
 up and blessed. To be as Christ was in this world, we also 
 must serve. 
 
 O Lord, with sorrow and with shame 
 
 We meekly would confess 
 How little we, who bear thy name, 
 
 Thy mind, thy ways, express. 
 
 Give us thy meek, thy lowly mind; 
 
 We would obedient be, 
 And all our rest and pleasure find 
 
 In fellowship with thee. 
 
 J- 
 
March 14. 
 
 ISc careful for notfjmig. — phil. iv. 6. 
 
 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature ? 
 Take therefore no thought for the morroia : for the morrow shall 
 take thought for the things of itself . Sufficient unto the day is the evil 
 thereof. — Matt. vi. 27, 34, 
 
 CHRIST'S teaching is this: "Ask questions; question 
 anxiety out of existence." There is no power equal to 
 a question. A question walks right into the soul and com- 
 pels it to think. See God amid the majesty of the whirl- 
 wind, firing a volley of questions at the self-sufficient Job ! 
 That volley did what the combined learning of the Orient 
 failed to do. It brought down self-sufficiency. Christ in 
 the Sermon on the Mount has given us a volley of questions 
 wherewith to bring down anxiety. Ask yourselves, What 
 reason is there for anxiety? God has given you the higher 
 gifts, "life and body." Is it reasonable to suppose that he 
 will deny you the lower gifts, "food and raiment.^" Ask 
 yourselves. What profit is there in anxiety.^ Can it sweep 
 away the limitations in which men find themselves? Ask 
 yourselves, Does anxiety accord with the teachings of na- 
 ture? What do the flowers, robed in their golden garments, 
 say ? What do the birds, picking their daily food out of the 
 ground, say? Does anxiety accord with your divine sonship, 
 or with God's fatherhood, or with the future which God has 
 depicted for his people? That future is all golden. It is 
 full of promises and songs and glories. It carries in it an 
 endless heaven. 
 
 We expect a bright to-morrow; all will be well. 
 Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All, all is well. 
 
 On our Father's love relying, 
 
 Jesus every need supplying, 
 
 Or in living, or in dying, 
 
 All must be well. mrs. m. b. peters. 
 
March 15. 
 
 Eijt 3Lorti lookctf) on tje Jcart. — i Sam. xvi. 7. 
 
 Ve are they which justify yourselves before nieti ; but God kuoweth 
 your hearts : for that 7vhich is highly esteetned among vien is abotni- 
 nation in the sight of God. — Luke xvi. 15. 
 
 " JUSTIFY yourselves;" that is, pass yourselves off as 
 I righteous. Pretended righteousness often deceives 
 men, and the pretender is able to win on their esteem. But 
 such a man is an '"abomination in the sight of God." 
 
 How easy to justify ourselves before men ! for " man 
 looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on 
 the heart." And how difficult to justify ourselves before 
 God ! I was once resting on my oars on Lake George. 
 Glancing over the gunwale of my boat, I found that I could 
 look through the crystal water for at least fifty feet, to the 
 bottom of the lake, and I could see stones, trunks of fallen 
 trees, and the fish darting through the water hither and 
 thither. So God looks into our hearts. His eyes search out 
 every secret thing, whether it be good or bad. Then let us 
 pray, " Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right 
 spirit within me." 
 
 A pretence of righteousness is not righteousness. It was 
 the publican who went down to his house "justified" after 
 prayer, and not the man who piously thanked God that he 
 was a model of observance of religious and ethical proprieties. 
 
 /7^ 
 
 Spirit of purity and grace, 
 
 Our weakness i)itying see ; 
 
 Oh, make our hearts thy dwelling-place, 
 
 And worthier thee ! 
 
 Harriet Auber. 
 
March i6. 
 
 2L£t gour spmfj be alinags initj grace. — Col. iv. 6. 
 
 ^z/^ let your conumcnicatioii be, Yea, yea ; Nay, nay : for whatso- 
 ever is more than these cometh of evil. — Matt. v. 37. 
 
 WHAT gift so valuable and such a source of pleasure 
 as that of speech, conversation, — the expression of 
 thought between man and man ! And yet what gift so liable 
 to abuse ! The Teacher who " spake as never man spake " 
 here, in his Sermon on the Mount, shows us how to beware of 
 this evil. He warns us to let our words be few. 
 
 Careless speech tends to frivolity. He who utters many 
 words will speak many ill-advised, foolish things. 
 
 We should be on our guard also against rash, hasty 
 speech. This is the most frequent source of unkindness, of 
 uttering angry, heart-aching words. " A soft answer turneth 
 away wrath : but grievous words stir up anger" (Prov. xv. i). 
 
 Heeding this precept will, too, keep us from i?npiety. 
 It was because he reflected before he spoke that Job 
 •' charged not God foolishly " with unjust providential deal- 
 ings, and " in all this did not sin with his lips " (Job ii. 10). 
 
 Few w^ords, again, are the more likely to be resolute, deci- 
 sive words. A positive " Nay " to the tempter, how often it 
 has rescued a youth from vice, or saved a soul to heaven, 
 where compromising speech would have lost both ! 
 
 Let us remember then, each day, this counsel of Jesus and 
 begin it with the Psalmist's prayer : " Set a watch, O Lord, 
 before my mouth ; keep the door of my lips " (Psalm cxli. 3). 
 
 ^UMiuA c:>^, ^^^^^AniM^/n/Uc{^. 
 
 Direct, control, suggest, this day, 
 
 All I design, or do, or say, 
 
 That all my powers, with all their might, 
 
 In thy sole glory may unite. 
 
 Bishop Ken. 
 
March 17. 
 
 i^ot inilliug tfjat ang sfjoulti pcrisj. — 2 peter iii. 9. 
 
 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but 
 that the world through him might be saved. — JOHN iii. 17. 
 
 HOW unlike the usual ways of subduing rebels was that 
 taken by God ! Daring insurrections against law and 
 order commonly meet with tremendous retribution among 
 men. *' Clemency," we are told, " would be misplaced kind- 
 ness ; severity is kindness in the end. Show no mercy to 
 old or young till you have stamped out the last ember of 
 rebellion." 
 
 " As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways 
 above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts." 
 " God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, 
 but that the world through him might be saved." 
 
 Did ever messenger from an offended king cause his ad- 
 vent among rebels to be proclaimed with songs of "glory to 
 God in the highest, on earth peace, good-will to men "? 
 
 What a gift God gave to the world when he gave his Son ! 
 What store of heaven's light and love and joy, of all that 
 heals our disorders, brightens our life, sweetens the breath of 
 society, mitigates the gloomy suffering and death and throws 
 brightness on the eternal future, came into our world with 
 him ! O blind foolish world, that will not receive the gift, 
 and like the poor worldlings of Gadara, entreats God's Son 
 to depart out of its coasts ! 
 
 Delay not, delay not ; O sinner, draw near ! 
 
 The waters of life are now flowing for thee ;. 
 No price is demanded, the Saviour is here, 
 
 Redemption is purchased, salvation is free. 
 
 Thomas Hastings. 
 
March i8. 
 
 n to me.— Solomon's Song v. 2. 
 
 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, 
 and open the door, 1 7vill cotne in to hi?n, and ivill sup %vith him, and 
 he with me. — Rev. iii. 20. 
 
 BEHOLD the dignity of man ! The heart is a palace 
 barred and bolted, kept by man, and Christ his Maker 
 allows him to hold the key, and will not force a way in. Be- 
 hold the interest in man ! Gracious powers from above 
 gather about him in pity and love, and out of the midst of 
 these Christ knocks and asks admission. No other being is 
 the centre of such interest. Behold the privilege of man ! 
 If he hear the entreaty and open the door, the Son of God 
 will come in and dwell with him. Behold the blessedness 
 of man ! The soul into which Christ thus enters has Christ 
 sup with him and he with Christ. Note the order : Christ 
 first comes down and sups with him and then takes him up to 
 sup with himself, — Christly communion with Christ as leader, 
 up the ever-higher Christly ranges. Here is the highest bliss, 
 and Christ stands at the door of our hearts and knocks, 
 offering it. 
 
 # 
 
 O Jesus, thou art knocking ; 
 
 And lo ! that hand is scarred, 
 And thorns thy brow encircle, 
 
 And tears thy face have marred. 
 O love that passeth knowledge. 
 
 So patiently to wait ! 
 O sin that hath no equal, 
 
 So fast to bar the gate ! 
 
March 19. 
 
 (goti \ohti\) a cheerful jgibcr. — 2 Cor. ix. 7. 
 
 Freely ye have received, freely give. — Matt. x. 8. 
 
 SIR ISAAC NEWTON said that matter is capable of 
 such condensation that the whole earth might be com- 
 pressed into the size of a cannon-ball. Here are two words 
 that contain the whole gospel, both of salvation and service : 
 receiving, giving. 
 
 Imparting is' both the end for which we receive and the 
 condition upon which we receive more. The inflow of a 
 fountain is in order to its outflow, and must cease when the 
 outflow stops. He is but a " dead sea " who receives without 
 imparting. As Canon Wilberforce says, the substance of all 
 duty is, "Admit, submit, commit, transmit." 
 
 We have received freely. The priceless boons of nature 
 — sunshine, rain and dew, atmosphere — are without price, 
 while beyond price. Heaven itself may be had for the ask- 
 ing. God lives to give; and all true living is free and con- 
 stant giving. The godlike soul is not a cold and barren peak 
 or arid desert, but a broad and beautiful valley with waving 
 harvests and singing streams. 
 
 Giving is the secret of joy. " It is more blessed to give 
 than to receive," for it is the bliss of God ! 
 
 That man may last, but never lives 
 Who inuch receives, but nothing gives; 
 Whom none can love, whom none can thank, — 
 
 Creation's blot, creation's blank ! 
 
 Gibbons. 
 
March 20. 
 
 En f)im tiindUt!) all tlje fulness ot tfje (^otiljeati. 
 
 Col. ii. 9. 
 I and my Father are one. — John x. 30. 
 
 WE have here one of the briefest and yet sublimest words 
 spoken by the Son of God concerning his blessed 
 person. A colossal word, akin to another, "Which of you 
 convinceth me of sin ? " and alike in majesty to his decla- 
 ration, " I am the light of the world." 
 
 The Jews understood, for they answered, " Thou makest 
 thyself God ; " but they were hardened in unbelief, and took 
 up stones again to stone him. 
 
 The rock of offence to the Jews is our unspeakably pre- 
 cious treasure. We know what Jesus designed to teach. 
 One with the Father, so spake he, one in life and one in 
 love, and gave as proofs his stupendous works as Saviour 
 of mankind, — one in grandeur, power, and glory with the 
 Father, of whom John also testified, "And we beheld his 
 glory." 
 
 Concerning his redeemed the voice of Jesus says, " I give 
 unto them eternal life. They shall never perish." Wherein 
 Hes the pledge that God will do as he has engaged? WHiere 
 is our hope securely anchored ? Who guarantees to the be- 
 liever perfect assurance of salvation through life and through 
 the swelling waves of Jordan ? 
 
 " My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all." 
 He gave them to be redeemed and " kept," and " I and my 
 Father are one ! " 
 
 Teach us to know the Father, Son, 
 And thee, of both to be but One, 
 That through the ages all along 
 This, this may be our endless song : 
 " Praise to thy eternal merit, 
 Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." 
 
 Bishop J. Cosin (Tra>tsiati\>v.). 
 
March 21. 
 
 OTatcf) unto pragcr. — i Peter iv. 7. 
 
 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are 
 ready to die : for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 
 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold 
 fist, and repent. If therefore thou shall not ivatch, I will come on 
 thee as a thief and thou shall not knozu ivhat hour I will come upon 
 thee. — Rev. iii. 2, 3. 
 
 IN his counsel to his disciples, as he was about to die, 
 Jesus repeatedly used one memorable word, Watch ! 
 After sixty years he renews this solemn counsel. Watch ! So 
 then, all with us depends upon watchfulness. 
 
 Watchfulness remembers. It recalls the two cardinal facts, 
 — our sin, God's grace in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit's 
 office is to stimulate the memory of these central facts. Thus 
 he daily renews the soul. 
 
 Watchfulness holds fast its grasp of the faith once deliv- 
 ered to the saints, its conscious clasp of the hand of the 
 Saviour. We ever tend to lose our hold. It needs ever to 
 be renewed. 
 
 Watchfulness repents. Life begins anew, as it began at 
 the first, with penitence. Observe the sequence of experi- 
 ences, — remembrance, a new resolution, repentance. 
 
 Watchfulness makes ready for the coming of the Lord. 
 We must be ready at the hour. He comes suddenly to all 
 men ; to the watcher as a bridegroom, but to the careless as 
 a thief. What I say unto you, I say unto all : Watch ! 
 
 Christian, seek not yet repose ; 
 
 Cast thy dreams of earth away. 
 Thou art in the midst of foes ; 
 
 Watch and pray. 
 
 CltARI,OTTR ELLIOTT, 
 
• March 22. 
 
 I^is compassions fail not. — Lam. iii. 22. 
 
 Fear not : believe oily, and she shall be made whole. — LuKE viii. 
 50- 
 
 THIS word " F'ear not," of our divine Lord, is one many 
 times repeated in his life and ministry. It is full of 
 compassion, comfort, and cheer. When the sad message 
 came to the ruler of the synagogue, "Thy daughter is dead, 
 trouble not the Master," the words sprang from Christ's 
 lips at once, so that the faith of Jairus had no time to 
 waver: "Fear not: believe only." Jesus immediately sum- 
 mons him to a trust in the almightiness of him to whom he 
 had appealed. 
 
 Our Lord in this incident joins himself in tender sympathy 
 to the sorrows of hojne life. He crosses the threshold of 
 the domestic sanctuary, and with divine power and divine 
 love brings " beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, 
 the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." 
 
 Here we learn the tender compassion of Christ, the all-suf- 
 ficiency of Jesus, and the reality of faith, as a personal trust 
 in a personal Saviour, who is able and wiUing to heal, to 
 help, and to save. Jesus is just as real, as personal, as near, 
 as loving to-day as in the days of his flesh. He hears your 
 cry, and feels the clinging of your faith about his heart. 
 
 J^^^ S..^^ 
 
 ^^/t^^C^^^i^^^^^yi^^ 
 
 But warm, sweet, tender, even yet 
 
 A present help is he ; 
 And love has yet its Olivet, 
 
 And love its Galilee. 
 
 The healing of the seamless dress 
 
 Is by our beds of pain. 
 
 We touch him in life's throng and press, 
 
 And we are whole again. 
 
 JOHN G. wn 
 
March 23. 
 
 i^o rontinttuation to tfjcm Infjicfj arc in Cfjvist testis. 
 
 Romans viii. i. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say luito yore, He that heareth my word, and be- 
 lic7>et/i on him that sent me, hath everlasting^ life, and shall not come 
 into condemnation ; Imt is passed from death tinto life. — John v. 24. 
 
 HATH eternal life," is the reading of the Revision, 
 The phrase thus comes into accord with John xvii. 
 3, " This is life eternal," etc. Eternal is a better word than 
 everlasting, and has a richer meaning. Everlasting makes 
 us think only of time endlessly prolonged, which is dull and 
 dreary. Eternal has to do with a region of condition in 
 which the hour-glass and the curfew are irrelevant. Years 
 do not add themselves together to niake eternity. The eter- 
 nal is not a matter of addition or multiplication, but is as sim- 
 ple and uncompounded as is he who inhabiteth eternity. The 
 real genius of the eternal may all be comprised in a single 
 instant, as the real totality of God's presence may be con- 
 tained in a cubic inch. Hence Christ does not say, shall 
 have, but hath ; will be life eternal, but, this is life eternal. 
 Christ thus conjugates eternal life in the present tense for 
 the reason that it has no tense ; just as no one would ever 
 think of dating honesty, or labelling righteousness 1888. 
 Eternity is a divine attribute; by derivation we become 
 eternal in Christ. In Christ we become seasoned with the 
 eternal, and are eternal, — an instant matter, not a thing to 
 hope for. "This is life eternal." He that believeth hath 
 eternal life. 
 
 'Tis eternal life to know him. 
 
 Oh, how he loves ! 
 Think, oh, think how much we owe him ! 
 
 Oh, how he loves ! 
 With his precious blood he bought us. 
 In the wilderness he sought us, 
 To his fold he safely brought ns. 
 
 Oh, how he loves! mariannk nunn. 
 
March 24. 
 
 OTrittm m tf)£ 3LamJj*0 took ai life. — Rev. xxi. 27. 
 
 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject nnto 
 yon ; but rather rejoice, because your names are tvritten in heaven. — 
 Luke x. 20. 
 
 THE desire of power is not wrong in itself. Power may 
 be desired from the purest motives and exercised for 
 the noblest ends. The seventy found the demons subject 
 unto them through the name of their Master, and it was nat- 
 ural that they should rejoice therein. It was, no doubt, a 
 benignant joy with them. But the exercise of this power 
 might be associated with vanity and self-seeking; nay, it 
 may consist with the utter absence of saving grace (see Matt, 
 vii. 22, 23). Therefore, says the Lord, " Rejoice not that the 
 spirits are subject unto you." There is a ground of joy so 
 superior to the exercise of any miraculous powers, that our 
 Lord would have his followers forget them all in view of a 
 purer and far better prerogative : it is that their names are 
 written in heaven. Their citizenship is there. Here, in- 
 deed, is cause for joy, — joy that swallows up every other 
 joy ; a joy, too, that sweetens the bitterest cup on earth. The 
 humblest'believer in Jesus may say. My name is written in 
 heaven ! 
 
 Yet, amid this rejoicing in hope, the devout and thoughtful 
 believer will also say. But is my name verily written in 
 heaven ? What evidence have I of it ? Have I the witness 
 of the Spirit that I am born of God? Do the principles of 
 the gospel of Christ control my heart and my life.^ If so, 
 well may I rejoice: heaven is assured to me. 
 
 In thy fair book of life and grace, 
 Oh, may I find my name 
 
 Recorded in some humble place, 
 Beneath my Lord, the Lamb ! 
 
March 25. 
 
 goiir life is f)iti initfj Christ in (^oti. — Col. iii. 3. 
 
 /^<7r rtrj- /"/^^ Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son 
 to have life in himself. — John v. 26. 
 
 THE gospel assumes and illustrates the doctrine of the 
 Trinity. The ineffable relations of the Father, Son, 
 and Holy Ghost are all recognized and embodied in the struc- 
 ture of the economy of grace. As in the constitution of the 
 Godhead the Father is first, the Son second, and the Holy 
 Ghost third, — the Son being from the Father, and the Holy 
 Ghost from the Father and the Son, — so in the arrangements 
 into which they have entered for the salvation of men, the 
 Father stands at the fountain-head carrying out the eternal 
 purpose of mercy through the Son and Spirit. The text car- 
 ries us back into the fathomless depths of this glorious mys- 
 tery, and represents the Son as the God-man, as receiving 
 from the Father for redemptive ends a life which is as truly 
 divine and self-contained as that possessed by the Father 
 himself. This life, in all its divine vigor, is exercised by him 
 in the impartation of spiritual life to souls dead in trespasses 
 and sins, and shall at last be revealed with majesty and 
 power in the resurrection of the dead. Truly " our life is hid 
 with Christ in God." Its guarantee and pledge are bound up 
 indissolubly by covenant with the vital relations of the God- 
 head itself. 
 
 /^^W-^^^a^:^. 
 
 Jesus is God ! Oh, could I now 
 But compass land and sea, 
 
 To teach and tell this single truth, 
 How happy should I be ! 
 
 Oh, had I but an angel's voice 
 I would proclaim so loud : 
 
 Jesus, the good, the beautiful, 
 Is everlasting God. 
 
March 26. 
 
 ?i2Efjo art tjou t{)at jiitigest anotjcr?— James iv. 12. 
 
 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother'' s eye, but 
 perceivest not the beam that is in thine ozvn eye ? — LuKE vi. 41. 
 
 TO see a mote in my neighbor's eye when a beam is in 
 mine own eye is physically impossible. To see and 
 measure my neighbor's sins when I am committing sins my- 
 self, is morally impossible. The Pharisee deciding that he 
 was not " as other men are " was a blind man passing him- 
 self off for a professor of ophthalmology. No wonder that 
 Christ says to such, " Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam 
 out of thine own eye : and then shalt thou see clearly to cast 
 out the mote out of thy brother's eye." 
 
 Judging how far my neighbor's soul is wanting in confor- 
 mity to God's law will become my business when there is no 
 longer in me any want of conformity ; hence it will never 
 become my business. " Let us not therefore judge one an- 
 other any more." The judgment seat is reserved for the holy 
 Christ, whose eyes without beam or mote see all things 
 perfectly. 
 
 This much however I may decide now, — that never can my 
 neighbor's sin, viewed as to its power to obscure my vision of 
 things worth seeing, be to me more than a mote. But my sin, 
 because it is my sin, becomes a beam preventing my seeing 
 God and the pure and heavenly. 
 
 " Search me, O God, and know my heart : try me, and know 
 my thoughts : and see if there be any wicked way in me, and 
 lead me m the way everlasting." 
 
 Forget not thou hast often sinned, 
 
 And sinful yet must be ; 
 Deal gently with the erring one, 
 
 As God has dealt with thee. 
 
 Fletcher. 
 
March 27. 
 
 Come boltilu unto tfje tfirone of grace. — Heb. iv. 16. 
 
 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that tuill I do, that the 
 Father ??iay be ^<^loriJied in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my 
 name, I ihill do it. — John xiv. 13, 14. 
 
 THE connection of this absolute promise shows its im- 
 mense value. Many stumble at the words of the 
 previous verse: "Verily, verily, I say unto 3'Ou, He that 
 believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also ; and 
 greater works than these shall he do ; because I go unto my 
 Father." They fail to see the connection of the last clause, 
 '' Because I go unto my Father." Christ is not dead, but 
 alive again from the dead, with all power in heaven and 
 earth. Therefore he says, " Whatsoever ye shall ask in my 
 name I will do." This is present supernatural pozfer through. 
 the believer that is promised. The secret is in verses 10, 
 II : " Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the 
 Father in me ? the words that I speak unto you I speak not 
 of myself : but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the 
 works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father 
 in me : or else believe me for the very works' sake." This is 
 the mystical union of the Father and the Son. He prays for 
 the same in us (John xvii. 21). 
 
 This unity means that the will of God is our will, and our 
 obedience means such a ready listening to his voice from 
 abiding in him that he answers us by doing that which we 
 desire of him (i John iii. 22). Our works are to reveal 
 Christ to the world, as his works reveal God to us. 
 
 Come, my soul, thy suit prepare ; 
 Jesus loves to answer prayer. 
 He himself has bid thee pray, 
 Therefore will not say thee nay. newton. 
 
March 28. 
 
 ILct tjlS mmtl ht in gOU, — Phil. ii. 5. 
 Wist ye not that I must be about my Father s business ? — LuKE ii. 49. 
 
 OUT of all the gracious words which hallowed the child- 
 hood of Jesus, these alone have been preserved. The 
 link of golden speech seems to bind the incarnate Christ-life 
 to that mystery of eternity, when the " Only Begotten of the 
 Father " assumed the right to become a ransom for fallen 
 man. " Lo ! I come. I delight to do thy will, O my God." 
 
 Whether as a key to all the obedience and sacrifice of the 
 mediatorial work, or the motto of every consecrated life, the 
 sublime sentence is lovingly cherished. 
 
 Happy are we when we apprehend as Jesus did the father- 
 hood of God. 
 
 In that supreme hour when filial love, born of the "spirit 
 of adoption," cries " Abba, Father," we will realize, as did 
 the holy Child in the temple, that the aJl-absorbing business 
 of life is our " Father's business." We should have no busi- 
 ness which may not with its best results be offered upon the 
 divine altar; while all that work which is peculiar to his 
 kingdom we should make our own. 
 
 As of such a service, one says, / must, compulsion ceases, 
 and the word glows with the enthusiasm of a voluntary 
 sacrifice. 
 
 " 'T is love, not duty," shall we sing? Nay, rather, " Love 
 is duty." When love commissions a child of God, the sweet- 
 est companionship and highest earthly joys fail to call him 
 from the delighted service. 
 
 L^ryt^U^^cU/ Oa. 
 
 ^yL/^-CCr 
 
 Such was thy truth and such thy zeal, 
 Such deference to thy Father's will, 
 Such love and meekness so divine, 
 I would transcribe and make them mine. 
 
 Watts. 
 
March 29. 
 
 jFor gour safety je became poor. — 2 Cor. viii. 9. 
 
 Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have uests ; but the Son of 
 man hath not where to lay his head. — LUKE ix. 58. 
 
 IT is the glory of faith that it •' esteems the reproach of 
 Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt ; for it 
 looks away to the recompense of the reward." Thus Jesus, 
 the Son of God and the Son of man in his one person, when 
 on earth as our good Shepherd and great Captain, to seek 
 and save the lost by his life of self-sacrifice and sufferings, 
 was able to " endure the cross, despising the shame," by look- 
 ing to "the glory that should follow." No person can be 
 trained for the service of Christ and follow his example with- 
 out the discipline of tribulation and faith fixed on Christ in 
 his glory. In ujiion with him through his Holy Spirit, we 
 will make cheerfully any sacrifice, and rejoice in toil and 
 tribulation to " follow him fully," as did Caleb and Joshua. 
 
 Then at length shall we feel as Caleb and Joshua felt, 
 when, as Israel were on the bank of Jordan, these two old 
 soldiers wath armor on were at their post in the ranks, wait- 
 ing for the sound of the trumpet, the signal for the advance 
 in their last march across, dry-shod, into ''the good land be- 
 yond Jordan." This King of glory, the Conqueror " crowned 
 with many crowns," — once the poor man of Galilee, — is 
 still in tender sympathy with his redeemed ones, and as the 
 good Shepherd will ever " lead them to living fountains of 
 waters and wipe away all tears from their eyes." 
 
 /^Mf'/i^^ 
 
 't/m^ruKi}, 
 
 Who suffer with our Master here, 
 We shall before his face appear, 
 
 And by his side sit down ; 
 To patient faith the prize is sure, 
 And all that to the end endure 
 
 The cross, shall wear the crown. 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
March 30. 
 
 J^aijing lobcti tjis present inorltJ. — 2 Tim. iv. 10. 
 
 Ve^ lackest thoii one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute 
 unto the pooi', and thon shall have treasure in heaven : and come, 
 follow me. — Luke xviii. 22. 
 
 LACK of one thing may be fatal, — lack of one stone in 
 the arch ; of attention to one leak in the ship ; lack of 
 saving faith in the soul. Lack of one thing led the young 
 ruler to make " the great refusal," and turn his back on the 
 Redeemer, 
 
 No sacrifice, needful to the following of Christ, to be with- 
 held ; all sacrifice in vain without the following. Sell and 
 follow. 
 
 To every life marred by a single sin or by a single imper- 
 fection, and to every service of heart, lip, or hand, comes the 
 word, " One thing thou lackest." 
 
 Self-denying distribution to the needy in the name of 
 Christ is a deposit laid up in heaven to be received again 
 with usury. 
 
 Had this young man obeyed, possibly he had been called 
 to some high and incalculably useful office in Christ's king- 
 dom, — perhaps to be an apostle in the place of Judas; per- 
 haps to write a gospel or an epistle to be read by the godly 
 to the end of time. 
 
 No one can foresee to what place in the kingdom the 
 obedient soul may be assigned. 
 
 a^efb^ 
 
 je^j^L^ 
 
 God calling yet ! I cannot stay ; 
 
 My heart I yield without delay. 
 
 Vain world, farewell ! from thee I part; 
 
 The voice of God hath reached my heart. 
 
 Miss J. BORTHWICK (Translation). 
 
March 31. 
 
 ISclietiing, gc rejoice iuitf) jog xmspcakable . — i Peter i. 8. 
 
 And ye 11070 therefore have sorro7u : but fivill see you again, and 
 your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you. — 
 John xvi. 22. 
 
 COMFORTIxNG words for sorrowing souls. "In this 
 world ye shall have tribulation." It is a common ex- 
 perience of the saints, and a necessary discipline. But sanc- 
 tified sorrow is more than compensated. 
 
 Those words of Jesus, " I go away," together with an in- 
 timation of other trials, brought anguish to the disciples. 
 How true, " Ye have sorrow now " ! But " I will see you 
 again " brought adequate consolation. The cross bore him 
 from their sight, but he saw them again and they saw him ; 
 and though the clouds received him, yet in spirit he remained 
 with them to the end, — a source of joy unspeakable. 
 
 So Jesus deals with all who love him. Their sorrows are 
 many, but the sharpest pains come from a conscious separa- 
 tion'from their Lord, — the communion interrupted by sin 
 and unbelief To them that mourn for him he will show 
 himself again. *' I will come to you." The severer the 
 pangs, the greater the joy of deliverance. " Your heart shall 
 rejoice." It is not surface-gladness, which is transitory, but 
 a deep, solid, constant, lasting joy. 
 
 But see I the night is waning fast, 
 
 The breaking morn is near ; 
 And Jesus comes with voice of love, 
 
 Thy drooping heart to cheer. 
 Then weep no more ; 'tis all thine own, 
 
 His crown, his joy divine ; 
 
 And sweeter far than all beside, 
 
 He, he himself is thine I 
 
 Sir e. Denny. 
 
April i. 
 
 raf|0 tfjtoug]^ faitfj . . . obtameti promigeg. — Heb. xi. 33. 
 
 . . . Believe ye that I am able to do this ? . . . According to your 
 faith be it mtto you. — Matt. ix. 28, 29. 
 
 IN connecting as he does our faith with the exercise of 
 his power and the benefits it confers, Christ's design is 
 to produce a co-operation of human agency with the divine, 
 so that we become co-workers with God in the reception and 
 diffusion of the blessings he bestows. Thus, aside from the 
 natural or physical effects of such co-operation, there springs 
 up a moral or spiritual effect which enriches and ennobles 
 the character of man. God honors us by making our faith 
 the measure of his beneficence, and we honor him by at- 
 testing and acknowledging his power to do the things for 
 which we pray. Hence the Scriptures say, " Without faith 
 it is impossible to please him, for he that cometh to God 
 must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them 
 that diligently seek him " (Heb. xi. 6). 
 
 But faith is likewise " the gift of God," and the concomi- 
 tant of the divine " grace " which issues in salvation (Eph. 
 ii. 8). So that it has been observed that duties are graces, 
 and graces become duties. It is not therefore every state 
 of mind in which the imagination — the faculty most akin 
 to faith — is exercised. That constitutes the prescribed 
 condition on which God will use his power and bestow his 
 blessing. Many are liable to delusion just at this point. 
 The best proof of a genuine faith in man is in the works 
 wrought by divine energy and their results according to 
 this faith. And so the believer may herewith prove God, 
 if he " will not pour out a blessing that there shall not be 
 room enough to receive it " (Mai. iii. 10). 
 
 >^ Q^ 
 
 ^^^iL>Kyu.C)^^^i ^ ^OU^ '^ 
 
 Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, 
 
 And looks to that alone, 
 Laughs at impossibilities, 
 
 And cries, " It shall be done ! " 
 
April 2. 
 
 (3oti al00 Jatj) l)is!)lo cxaltcti i^im. — Phil. ii. 9. 
 
 /^or the Father judgeth no man, but hath conunitted all jiidgjnent 
 unto the Son : that all men should honour the Son, even as they 
 honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoiireth not 
 the Father which hath se7it him. — John v. 22, 23. 
 
 IN the language of nature, the Son is the reproduction of 
 the Father. God is infinite. The finite cannot directly 
 know the infinite ; whatever it knows, it knows by finite 
 measures. Yet man is related to the infinite Father. He 
 seeks therefore to symbolize God, his conscience demands 
 the infinite Judge, his heart the infinite Father ; but his sym- 
 bols and measurements are all imperfect, therefore God 
 gives us his Son, — a perfect reproduction of himself, mor- 
 ally, spiritually, and affectionally. The Son stands on this 
 side the chasm of the infinite, — a part of organic nature, able 
 to reproduce himself in us, our very flesh and blood. God 
 therefore makes him our Judge, because he is the Judge 
 i7i esse, the true type, perfect in love, truth, sympathy. Also, 
 because it is essential that the symbol of Deity should be 
 authoritative ; having given us his Son, so that we can 
 come into clear practical relations with, and likeness to, 
 himself, he will not have us dishonoring the Son, and so 
 blurring the divine standard and belittling the infinite majesty 
 that saves us morally. The perfect light has come, and God 
 holds us responsible ; we must be judged by the Son. 
 
 All hail the power of Jesus' name ! 
 
 Let angels prostrate fall ; 
 Bring forth the royal diadem, 
 
 And crown him Lord of all. 
 
 Edward Perronet. 
 
April 3. 
 
 2rijis 10 tfjc promfse . . , eternal life, — John ii. 25. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say unto yon. If a man keep my saying, he shall 
 never see death. — John viii. 51. 
 
 NOTICE what we may call the majestic simplicity of the 
 words of Scripture. It has been said that the grandest 
 and most pregnant sentence in our language is, " And God 
 said, let there be light ; and there was light." Yet in that 
 sentence there is not a word of more than one syllable. 
 Fully as pregnant, more mysterious in meaning, yet as sim- 
 ple in form, is our text. '•/ say unto you." Here, as so 
 often when a mighty truth is to come, the personality of 
 Christ stands forth. Not, " men say," " it is said," "you all 
 know," but " / say." I who came down from heaven, I 
 who am the truth, I who have the keys of death and hell, I 
 who am the Resurrection and the' Life, say, "If a man 
 keep my saying he shall never see death." This stupendous 
 contradiction to the natural mind becomes a mine of light 
 and truth to him whose soul the Spirit of God illumines. 
 He who spake was soon to die after the flesh. He was 
 speaking to dying men. What did he mean, then ? That 
 he who faithfully keeps the saying of Christ shall not see 
 that deatli from which Christ came to deliver man, — tlie 
 death of the soul, the death of condemnation in hell, the 
 death which comes from separation from God, the only 
 real death. To the Christian, death is a sleep, a passage 
 from earth to j)aradise, an unconscious journey whose end 
 is light ; but to the sinner it is an awful catastrophe, the 
 close of hope, the beginning of the end. Abraham was not 
 dead, though for centuries in his tomb. But many who 
 heard Christ with beating hearts and flowing veins were 
 dead even while they lived, because they neither knew nor 
 obeyed him. 
 
 Death, no longer now we die, 
 We but follow Christ on high. 
 
 George Rawson. 
 
April 4. 
 
 ipaitfj, if it fjatfj not iuorks, is ticatJ. —James ii. 17. 
 
 For zv/iosoez'er shall do the tvill of my Father ivhich is in heaven, 
 the same is fny brother, and sister, and mother. — Matt. xii. 50. 
 
 OUR Lord has made all the family relationships more 
 sacred. The spirit which would dissolve them, which 
 would dream of a holier life than that of the household, a 
 discipline more sacred than that of a godly family, is con- 
 trary to the spirit of Christ. Through him we learn to love 
 our kindred and friends with a nobler love. The Church is 
 one great family, — sharers in the same parental care and 
 heirs to a common inheritance. Jealousies may spring up 
 between the fondest hearts, and the most passionate love 
 may grow cool unless Christ purify it. He teaches us how 
 to love brothers and sisters, and even our own children, 
 aright. He bids the Church esteem men, not for rank or 
 fashion, but because they belong to Christ. 
 
 Our Lord's dying words showed how dearly he loved his 
 mother, and were a reflection of the love which she bestowed 
 on his infant days. No mother was ever more tender and 
 thoughtful ; no child ever loved a mother so perfectly. There 
 is no love like his; and he who possesses it will love his 
 kindred better, and seek to win them to the brotherhood of 
 Christ. 
 
 Now I have found a friend 
 Whose love shall never end; 
 
 Jesus is mine. 
 Though earthly joys decrease, 
 Thoui^h human friendships cease, 
 Now I have lasting peace ; 
 
 Jesus is mine. 
 
April 5. 
 
 M^niU&itti to take ainag our Qim. — i John iii 5. 
 
 As the Father knoiveth me, even so knmo I the Father : and I lay 
 dozvn my life for the sheep. — John x. 15. 
 
 '^T^HESE words illustrate the kind and quality of knowl- 
 i. edge the good Shepherd has of his own, and they of 
 him. Surely none but the eternal Son would or could use 
 such a sublime comparison. This knowledge is not infor- 
 mation concerning persons and their characters only; but 
 it implies recognition, acknowledgment, approbation, confi- 
 dence, and love. It indicates the close and affectionate inti- 
 macy of friends who know each other so well that there is a 
 perfect understanding between them. 
 
 The import of these words of Jesus is that as between the 
 Father and the Son, who are the same in nature, will, and 
 purpose, this peculiar knowledge exists, so between Jesus 
 and the believer, who are in a sense one in nature, will, and 
 purpose, there is similar knowledge. And of this, the volun- 
 tary death of Christ is the grandest proof on his part, and 
 the faithful imitation of his spirit and example is one of the 
 best evidences on the part of the believer. 
 
 What a privilege is yours, O believer! — to know your 
 Saviour, and to be known by him, as he knows the Father, 
 and the Father knows him. 
 
 Let your life prove that you gratefully appreciate this 
 sacred intimacy. 
 
 ^Ln/vt>^, 
 
 <^A^TAe^ 
 
 So shall the world believe and know 
 That God hath sent thee from above, 
 
 When thou art seen in us below, 
 And every soul displays thy love. 
 
April 6. 
 
 t3e{)oltj, tfje 2Lortj comEtJ, — Jude i. 14. 
 
 The Son of nuDi shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather 
 out of his kingdo7n all things that offend, and them which do in- 
 iquity ; and shall cast theni. into a furnace of fire : there shall be 
 imilifig and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth 
 as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, 
 let him hear. — Matt. xiii. 41-43. 
 
 THE same Son of man who was made "lower than the 
 angels" that he might taste death for us appears here 
 as the Lord of angels, and sends them forth to execute his 
 decree, finally and irrevocably separating the wicked from 
 among the just. 
 
 The same workers of iniquity who so often in this world 
 increased in riches and glory and fared sumptuously every 
 day, when the once despised and rejected Son of man comes 
 to judgment are cast into the furnace of fire; and instead of 
 pomp and self-indulgence, there is wailing and gnashing of 
 teeth. 
 
 And the same humble followers of the Lamb (by divine 
 grace accounted and made righteous) who here shared his 
 tribulation and his reproach shall then " shine forth as the 
 sun in the kingdom of their Father." 
 
 Well might our Lord, after these wonderful declarations, 
 exclaim, " Who hath ears to hear, let him hear ! " /Vow is 
 the time to make our choice with which of these great 
 throngs our portion shall be. 
 
 -g-ii^^ t^. 
 
 w. 
 
 Among thy saints let me be found, 
 Whene'er the archangel's trump shall sound, 
 
 To see thy smiling face ; 
 Then loudest of the throng I 'II sing, 
 While heaven's resounding mansions ring 
 
 With shouts of sovereign grace. 
 
 SELINA, COUNTI-SS OF HUNTINGTON (probably). 
 
April 7. 
 
 31 totll fcoalfe at liftertg: fax I seek ti^n precepts. 
 
 Psalm cxix. 45. 
 
 ff y^ continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed ; and 
 ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. — JOHN 
 viii. 31, 32. 
 
 LIKE genius in art, Christian genius comes not so much 
 by endowment as by toil. He who continues in the 
 word of the Master moves in an atmosphere of heavenly in- 
 spiration as well as of heavenly aspiration. Only by a faith- 
 ful adherence to the teaching and example of Christ can one 
 come to a full knowledge of spiritual truth. 
 
 Spiritual knowledge thus obtained touches all the powers 
 as by a divine force, and each springs to highest activity 
 along the lines of holy living. Yet not as a child learning to 
 walk, nor as one lame, does a Christian move, nor do the 
 rules of the art of Christian living harass the aspiring effort. 
 Rather with free step and unhindered energy the disciple, 
 trusting, loving, following Jesus, runs and is not weary, walks 
 and faints not. The Christian worker reproduces the divine 
 ideals, and brings forth results which alike are a blessing to 
 humanity and a glory to the Master. 
 
 Dear fellow-disciple, it is your privilege to possess the 
 great freedom with which Christ makes his people free, — 
 free from the curse of sin, free from the restrictions of igno- 
 rance and weakness, — and in which he impresses on imper- 
 fect natures his own spirit, so that you may walk and work 
 and live in the liberty of the sons of God. 
 
 Bondsman must each soul remain 
 
 Unless truth shall break the chain ; 
 
 Truth of God, oh, make me free, 
 
 Set my soul at liberty. r. m. offord. 
 
April 8. 
 
 J^e tjat Ijatft mcrco . . . fjappg is fjc— Prov. xiv. 21. 
 
 Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. — Matt. 
 V. 7. 
 
 THIS text expresses a common truth, emphasized with 
 countless iUustrations. Kindness pays. Those who 
 are considerate of others in trial are themselves generally re- 
 membered in their own times of need. 
 
 But our Lord here means more than this. He means that 
 the merciful shall obtain mercy at the last day. Notice, — 
 
 1. That the Beatitudes present but one character. This 
 character begins in humiliation and godly sorrow, is marked 
 by spiritual meekness, longing after righteousness, and kindly 
 feeling for others, and grows into purity of heart. Such a 
 character cannot be a fruit of nature. It is that of an ideal 
 child of God. 
 
 2. That our Lord does not teach that any man shall at last 
 obtain mercy as pay for being merciful. What he says is 
 that the man of these Beatitudes is blessed (happy), because 
 he shall obtain mercy. He only states a fact, without giving 
 a cause for it. We must look for the cause of all mercy at 
 last in the free grace of God, and in our Lord's own atoning 
 and saving work. 
 
 If we have, already begun in us, the character outlined in 
 the Beatitudes, we have already entered into, and shall be ever 
 growing in the blessedness of the blessed man. 
 
 ^—^-^ 
 
 Let grace our selfishness expel, 
 
 Our earthliness refine ; 
 And kindness in our bosoms dwell 
 
 As free and true as thine. 
 
 JOHN H. GURNEY. 
 
April 9. 
 
 jFaitfj iriitj)0Ut toorfes is tcatl. — James ii 26. 
 
 Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the 
 kingdom of heaven ; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is 
 in heave7i. — Matt. vii. 21. 
 
 THEY are false disciples who cry, " Lord, Lord," but 
 who bear no fruit, who hold an orthodox creed and 
 profess faith in Christ and attachment to him, while they fail 
 to partake of his spirit or keep his commandments. They 
 shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. They may be 
 outwardly in the membership of Christ's Church, but they are 
 not of it ; they do not understand its spirit ; they are ignorant 
 of its sacred joy ; they have no part in its glorious destiny. 
 
 The true disciple is one who not only cries, " Lord, Lord," 
 but also doeth the will of his Father which is in heaven. He 
 is one who makes grateful and joyous confession of his de- 
 pendence on and devotion to Christ, and who is entitled thus 
 to do in virtue of the consistency between his profession and 
 his experience and practice. 
 
 Obedience to the Father's will is the imperative condition 
 of entrance into the kingdom of heaven. If eternal life is to 
 be had, it must be had according to the principles of the 
 divine law, and in no other way. Keeping God's command- 
 ments is the only life of the human soul. There is no oppo- 
 sition between the law and the gospel ; they are two sides of 
 the same thing, which is Love. The law prescribes duty, 
 and the gospel brings light to see and strength to discharge 
 that duty. The law urges obedience on penalty of death ; 
 the gospel comes, not to save us from that penalty wiihoiit 
 obedience, but to fill us with love, which is the spirit of 
 obedience and the essence of eternal life. 
 
 Up, then, with speed, and work ; 
 
 Fling ease and self away ! 
 This is no time for thee to sleep, 
 
 Up, watch, and work, and pray! u. bonar. 
 
April io. 
 
 3L£t Jim ask m faitfj. — james i. 6. 
 
 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in 77iy name : ask, and ye shall 
 receive, that your joy 7nay be full. — John xvi. 24. 
 
 THIS is one of Christ's words of farewell. It is apart 
 of his legacy to his faithful people, — a blank check- 
 book on the bank of heaven, with our Lord's signature to it 
 right through. Let us have faith to make a good use of it. 
 
 What encouragement and help it gives us ! Our blessed 
 Lord well knows how weak our faith is and how slowly it 
 grows ; that our hearts are likely to fail us in the presence- 
 chamber of the Almighty, — and therefore for our stimulus and 
 comfort he speaks to us these words : " Hitherto have ye 
 asked nothing in my name, ask," — that is, as the word 
 implies, go on asking, continue to ask, — " and ye shall 
 receive." 
 
 Note finally the end proposed to be obtained by means of 
 our prayer. It is that our joy may be completed ; that we may 
 be made truly happy. Our Lord desires that in this life we 
 should have joy, and he points us to the only source of true 
 blessedness, — to God. Let us then abound much in prayer ; 
 and with joyous hearts let us go about the work which God 
 has given us to do. 
 
 Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw ; 
 Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw, 
 Gives exercise to faith and love, 
 Brings every blessing from above. 
 
 COWPER. 
 
April i 
 
 J^is oinit uccibeti f)im not — John i. n. 
 
 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. — John v. 40. 
 
 AN undertone of tender pity and yearning love pervades 
 these words. While in them our Lord fixes upon the 
 unbelieving Jews the responsibility for their own spiritual 
 ruin, he still speaks with the same sad regret as when he 
 uttered his lament over Jerusalem. 
 
 In setting forth one purpose of his incarnation, Jesus said, 
 " I am come that they might have life " (John x. 10). But 
 those who would have life must come to him and receive from 
 him the gift unspeakable which he is always ready to bestow. 
 It is never forced upon unwilling recipients. 
 
 We wonder that any refused the loving invitations of our 
 incarnate Saviour ; that any could resist the pleadings of him 
 whose voice hushed the storm-wind and calmed the angry 
 billows and woke the dead to lite. But how many now, with 
 unwilling heart, turn away from the call of his love, and resist 
 the Holy Spirit whom he hath sent ! The intellect is con- 
 vinced ; the feelings are stirred ; but the will remains obdurate. 
 Men remain at a distance from Christ because they are 7iot 
 willing to come unto him. Are you among those of whom 
 he is saying : " Ye are not willing to come to me, that ye 
 might have life " ? 
 
 And when the sinner chooses wrath, 
 
 God mourns his hapless lot ; 
 
 Deep breathing from his heart of love, 
 
 ' I would, but ye would not." 
 
 Alexander. 
 
April 12. 
 
 E\it iLorti 13 mg sfjfpfjerti ; E sjjall not toant. 
 
 Psalm xxiii. i. 
 
 / ^ave compassion on the imdtittide, becatise they have now been 
 7vith me three days, and have nothing to eat. — Mark viii. 2. 
 
 CURIOUS ones have sought for a likeness of the face of 
 Jesus the Christ, but the devout soul looks into the 
 heart of him who reveals the Father and is glad. " I have 
 compassion." His nature compasses our necessity. His 
 heart enfolds us. Nor need one say, " I am left out," because 
 it seems too hard to believe that on thee singly he fixes his 
 love. With the multitude thou mayest stand and still be 
 loved. 
 
 *' There 's a wideness in God's mercy 
 Like the wideness of the sea." 
 
 Too much on our guard we cannot be against " the false 
 limits of our own " by which " we make the love of God too 
 narrow." " I have compassion on the multitude." 
 
 Who has not found that " man's extremity is God's oppor- 
 tunity " ? Blind unbelief asks, " Carest thou not ? " Faith's 
 triumph is that " he knows what we have need of." Only 
 let us not misplace our necessities. The soul first — always 
 first. " They have now been with me three days." What 
 soul-feasting during that precious time ! But the body has 
 its place and must be cared for ; so what he would not do for 
 himself he did for the people, — he wrought a miracle to 
 meet the extreme occasion. Is not every providence a 
 miracle .'* Were our eyes but anointed with eye-salve, the 
 commonest event of our lives would appear " big with 
 mercy." 
 
 O little heart of mine ! shall pain 
 Or sorrow make thee moan, 
 
 When all this God is all for thee, 
 A Father all thine own } fabkr. 
 
April 13. 
 
 Cj)c jgrace tjjat gfjoulti come unto gou. — i Peter i. 10. 
 
 Blessed are your eyes ^ for they see : and your ears, for they hear. 
 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men 
 have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them ; 
 and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. 
 — Matt. xiii. i6, 17. 
 
 THE superior blessedness of Christian privileges is mani- 
 fold. For example, in respect to our knowledge of 
 God, — his nature, character, purposes, methods ; in respect 
 to our knowledge of man, — his unity, fall, needs, moral ca- 
 pacities; in respect to our knowledge of duties, which comes 
 to us through this knowledge of God and of man ; in respect 
 to our knowledge of a future life, — its certainty and possibili- 
 ties ; in respect to our knowledge of the promised Messiah, — 
 his divinity, his humanity, his spirituality ; in respect to our 
 knowledge of the way of salvation, — the divinity of its medi- 
 ation, the fulness of its scope, the completeness of its details, 
 the freedom of its provisions ; in respect to our knowledge 
 of the nature of worship, — a spirit rather than a letter, a 
 character rather than a formula, a life rather than a drill ; in 
 respect to the motives which Christianity in distinction from 
 Mosaism sets before us, — motives inspired by the character 
 of Jesus rather than by the sanctions of the law ; in brief, in 
 respect to all higher ranges of thought, experience, aspira- 
 tion, possibility, — in all these the lowliest disciple under Jesus 
 is greater than the greatest disciple under Moses, for the 
 Christian as compared with the Jew has been translated 
 from the realm of prophecy into the realm of fulfilment. 
 
 9- 
 
 *Xv ^t»-M.Cv /J €J'<^^c l *<\Aif.^^ 
 
 How blessed are our eyes, 
 That see this heavenly light ! 
 
 Prophets and kings desired it long, 
 P>nt died without the sight. 
 
April 14. 
 
 rajj0 also maketj intercession for tis. — Ro^nfans viii. 34. 
 
 Si?non, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may 
 sift you as wheat : but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not : 
 and when thou art converted, strengthett thy brethren. — LuKE 
 xxii. 31, 32. 
 
 THREE PERSONS, — Christ, Peter, and Satan, the 
 Divine, the Human, and the DeviHsh, in one group. 
 
 1. The Omniscient Lord, reading the inmost soul of his 
 disciple, seeing also the desires and movements of the Evil 
 One, knowing to-morrow likewise and all things that are to 
 be, solicitous for the disciple's safety, faithful to warn, quick 
 to rescue and restore the tempted and fallen. 
 
 2. Peter, — sanguine, self-confident, boastful ; so unaware 
 of his own weakness, so ignorant of Satan's devices, and so 
 unimpressed by his Master's words that though forewarned, 
 he is not forearmed, but falls an easy prey to unexpected 
 temptation, after which come shame, penitence, and merciful 
 recover^'. 
 
 3. The Prince of Darkness, — a deceiving spirit, prowling, 
 stealthy, and seductive; audacious and subtle tempter of 
 Christ and men ; tireless, cunning, formidable ; ensnaring 
 sometimes the noblest, catching David through his passions, 
 Judas through his covetousness, Peter through his fears, and 
 making even Paul fear lest he become a castaway. 
 
 Three Lessons, — (i) Listen to the wise warnings of 
 your tender Lord ; (2) Be not self-confident, but humble ; 
 (3) Be watchful against the adversary. 
 
 [X^^^Lio^Y. \L 
 
 ^JJUm 
 
 He lives, to bless me with his love 
 He lives, to plead for me above ; 
 He lives, my hungry soul to feed ; 
 He lives, to help in time of need. 
 
 Samuel Medley. 
 
April 15. 
 E feill 0pm i^oux gtabes. — EzEK. xxxvii. 12. 
 
 Lazarus, come forth. — John xi. 43. 
 
 THIS is the sublime conclusion of the touching story of 
 the raising of Lazarus. It presents the estimate the 
 Saviour had of prayer. He knew his power and how all 
 things were subject to him ; yet when he was about to per- 
 form this mighty work for the glory of God and the comfort 
 of weeping hearts, he first prayed, and that prayer is full of 
 confidence and trust. What a lesson to us to do everything 
 with the same confident appeal to God (Phil. iv. 6) ! 
 
 The text again shows the mighty power of Jesus. The 
 greatest, the mightiest conqueror of man is death. The most 
 mysterious and irrevocable state is that of the dead. None 
 can conquer in that war. None ever attempt to revoke the 
 decree that bids all to enter the grave. We may sorrow over 
 the outward tomb, and weep at our own losses ; but none 
 dream of changing the result. Now the mighty power of 
 Jesus is manifest, in that, standing at the dark door of this 
 dread mystery and these helpless sleepers, he says, " Come 
 forth;" and there is nothing can resist his call. Death, 
 the grave, the unknown sleep, all respond ; and he that was 
 dead and buried stands again a living man, a loving brother. 
 What joy and hope for those who trust in Jesus, not only for 
 their loved ones gone before, but for their own glorious life 
 beyond the death ! " He has the keys of death and of hell." 
 
 Asleep in Jesus ! peaceful rest, 
 Whose waking is supremely blest. 
 No fear, no woe, shall dim that hour 
 That manifests the Saviour's power. 
 
 MRS. Margaret Mackay. 
 
April i6. 
 
 ^\}Z inasj^mg ot inater bg tfje toortJ. — Eph. v. 26. 
 
 A/bw ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto 
 you. — John xv. 3. 
 
 IN how many ways do men seek to be clean apart from 
 the Word, — by ceremonies, by reformations, by resolu- 
 tions, by introspections, by feelings ! All these ways how re- 
 sultless ! There is but one way, — " Now are ye clean through 
 the Word." The Word gives us light upon our condition 
 as sinners. The W^ord sets forth Christ. The Word assures 
 us that believing in him, we are " accepted in the Beloved." 
 We are " born again " by the Word. The Word sets us at 
 liberty. 
 
 More than this, — we are " purged " by the Word. We are 
 " in the Vine " by the Word ; then, as the branches, we 
 must be pruned by it. Our Saviour has in the thirteenth 
 chapter marked this distinction, — " He that is washed 
 needeth not save to wash his feet." The two words 
 " washed," " wash," are not the same in the Greek. One is 
 bathing the whole body; the other is washing or wiping the 
 hands or the feet. One is regeneration; the other is restored 
 communion. The whole man is washed from sin and washed 
 at once and washed forever in the cleansing blood of Christ ; 
 but then the sandalled feet in life's journey may acquire a sur- 
 face defilement. Hence we have need to look to our ways, to 
 try to test them by the Word of God. Thus does the Word 
 make us consciously clean. It gives us a conscience void of 
 offence, — a great matter. " Wherewithal shall a young man 
 cleanse his way ? By taking heed thereto according to thy 
 word." 
 
 Order my footsteps by thy Word 
 
 And make my heart sincere ; 
 Let sin have no dominion, Lord, 
 
 And keep my conscience clear, watts. 
 
April 17. 
 
 It0£jp purselbts in tfje lobe of i^oti. — Jude i. 21. 
 
 ^ J- />^^ Father hath loved me, so have I loved you : conthme ye in 
 my love. — John xv. 9. 
 
 THE very words of Christ have a peculiar charm. We 
 especially prize those which declare his relations and 
 his feeling toward us. The declaration that he loves us is 
 an unspeakably comforting assurance, especially as we are 
 conscious of our unworthiness and sinfulness even since we 
 have believed. The mystery deepens, yet the thought be- 
 comes more definite and comforting when we hear, " I have 
 loved you" ''as my Father hath loved me," — the same in 
 kind, measure, and duration of love. He desires our com- 
 panionship and co-operation, as he has daily been the delight 
 of his Father and associated in all his operations (Prov. viii. 
 30 ; John xvii. 4, 5, 24). He regards us with complaisance. 
 There is in us no good thing, but he has already given us of 
 his graces, and will change us into his image from glory to 
 glory. He is the brightness of the Father's glory ; and he 
 delights in our obedience. It is very imperfect; but he 
 notices our will and effort to do good, our resistance of temp- 
 tation, and our patience under crosses and afflictions. His 
 Father loved him because he was obedient unto death. 
 
 Nothing can separate us from this love of Christ. But we 
 must be conscious of it and respond to it. " Continue ye in 
 my love." Desire close intimacy with Christ. Seek con- 
 formity to his image, and crave his approbation in every act. 
 " Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy 
 of your Lord." 
 
 .^ 
 
 Oh, the height of Jesus' love, 
 
 Higher than the heavens above, 
 
 Deeper than the depths of sea, 
 
 Lasting as eternity ! 
 
 Love that found me — wondrous thought ! — 
 
 Found me when I sought him not ! 
 
 William M'Comb. 
 
April i8. 
 
 ^0 0i}all tae ebet be Initj) tfjc 3Lorti. — i Thess. iv. 17. 
 
 Father, I will that they also, rohom thoii hast given me, be with vie 
 where I am ; that they may behold my glory, which thozi hast given 
 me : for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. — JOHN 
 xvii. 24. 
 
 THIS is the voice of man, and yet throughout its majestic 
 rhythm we cannot but detect the accent of Deity. It 
 is the word of a king. And where the word of a king is, 
 there is power. When he pleaded for himself he said, " Not as 
 I will." But now that he pleads for others, he does not hesi- 
 tate to speak with authority, " Father, I will." 
 
 He came to be with us where we are, — amid the tears and 
 sighs and graves of earth, — that we might go to be with him 
 where he is forevermore. The one condition is whether we 
 dare to include ourselves among those whom the Father 
 gave unto him before the foundations of the earth were laid. 
 And this we may do, for it is written, " All that the Father 
 giveth me shall come to me." And the reverse is also true, 
 " Those who come are those whom the Father has given." 
 
 Ah, immeasurable extent of love with which the Father 
 has loved the Son ! What glory will not that be with which 
 he will crown him ! Yet that love and that glory are also for 
 us, if by faith we are forever one with him. 
 
 p- /^ %4.^ 
 
 ■ Forever with the Lord ! " 
 
 Amen ! so let it be ! 
 Life from the dead is in that word, 
 
 And immortality. 
 
 J. Montgomery. 
 
April 19. 
 
 3(iinU\)ZixQ toitj Cfjrist. — Romans viii. 17. 
 
 To hint that overconieth will I grant to sit with me in i/iy throne, 
 even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his 
 throne. — Rev. iii. 21. 
 
 EACH of the epistles to the seven churches closes with 
 a promise to " him that overcometh." Our text, which 
 concludes the series and sums up the whole, contains the 
 royal promise, — the Christian who perseveres to the end is to 
 share in Christ's dominion. The believer receives the fulfil- 
 ment of the promise in part in this world ; already he is a 
 member of the kingdom of God, and in virtue of his relation 
 to Christ, himself a king. But this is only the potency and 
 promise of what is to be. 
 
 The way to kingship is through conflict: the king is one 
 who has overcome. Christ himself won his throne, though 
 it was his by right. We must follow in his steps. Our foes 
 are in many respects different from his. They are different 
 from those of the Asiatic Christians to whom the promise 
 was addressed ; but they are none the less real. Satan 
 appears in different guise in different ages, but the purpose 
 of his warfare is the same. Our enemies are on every side, — 
 in the sinful world about us, in the evil that lurks in our own 
 hearts ; but our Lord is mightier than Satan. Courage, 
 friends ! look onward and upward ! The struggle is hard, 
 but it is worth the pains. We are on the winning side. 
 After the battle comes the crown. By and by we shall sit 
 with Christ upon his throne. 
 
 l<^t^ 
 
 'T is God's all-animating voice 
 That calls thee from on high ; 
 
 'T is his own hand presents the prize 
 To thine aspiring eye. 
 
 Philip Doddridge. 
 
April 20. 
 
 iEiierg one . . . iriljm Ijz looketfj . . . sljall lite. 
 Numbers xxi. 8. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath ever- 
 lasting life. — John vi. 47. 
 
 WE speak of the mystery of life ! No doubt obtained 
 in the mind of Christ on this subject which so baffles 
 and perplexes philosophy. To our eager questionings re- 
 garding the future he comes with positive teaching, giving 
 us confidence and eliciting our faith. He, the life, out of his 
 own infinite knowledge spoke of himself as the source of 
 life. Life only produces life, and into the deadness of our 
 hearts through the channel of faith pours the living stream 
 in each member and through the whole Church, which is his 
 body. 
 
 As Christians how little we realize the dignity of our pres- 
 ent existence ! " Hath everlasting life " saith our Lord. Even 
 now by the new birth we have begun the heavenly life; and 
 physical death is but the dropping of the leaf, in order to the 
 entrance upon an everlasting spring-time. Christ establishes 
 the unity and continuity of life unfolding from the germ of 
 the present into the glorious fulness of eternity. — the Chris- 
 tian now endowed with all the infinite possibilities of the 
 future only awaiting the development. 
 
 ^^^.^-^^-l-^lv. 
 
 Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings, 
 
 Thy better portion trace ; 
 Rise from transitory things 
 
 Toward heaven, thy native place. 
 
 ROBERT SEAGRAVE. 
 
April 21. 
 
 Pattaiters of f)i0 promise in Cfjrist. — Eph. iii. 6. 
 
 And I say unto you, That maiiy shall come from the east and zuest, 
 and shall sit doT.un with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the king- 
 dom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out 
 iftto outer darkness : there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. — 
 Matt. viii. ii, 12. 
 
 THIS is a very important and most precious passage of 
 the divine Word. It is a positive declaration by our 
 Lord himself that there shall many come from all lands into 
 the true Church of God, which was first estabhshed in the 
 covenant with Abraham. In Luke xiii. 29, the words, " from 
 the north and the south," make the expression more compre- 
 hensive of all the world. Jesus came to be the Saviour, not 
 of the Jews only, but of all who will call upon him, of all 
 nations and of all people. When he was on earth, the dis- 
 pensation of the Gentiles had not come ; yet he gave a gra- 
 cious answer to the few Gentiles who approached him, as he 
 did to this centurion, the woman of Canaan (Matt. xv. 22), 
 the nobleman (John iv. 46), and the Samaritans (John iv. 40). 
 He specially commended the faith of the centurion and the 
 woman of Canaan. It is often seen now that heathen con- 
 verts manifest strong faith which enables them to endure 
 persecution and death for the name of Jesus. Church of 
 Christ, to whom the blessed commission is given, " Go ye 
 into all the world ! " labor on, pray on, increase the agencies 
 that this " multitude which no man can number " may be 
 gathered in ! 
 
 While the promise is thus full and precious to those that 
 believe, the other alternative remains true : even " the chil- 
 dren of the kingdom," if they believe not, " shall be cast out 
 into outer darkness." 
 
 Salvation, oh, salvation, 
 
 The joyful sound proclaim, 
 Till earth's remotest nation 
 
 Has learned Messiah's name. iihber. 
 
April 22, 
 
 512Eas{) m£ tf)rougi)l2 from mint iniquitg. — psalm li. 2. 
 
 //' I wash thee not, thou hast no part %vith me. — John xiii. 8. 
 
 EVERY act and every word of the Lord Jesus was an out- 
 ward expression of his spiritual life, — a real, however 
 minute part, of his sublime mission. In washing his dis- 
 ciples' feet, he at once revealed himself, and disclosed the 
 social principle which lay at the foundation of his spiritual 
 kingdom. 
 
 Long before this incident, Peter had openly accepted Christ 
 as his Saviour, had confessed faith in him as his Messiah 
 and Lord. It was therefore his duty cheerfully and unhesi- 
 tatingly to submit to any and every expression of his Master's 
 will. How could he have part in Jesus unless he practically 
 recognized his authority? But in our Lord's words there 
 was much more than this. His act was in itself the symbol 
 of a higher truth. His word shed divine light on the symbol. 
 That we may have a part in Jesus, we must not only embrace 
 his atoning righteousness, we must be the willing subjects of 
 his purifying grace. The feet, soiled by daily travel, must 
 be washed, — washed, not by human hands, nor by our own, 
 but by Christ's. The blood " in which we have redemption " 
 is the blood by which we must be " cleansed from all sin." 
 
 I look to my incarnate God 
 
 Till he his work begin, 
 And wait till his redeeming blood 
 
 Shall cleanse me from all sin. 
 
 Topi.Anv. 
 
April 23. 
 
 ^zi u& inatcj) antJ be sahtt. — i thess. v. 6. 
 
 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis lurite ; These things 
 saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars ; I 
 know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 
 — Rev. iii. i. 
 
 HOW close and minute is the espionage of God! He 
 knows our works, our words, our thoughts, the intents 
 of the heart. He is quick to detect evil, and just as quick to 
 discern good. He knew the heartlessness and formality of 
 Sardis, and also the charity, the service, the faith, the patience, 
 and the works of Thyatira. God is not a policeman, but an 
 husbandman. He is more pleased to see a grain of corn 
 sprout in the ground than to detect a worm gnawing at the 
 root. He warns, he exhorts, he encourages, before he visits 
 with scourge and ruin. 
 
 Sardis, opulent city of Lesser Asia, capital of ancient Lydia, 
 mad with pleasures and with wealth, we do not wonder, know- 
 ing human nature, that the Church of God within thy walls 
 and under thy influence became spiritually dead. And yet 
 we may wonder, for he who founded thee could give the 
 fulness of the Spirit, and also faithful pastors in the place of 
 those who, dead themselves, were leading their people in the 
 dance of death. There is no excuse for deadness when life 
 can be had for the asking. 
 
 Even in Sardis there were those who had not defiled their 
 garments. This is proof that spiritual life can be given and 
 sustained in most trying conditions. This is proof that a 
 man can be a Christian anywhere. 
 
 Come, let us to the Lord our God 
 
 With contrite hearts return ; 
 Our God is gracious, nor will leave 
 
 The desolate to mourn. john Morrison. 
 
April 24. 
 
 Born again, not nf corniptiljle Qszti, — i peter i. 23. 
 
 Marvel not that I said nnto thee, Ye must be born again. — John 
 iii. 7. 
 
 AND yet men do marvel, as though it were a thing un- 
 reasonable that to live a new life we must be new-born. 
 We may not understand how it is, but so it is. Christ has 
 said it, and who shall gainsay his words .^ 
 
 The sinfulness of the carnal mind makes it needful. " Do 
 men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Man's 
 spiritual deadness makes it imperative. There must be new 
 forces of spiritual life within. The Spirit of God, freely 
 given, is " a well of water springing up into everlasting life." 
 The nature of God and of his kingdom necessitates it, for 
 without holiness "no man shall see the Lord." What fitness 
 can there be for God's service and his kingdom in the natural 
 man, which " receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God " 1 
 But, thank God ! what must be ?Hay be. The new birth is 
 from above, and of the Spirit, likened to water for its cleans- 
 ing and to wind for its subtle, penetrating power ; and God 
 will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him. Write this 
 down, then, as an eternal law of the kingdom of grace, " Ye 
 must be born again." 
 
 ,/f/^tO^ 
 
 How helpless Nature lies, 
 Unconscious of her load ! 
 
 The heart unchanged can never rise 
 To happiness and God. 
 
 Anne Steele. 
 
April 25. 
 
 31 inill not fail t!)ee, — joshua l 5. 
 
 / will not leave you comfortless : I will come to you. — John 
 xiv. 18. 
 
 OUR blessed Lord will have his people to be a joyful 
 people. He would not have them of sad countenances 
 and heavy hearts, but wishes them to rejoice in him always, 
 for the joy of the Lord is their strength. He was going away 
 to prepare a place for them ; he was coming to receive them 
 to himself into those heavenly mansions in his Father's house 
 especially fitted for their occupancy, and in the mean time he 
 would not leave them without " another Comforter," even the 
 Spirit of truth, who should not only bring to remembrance all 
 that he had spoken to them, but mediate his perpetual pres- 
 ence and guide them into truth not yet revealed because they 
 were not now able to bear it. Thus associated with and 
 dwelling in them they would not be comfortless (Gr. orphans), 
 but children of God, joint-heirs with Christ, and members of 
 the blessed family of which Christ is the head. 
 
 All these precious assurances of Christ to be with his own 
 are made to his people to-day. We need not wait for his 
 coming for us, or rather our going to him, at death, or for his 
 visible and personal appearance at the last day for the fulfil- 
 ment of his promise, " I will come to you." We are sure he 
 comes to all who will receive him here and now. He comes 
 through the office and influence of the Comforter, the Spirit 
 of truth, who takes the things of Christ and shows them unto 
 us. May we open our hearts to receive him, and become fit 
 temples for his holy indweUing ! 
 
 Always with us, always with us, 
 
 Words of cheer and words of love ; 
 Thus the risen Saviour whispers, 
 
 From his dwelling-place above. f.dwin h. nkvin. 
 
April 26. 
 
 Cast t}j2 hnxtim upon tjje ILorti. — psalm iv. 22. 
 
 7/ God then so clothe the grass, which is to-day in the field, and 
 to-morrow is cast into the oz'en ; how much more will he clothe you, 
 O ye of little faith .?— LUKE xii, 28. 
 
 THIS is the Master's comforting conclusion from look- 
 ing at a lily. Visible nature without, he teaches, is to 
 illustrate the invisible nature within. Sight is to confirm 
 faith, not to displace it. His doctrine is the direct opposite 
 of that of some to-day who have been learning of the beauty 
 and wonder of the natural world. These, seeing how much 
 that is exquisite in structure perishes, reverse our Lord's say- 
 ing, and would make it read, "If God so clothe the grass, 
 which to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not also cast 
 you into the oven, O ye of too presumptuous faith ? " The 
 Son, who knew the Father's heart, says, Nay. The lesson he 
 reads us from the illuminated manuscript of the fields is in 
 effect this : He who bestows his love on the least, shall he not 
 lavish it upon the greatest.'* If he does so much to dehght 
 the eye, shall he not do more to comfort the soul "i Consider 
 that the lily, in all its beauty of color and perfection of form 
 and delight of perfume, is simply to give you joy. The 
 flower is neither useful for medicine nor good for food. It 
 rises radiant at the Father's touch purely for your gratifica- 
 tion. If your Father, then, so loves to make you happy, how 
 truly must he love to make you good ! His care for your en- 
 joyment proves his tireless endeavor to transform you into his 
 image. 
 
 If our love were but more simple 
 
 We should take him at his word ; 
 And our lives would be all sunshine 
 
 In the gladness of the Lord. 
 
 FABER. 
 
April 27. 
 
 OTfja gaije j^imself for us. — titus ii. 14. 
 
 I am the good shephe^'d : the good shepherd giveth his life for the 
 sheep. — ]oH:i x. ii. ■ 
 
 WHAT a precious truth is here presented ! Like a sheep 
 I am exposed to dangers ; wandering about, I am sure 
 to meet the roaring lion and be devoured by him. Jesus 
 knew the danger I was in, and was so anxious about me 
 that he would not send another, but came himself and brought 
 me to his fold. Here I find him the best of shepherds, lead- 
 ing his flock to the green pastures of his love, and beside 
 the still waters of comfort. While I follow him I know I am 
 safe, whatever difficulties, trials, perplexities, or persecutions, 
 I may meet, — for he hath said, " I will never leave thee, nor 
 forsake thee ; " yea, he giveth his life for his sheep. He 
 loves me more than his own life, and has really died that I 
 might live. There is therefore no good thing that he will 
 withhold from me. There are, indeed, some things that I 
 fancy are necessary and would like to have ; but he knows 
 best, and I am willing to trust in him, and say, Not my will, 
 but thine be done. " The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not 
 want." 
 
 Oh, for this love let rocks and hills 
 Their lasting silence break, 
 
 And all harmonious human tongues 
 The Saviour's praises speak ! 
 
April 28. 
 
 Woe unto tjjem tfjat are Inise m tjeir oton egeg* 
 Isaiah v. 21. 
 
 T/ie light of the body is the eye : therefore when thine eye is single, 
 thy zohole body also is full of light ; but when thine eye is roil, thy 
 body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light 
 which is in thee be not darkness. — LUKE xi. 34, 35. 
 
 JUST as the kingdom of nature bears the burden of the 
 kingdom of grace, so the outer man bears the burden 
 ot the inner man. The freshness of the Saviour's teachings 
 largely consists in his unfolding of these correspondences 
 between the seen and the unseen. All the light which comes 
 to the body and to every member of it comes through the 
 eye. The eye is made for seeing. To be sure, when there 
 is no sight through the eye, even the ears may become eyes, 
 even the fingers. A blind man walks, guided by the echoes 
 of his own footfalls, guided by the touch of material objects, 
 reads the printed page with his own fingers. But it is never- 
 theless true that the light-organ of the body is the eye. So 
 light comes to the inner man through the conscience. This 
 is the light that is in us which is so often darkness ; that is, 
 holds darkness. 
 
 The eye is evil, or untrustworthy, when the light from 
 objects seen comes at different angles. A man with spec- 
 tacles who looks over them is uncertain in his descent of 
 the stairs. He has a double vision of distances, and is likely 
 to trip and fall. It is so with a man who tries to walk in 
 part by the light he gets from earth, and in part by the light 
 he gets from heaven. 
 
 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, 
 Pilgrim through this barren land. 
 
 I am weak, but thou art mighty ; 
 Hold me with thy powerful hand. 
 
 WILLIAM Williams. 
 
April 29. 
 
 It shall not return unto nte ijoiti. — isaiah iv. n. 
 
 Let both grow together until the harvest : and in the time of harvest 
 I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind 
 them in bujidles to burn them : but gather the wheat into my barn. 
 — Matt. xiii. 30. 
 
 IT is God's way to let " both grow together." Here are 
 lessons of patience and of charity. If God can wait, 
 his servants can. If the Master of the harvest can bear 
 with the tares, the children need not be anxious about them. 
 The wheat and the tares in their early growth are alike ; 
 the best farmer cannot distinguish them. God sees the dif- 
 ference ; man cannot, but the " day will declare it." There 
 is no tareless wheat-field, there is no pure Church on earth. 
 The tares will not always be hidden, but when God's sickle 
 is thrust in, they will be given to the fire. The wheat will 
 all be gathered in due time, — not one of God's children will 
 be lost. When we see the tares, let us be patient ; we would 
 have cast Judas out long before Jesus did. He may try the 
 faith, the charity, and the patience of his people now, by 
 leaving Judas in the Church as he did then. 
 
 Be charitable. What you think to be tares may be God's 
 wheat. What if they walk not with us ? they may be for us. 
 Bear with human frailty and sin ; you also are frail and 
 sinful. It is safe to leave the results with God. 
 
 Thou canst not toil in vain ; 
 
 Cold, heat, and moist and dry 
 Shall foster and mature the grain 
 For garners in the sky. 
 
 J. MONTGOMERY; 
 
April ^o. 
 
 STjjis Jouse ta\)ic}) is calleti bg mg name. — Jer. vii. n. 
 
 Ta/;e these things hence ; tnake not 7ny Father^ s house an house 
 of merchandise. — JoHN ii. 1 6. 
 
 // is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer ; but ye 
 have made it a deit of thieves. — Matt. xxi. 13. 
 
 OUR Lord was in his holy temple. From the context 
 we learn that he was there for a threefold purpose, — 
 to receive worship (Matt. xxi. 15); to promote righteousness 
 (John ii. 14, 15); and to do mercy (Matt. xxi. 14). These 
 are the only legitimate objects for which churches can be 
 used, — as houses of prayer and praise ; as schools for teach- 
 ing and applying the Word, which is able alike to save the 
 soul and sanctify the life (James i. 21 ; Acts xx. 32); and as 
 centres of evangelizing and charitable work. 
 
 We learn equally what uses of a church are not legitimate, 
 and which yet are in danger of insinuating and establishing 
 themselves within its sacred courts. We are not likely to 
 make it " a den of thieves," as those Jewish sharpers did, 
 but we may degrade it into a " house of merchandise " by 
 conducting it too much in the commercial spirit and method; 
 and it is a serious question whether many a church is not 
 desecrated by the side uses to which it is put for the purpose 
 of raising money. Let us learn to look upon a church with 
 the eyes of Jesus, as our " Father's house," and to love and 
 reverence it for his sake. 
 
 (^ 
 
 How lovely are thy dwellings fair, 
 
 O Lord of hosts ! how dear 
 The pleasant tabernacles are, 
 
 Where thou dost dwell so near ! 
 
 JOHN Milton. 
 
May I. 
 
 WinU fji'm s!)all tjje satljermg of t^e people be. 
 
 Gen. xlix. lo. 
 
 And I, if I be lifted tip from the earth, will draxv all men unto 
 7?ie. — John xii. 32. 
 
 THROUGH his crucifixion the Saviour saw his triumph. 
 " For the joy that was set before him," he would en- 
 dure the cross, "despising the shame," that so he might "sit 
 down at the right hand of the throne of God," and there 
 draw all men unto him. His crucifixion conditioned the 
 reach and power of his attraction as the Redeemer of men. 
 He must suffer if he would save. His lifting up was the 
 beginning of his eternal exaltation. From that exaltation his 
 influence reaches the lowest depths of human degradation. 
 It is a mighty, a universal gravitation, of which multitudes 
 are indeed quite unconscious, and which other multitudes 
 are resisting. Christ does not drive any, but he does draw 
 all, as the sun draws all. The redeeming power is personal 
 influence; it is moral and spiritual attraction. It centres in 
 the uplifted Christ; but each believer may, and therefore 
 must help draw men to Christ. Slowly but surely this great 
 prophecy is securing realization. " He shall see of the trav- 
 ail of his soul, and be satisfied." Satan shall not have 
 the real harvest of the world. That belongs to the uplifted 
 Christ. 
 
 is^i^;^. 
 
 Christ for the world, we sing ; 
 The world to Christ we bring 
 
 With one accord ; 
 "With us the work to share, 
 "With us reproach to dare, 
 "With us the cross to bear, 
 
 For Christ our God. 
 
 SAMUEL WOLCOTT. 
 
May 2. 
 
 Ei)on rulest tf)e raging of t\)z sea. — Psalm ixxxix. 9. 
 
 Peace, be still. — Mark iv. 39. 
 
 IT was eventide. The setting sun perchance smiled a fare- 
 well, flooding the waters with golden light. The sky 
 was cloudless. Gennesareth reposed in quiet loveliness, like 
 Lucerne in Switzerland or beautiful Loch Lomond among 
 the Scottish hills. The disciples were not afraid as they 
 embarked. Suddenly the storm swept down upon them. 
 The angry waves smote the little ship. Skilful hands plied 
 the oars in vain. They were in jeopardy. Then, in answer 
 to their cry, the Christ arose. It needed but a word : " Peace, 
 be still." " There was a great calm." 
 
 And this is life. One hour all is bright and peaceful ; the 
 next the billows break over us, the desire of our hearts dies, 
 human help avails nought. Within the soul itself are all the 
 elements of unrest. When conscience convinces of sin, and 
 memory recalls our selfishness and ingratitude, our own 
 unworthiness is revealed. We are in despair. 
 
 Blessed be God, we have a sure refuge ! He who calmed 
 the troubled waters speaks peace to human hearts. His 
 blood atones for every sin: his grace supplies every need. 
 Begin, my soul, this day with a penitent, trustful prayer to 
 him, and through its toilsome or suffering hours shall come 
 the cheering refrain, " Peace, be still." 
 
 ^^^-cnjat-^-tf 
 
 The wild winds hushed ; the angry deep 
 Sank, like a little child, to sleep ; 
 The sullen billows ceased to leap, 
 At thy will. 
 
 So, when our life is clouded o'er, 
 And storm-winds drift us from the shore, 
 Say, lest we sink to rise no more, 
 " Peace, be still." 
 
 Godfrey thring. 
 
May 3. 
 
 STfjeg tjjat inill hz rtc!) fall into temptation. — i tim. vi. 9. 
 
 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the 
 eye of a fteedle, than for a rich man to e?iter into the kingdom of God. 
 — Matt. xix. 24. 
 
 THESE words condemn, not wealth, but the love of it. 
 They put not a premium on worldly poverty, but on 
 poverty of spirit. They warn against the possible influence 
 of riches. Human nature seeks ease and honor, and mostly 
 through earthly possessions; the subtle tendencv of such 
 possession, or the desire of it, is to wean the soul from the 
 contemplation of the eternal Creator to the worship of the 
 perishing creature. Giving way to this tendency makes 
 these words terribly significant. The young ruler's inordi- 
 nate love of wealth suggested them, yet Christ's thought 
 comprises not merely those who have " great possessions," 
 but those, be they never so poor, whose hearts are engrossed 
 in that desire. God enriched the earth for man's good; the 
 possession and enjoyment of its bounties may very legiti- 
 mately subserve man's chief end. But forget not that the 
 grand, noble, and sublime aim of life is the possession and 
 enjoyment of the riches of the grace of God our Saviour. 
 He looks on the heart, and demands from all followers true 
 consecration of heart and possession. Be your worldly state 
 in poverty or riches, remember this eternal truth, " Blessed 
 are the poor in spirit : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." 
 
 The dearest idol I have known, 
 Whate'er that idol be, 
 
 Help me to tear it from thy throne. 
 And worship only thee. 
 
May 4. 
 
 jFrom mt is tfig fruit founli. — Hosea xiv. 8. 
 
 / am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. — John 
 
 XV. I. 
 
 THE union between Christ and his Church is the closest 
 and tenderest in the universe of God, except the union 
 between the three persons of the Godhead. The world of 
 nature and the most endearing relations of human life are laid 
 under contribution in the Scriptures, and are combined, and 
 thus combined are inadequate to express the intimacy of 
 this union and the deep unutterable love of Christ for his 
 Church. The fundamental idea suggested by the emblem 
 of the vine and its branches is the vital union between 
 Christ the true vine and the members of his mystical body. 
 Without this union there can be no spiritual life and no good 
 fruit. The decisive test of this union is to be Christ-like. 
 Our spiritual growth is organic, like the vine, and not mechan- 
 ical, like the building of a wall. It is an organic development 
 by the mighty power of faith, which works from within out- 
 ward, and brings the soul under the operation of the great 
 doctrines of grace, and into the closest sympathy with Christ 
 and his cause. The creator of this union is the Father. He 
 engrafts the branches into the true Vine. As the vine-dresser 
 uses the pruning-knife to increase the fruitfulness of the vine, 
 so our heavenly Father corrects his children, and often 
 makes their hearts bleed to increase their Christian graces. 
 
 Lord Christ, we humbly ask 
 
 Of thee, the power and will, 
 
 With fear and meekness, every task 
 
 Of duty to fulfil. 
 
 J. Montgomery. 
 
May 5. 
 
 I tiie tiailg. — I Cor. xv. 31. 
 
 If ajiy man will come after me, let hiin deny himself, and take up 
 his cross daily, and follow me. — Luke ix. 23. 
 
 WE are wont to say that Christ died that we might not die. 
 We should speak more truly if we affirmed that he 
 died that we might die. He diedy^r sin that we might die to 
 sin ; he bore our guilt in his own body, that we might bear 
 about his dying in our bodies. Hence it is written in the Scrip- 
 ture : " Forasmuch, then, as Christ hath suffered for us in the 
 flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind." " With 
 the same mind," not with the same instrument ! The jewelled 
 cross or the marble crucifix can do nothing to enable us '* fill 
 up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ." Not the 
 image of his crucifixion laid upon us, but the fellowship of 
 his crucifixion wrought within us, is what he requires. " Let 
 this 7mndhQ.\nyo\i which was also in Christ Jesus." Our 
 wills surrendered to Christ's even as his will was surrendered 
 to the Father's ; our self-pleasing daily foregone for his sake 
 who " pleased not himself ; " our ease surrendered day by 
 day in order that we may endure hardness as good soldiers 
 of Jesus Christ, — these are the crucial tests of discipleship. 
 Our souls are saved only by Christ's outward cross of atone- 
 ment; they are sanctified by his inward cross of self- 
 abnesfation. 
 
 ^* jT'"pS>-hn^ 
 
 Take up thy cross, and follow Christ, 
 Nor think till death to lay it down, — 
 
 For only he who bears the cross 
 May hope to wear the glorious crown. 
 
 C. w, Everest. 
 
May 6. 
 
 raitf) surf) sacrifices (3oti is feocll picasctj. _ heb. xiii. i6. 
 
 i?/// 7£///^;^ //^<7/^ inakest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the 
 lame, the blind; and thoic shall be blessed ; for they cannot recom- 
 pense thee : for thou shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the 
 Just. — Luke xiv. 13, 14. 
 
 WHAT the poor and the afflicted cannot do, he who has 
 made such sufferers his representatives will not fail 
 to do. Jesus links the day of final judgment and award with 
 service given on earth to earth's neediest children. We may 
 not always with wisdom copy to-day the Oriental habit of 
 feast-giving to miscellaneous companies of the blind, maimed, 
 and poor. But the celestial spirit of helpfulness and loving 
 hospitality to all who are in physical or spiritual need is the 
 one immortal duty and glory of Christly hearts. Charity to- 
 day should mean not only alms, but Christian friendship. 
 Putting aside social schemes that would turn the masses of 
 men into shiftless and brutalized parasites of the State, there 
 is demanded the bringing to bear on men's lives of all reme- 
 dial, educating, preventive, and regenerating influences in the 
 spirit of the Golden Rule. When Lowell's Sir Launfal 
 shared with the beggar his crust of bread and gave him to 
 drink from the icy stream, a heavenly light suffused that 
 feast of the Holy Grail, till suddenly the leper rose up be- 
 fore him, "shining and tall," in the awful splendor of the 
 Crucified and the Crowned. He who with a brother's heart 
 shares with the needy brother the bread and water of eternal 
 life, sits down to a holy banquet with his Lord and shall be 
 welcomed to the marriage supper of the Lamb. 
 
 ^a 
 
 OMji^t/^ 
 
 I behold in thee 
 An image of him who died on the tree. 
 Thou also hast had thy crown of thorns ; 
 Thou also hast had the world's buffets and scorns 
 And to thy life were not denied 
 The wounds in t'ue hands and feet and side. 
 
May 7. 
 23e ge tors of tje inorti.— James i. 22. 
 
 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth 
 the word of the kingdo7n, and zmderstandeth it not, then cometh the 
 wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. 
 This is he which received seed by the wayside. — Matt. xiii. i8, 19. 
 
 IN the parable of the sower, our Lord strikingly presents 
 the method and results of the ministry of truth in his 
 divine kingdom. The seed is sown broadcast. The field, 
 with its diversified conditions of soil, represents human hearts. 
 Some hearts are hard, like the beaten track which can yield 
 no fruit. They are not receptive of the truth. In their case, 
 the seed simply lies on the surface. Dew, rain, and sun are 
 of no use to it. Moreover, it is not allowed to remain. " The 
 birds came and devoured it." In other words, " Satan com- 
 eth and snatcheth away that which has been sown in the 
 heart." Want of interest, inattention, and speedy forgetful- 
 ness characterize a large mass of the hearers of the gospel, 
 hence the disastrous failure which is here depicted. 
 
 But even the hardened wayside was once soft loam. Hearts 
 that were once tender and susceptible of good impressions 
 become gradually hardened. Wasted opportunities, the riot- 
 ous revel of sins, the action of worldly pleasures, the tramp 
 of business, all or any of these may render the heart imper- 
 vious to the truth, and consequently unfruitful. 
 
 Souls, however, are not helpless and irresponsible. The 
 wayside may be converted into fertile soil. God can change 
 the hardened heart into "an honest and good heart," which 
 shall yield precious and abundant fruit. 
 
 Happy they who seek and obtain this grace that " they 
 may believe and be saved." 
 
 Oy^^J^^^ 
 
 Lord, by thy grace, to me impart 
 An honest, understanding heart, 
 For gracious seed a fitting soil ; 
 Nor let the foe of truth despoil. 
 
 K. M, OFF(^Rn. 
 
May 8. 
 
 i^oin are toe tf)e sons of (J^oti» — i John iii. 2. 
 
 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them ; thai they 
 may be one, even as we are one : I in them, and thou in vie, that they 
 may be made perfect in one ; and that the taorld may know that thou 
 hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. — JoHN 
 xvii. 22, 23. 
 
 WONDERFUL is the relationship which Christ Jesus 
 has estabhshed by his obedience unto death between 
 God and his disciples. " The Spirit itself beareth witness 
 with our spirit, that we are the children of God ; and if chil- 
 dren, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ " 
 (Romans viii. i6, 17), writes Paul. " Ye are a chosen genera- 
 tion, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people " 
 (i Peter ii. 9), writes Peter. " Beloved, now are we the 
 sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be : 
 but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him ; 
 for we shall see him as he is" (i John iii. 2), writes John. 
 But more wonderful than the words of Paul or Peter or John 
 are the words of our Lord himself, quoted above. In heaven 
 alone can we hope fully to understand their meaning. 
 
 " T/ie glory which thou gavest ine " — not the glory which 
 belonged to me as the eternal Son, but the glory which thou 
 gavest me as " the Word made flesh ; " the glory of a spotless 
 righteousness which as " the Son of man " I have wrought 
 out for my people ; the glory of free access to God, and com- 
 munion with him; the glory arising from the indwelling of 
 the Spirit, through which sinful man becomes "a temple of 
 the Holy Ghost; " the glory of being " workers together with 
 me " in the salvation of a lost world. For all this there can 
 be but one reason given : " God has loved us, even as he 
 loved Christ." 
 
 Lord Jesus, are we one with thee "i 
 
 O height, O depth of love ! 
 Thou one with us upon the tree, 
 
 We one with thee above. 
 
 J. G. Deck. 
 
May 9. 
 ge tJ0 sjjeiB i\)t 3Lorti'0 tjcatij. — i cor. xi. 26. 
 
 77/^ </t? in renienibratice of me. — LuKE xxii. 19. 
 
 WHO is there of all the dwellers on earth that has not 
 felt a desire to be remembered ? To fulfil this wish 
 monuments have been raised and colleges founded and hos- 
 pitals endowed and brave exploits performed. To this object 
 the miser has devoted his savings, the student his stores of 
 learning, the painter his skill. Eulogiums have been pro- 
 nounced by living orators, and inscriptions engraved upon 
 lasting brass and marble. Poems have been written, statues 
 sculptured, and bodies embalmed, that the names of men 
 and some record of their lives might be perpetuated. Men 
 have left legacies to be expended in celebrating with mourn- 
 ful obsequies the anniversary of their death, and annual feasts 
 have been established for the purpose of remembering the 
 departed. 
 
 So Jesus Christ, in instituting the Holy Supper, expresses a 
 wish to which every human heart responds. By this ordi- 
 nance shall his death, so ignominious in its circumstances, 
 but so glorious in its results, be remembered in the repeated 
 celebration of this prelude to the scene on Calvary, by the 
 whole world of believers whom the power of his love and the 
 preaching of his cross is to subdue to his beneficent control 
 and make sweetly obedient to his blessed commands. Thus 
 shall he be loved and trusted, and his memory be honored 
 by sinners saved and sanctified to the end of time. 
 
 According to thy gracious word, 
 
 In meek humility, 
 This will I do, my dying Lord, 
 
 I will remember thee. 
 
 And when these failing lips grow dumb, 
 
 And mind and memory flee. 
 When thou shalt in thy kingdom come, 
 
 Jesus, remember me. j. Montgomery. 
 
May 10. 
 
 J^e fjat]^ malic \}m to h sin for xis. — 2 Cor. v. 21. 
 
 As Moses lifted tip the serpent in the 7uildeniess, even so mnst 
 the Son of viaji be lifted up : that iohosoe7.'er believeth in him, should 
 not perish, but have eternal life. — John iii. 14, 15. 
 
 MEN are bitten by fiery serpents, and they die because 
 human skill can furnish no antidote. By divine com- 
 mand a brazen image of the fiery serpent is ''lifted up" 
 among them, and every bitten one who looks up to that 
 serpent-likeness finds the death-current checked and life 
 again coursing through his veins (Numbers xxi. 6-9). 
 Thus sin is a virulent poison, caused by the bite of that 
 " old serpent . . . the devil." Physicians have ever been 
 studying the case and prescribing remedies. But nature 
 furnishes no antidote; therefore all their panaceas fail, and 
 the poison spreads, working death, physical, spiritual, eternal. 
 Is there then no hope ? Plainly there can be none except it 
 come from God himself. Such is the suggestion of that 
 strange transaction " in the wilderness," and the direct teach- 
 ing of these words of our Lord. God himself has under- 
 taken the case. " His own Son," having been made " in the 
 likeness of sinful flesh," has been "lifted up," first on the 
 cross, that he might make expiation, "bearing our sins" — 
 as it were, receiving the poison for us — " in his own body ; " 
 then to " the right hand of power," that he might send " the 
 Spirit of grace " and thus make " the preaching of the cross " 
 effectual in inducing the perishing to look unto him and 
 live. 
 
 He left his starry crown, 
 
 And laid his robes aside, 
 On wings of love came down, 
 
 And wept and bled and died ; 
 What he endured, oh, who can tell, 
 To save our souls from death and hell I s. stennett 
 
May II. 
 
 i 
 
 I toill p0tir ntg spirit upon tjjg seeti, — isaiah xHv. 3. 
 
 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon yon : but 
 tarry ye in the city of lerusalem, until ye be endued ivith power from 
 on high. — Luke xxiv. 49. 
 
 AFTER Christ had risen from the dead for our justifica- 
 tion, and was ready for ascension and for coronation 
 on his mediatorial throne, he appears to the apostles as- 
 sembled in Jerusalem, gives them a charge and the promise 
 of the Holy Ghost — "the promise of my Father," "power 
 from on high" — to come upon them while they tarry in the 
 city. In obedience to this promise, early on the second 
 Lord's day after the ascension, "they were all filled with 
 the Holy Ghost." Here began the new dispensation of the 
 Holy Ghost, and here the Church starts off with one hundred 
 and twenty spiritually baptized souls. Since Pentecost, his 
 personal presence is the agent by whom all gracious and 
 divine influences are communicated to man. He is omni- 
 present, and we cannot withdraw from his influence. He 
 produces all internal religious experience, enlightens the 
 understanding, purifies the purpose, influences the will, ex- 
 alts the affections. All right feeling in the human heart is 
 traceable directly or indirectly to the Holy Spirit. Our 
 personal salvation and our personal usefulness depend upon 
 heeding the Saviour's injunction to tarry in the place of 
 his appointment until we be " endued with power from on 
 high." 
 
 OUuU 
 
 J^.'^l^v 
 
 1- 
 
 Grant this, O holy God and true, 
 The ancient seers thou didst inspire, 
 
 To us perform the promise due, 
 
 Descend, and crown us now with fire. 
 
 Henry More {altered). 
 
May 12. 
 
 ^aHjiuQ xtczihzti cf tj^e Jatfjer tje promige of tje J^olg 
 
 ({0|)0St. —Acts ii. 33. 
 
 Nevertheless I tell you the truth ; It is expedient for you that I go 
 muay : for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; 
 but if I depart, I will send him unto you. — JoHN xvi. 7. 
 
 SORROW filled the disciples' hearts as they heard their 
 Lord speak of his imminent departure. What will be- 
 come of his little flock, what of his work, scarcely begun, if 
 now the Head should depart from them, and on such a route, 
 through the shame of the cross ! But whether they grasp it 
 or not, nevertheless he tells them the truth. It is their salva- 
 tion that he goes away. " If I go not away, the Comforter " 
 — that is, the Paraclete, the Advocate — " will not come unto 
 you." What an awful thought! No Cojnfoj'ler / no testi- 
 mony of Christ; no reproving of the world; no guiding of 
 the disciples into all truth; no knowledge and confession of 
 Jesus the Lord ; no assurance to the heart of the believer 
 that he is the child of God ; no assistance and intercession 
 for the saints in their infirmities; no peace and joy in the 
 Holy Ghost ; no fruits of the Spirit, — in short, no Pentecost ! 
 But thanks be to God, Christ went away through the dark- 
 ness of Gethsemane and Calvary to the glory of Easter- 
 morning and Pentecost. Of a truth, it is expedient for us 
 that he went away. 
 
 <JiUftA //t^ 
 
 And his that gentle voice we hear 
 
 Soft as the breath of even, 
 That checks each fault, calms every fear, 
 
 And whispers us of heaven. 
 
 Harriet Auber. 
 
May 13. 
 
 OTe \}^iiz an atibocatc initfj tf)e iFatfjer. — i John ii. i, 
 
 I pray not that t/iou shouldest take thein out of the ivorld^ hit thai 
 thou shouldest keep them from the evil. — John xvii. 15. 
 
 THE Redeemer's intercession for liis people comprehends 
 all that is essential to their welfare and happiness. 
 They might be taken directly to heaven, but he does not 
 ask this, because it is better for them to reach the harbor of 
 rest after the storms of life are ended. The disciple is not 
 above his Master, who was " made perfect through suffer- 
 ings." He, who knew the power of temptation and the 
 blessedness of enduring it, prays that his followers may be 
 preserved from the corruption that is in the world, and from 
 the overcoming subtlety of the Evil One. It is an error to 
 suppose that there is safety in the seclusion of monastic 
 life. A Christian's place is in the world. We have no need 
 to go out of the world for work, for here it is ; or for comfort, 
 for God sends it to us here. Christian graces are polished 
 by daily use, and character is developed by friction with the 
 world. While we are working for the Master, he is pray- 
 ing for us. Where duty calls us to go we are safe. If 
 Vanity Fair lies in the way to the Celestial City, he will 
 guide us through without harm ; and then the Redeemer's 
 other prayer will be answered, " Father, I will that they also 
 whom thou hast given me be with me where I am." 
 
 Clothed with our nature, still he knows 
 
 The weakness of our frame, 
 And how to shield us from the foes 
 
 Which he himself o'ercame. 
 
 Alexander Pivie. 
 
May 14. 
 
 5 Iibe bu t!)c fait!) of tije Son of ©oti. — Gal. ii. 20. 
 
 /^j the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father : so he 
 that eateth tne, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which 
 came dmi>n from heaven : not as your fathers did eat manna, ajid 
 arc dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. — John 
 vi. 57, 58. 
 
 A WONDERFUL passage upon which the soul can feed 
 for hours. It teaches that God is a hving God mani- 
 festing himself in both the natural and spiritual world. It 
 teaches that as Christ lives in God and God in him, and as 
 he gains all his life and power from God, so the Christian 
 lives in Christ and Christ in him, and he gains all his spir- 
 itual life and power from Christ ; through Christ the disciple 
 is in union with God, and the divine life abides in his soul. 
 Notice the conditions. As our bodies through the natural 
 organs appropriate of nature's .strength to their own vitality, 
 so the soul by faith eats of Christ and appropriates of his 
 atoning death to its own spiritual life, receiving of his per- 
 sonal love, grace, and spirit, as its food, strength, and life; 
 and as long as we daily feed upon Christ's words, love, and 
 death, we have not only our own powers, but the power of 
 Christ in God to overcome, endure, be, and do all that is 
 required of us. This fact in the darkest hours makes us 
 brave, patient, and cheerful, for we know that as children 
 of the King we shall be more than conquerors through him 
 tliat loved us and gave himself for us. 
 
 feed by faith on Christ ; my bread, 
 His bodv l:)rokcn on the tree, 
 live in him, my living Head, 
 Who died, and rose again for me. 
 
 J. Montgomery. 
 
May 15. 
 
 TOJom ti)e ILortJ lobetj) fte cfjajstcnEtj}. — Heb. xii. 6. 
 
 /4s many as / love, I j'cbuke and chasten : be zealous therefore^ and 
 repent. — Rev. iii. 19. 
 
 LOVE and discipline, tenderness and fidelity, God our 
 Father and God our Teacher, these two are the su- 
 preme facts of religion. Our Lord here defines his own 
 action in his relation to the chosen. He is carrying forward 
 two processes in us, and the command which follows in the 
 same text has two parts, each of them in correspondence. 
 Chastisement should bring the soul to repentance, and love 
 ought to stimulate to a zeal in due proportion. The double 
 declaration is the basis on which the double precept rests. 
 
 The orbit of a planet is determined by the play of balanced 
 forces, centrifugal and centripetal, so the development of 
 spiritual life will be regulated by the two principles here 
 defined. By chastisement we are made to see the awful 
 depth of sin, and by love, the sublime height of the divine 
 holiness. In chastisement we come to know self, the crea- 
 ture, and in love we come to have some notion of him, the 
 Creator. The two aspects of redemption are not hostile, 
 but each is the complement of the other, — discipline and 
 privilege, two messengers of the same king, two pages of 
 the same lesson, two facts making up together the one su- 
 preme truth. He loves, and therefore he educates. Loving 
 us, he makes to us a wonderful offer ; he offers to give us 
 himself, and chastening us, he makes it possible that we 
 should accept such an offer. The affection is wonderful, 
 the discipline is severe, but the vital link, uniting the two, 
 is the Lord Jesus himself. 
 
 I thank thee for both smile and frown, 
 
 And for the gain and loss; 
 I praise thee for the future crown 
 
 And for the present cross. 
 
 Mrs. Jane Crewdson. 
 
May i6. 
 
 Upon i])z totcketi \)z sljall rain ... an fjorrible tempest. 
 Psalm xi. 6. 
 
 T/ie lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for 
 Jtiin, and in an hotir that he is not a7vare of and shall cut him asun- 
 der, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites : there shall be 
 weeping a7id gnashing of teeth. — Matt, xxiv, 50, 51. 
 
 THE faithless servant shall be stung with deepest remorse 
 when he shall see his Lord. In the face of the tri- 
 umphant Saviour he shall read the disappointment which his 
 indifference has wrought, and how great the loss has been to 
 him by neglecting those duties which would have brought in 
 their train eternal blessedness. He shall be surprised in his 
 indifference. His brightest hopes shall prove a cloud without 
 rain. Though planted by a heavenly husbandman in a garden 
 on a fruitful hillside, tended with all the love that can well up 
 from the heart of an infinite Saviour, and watered by the 
 dews of the Spirit, he shall be cut asunder. The vine laden 
 with sour grapes shall be torn from its trellis-work, and the 
 fruitless tree shall be rooted up. He shall find his portion, 
 but without, among the hypocrites. Instead of the wedding 
 march, heralding the approach of the bridegroom, his stupid 
 ear shall be shocked by the groans of those who obeyed not 
 the call. Instead of the flutter of angels' wings to bear him 
 up, he shall hear the gnashing of teeth. 6 Spirit of life, 
 whisper again thy loving coine., that we may not fall into this 
 death ! 
 
 Have I long in sin been sleeping, 
 
 Long been slighting, grieving thee? 
 Has the world my heart been keeping ? 
 
 Oh, forgive and rescue me, — even me. 
 
 Mrs. E. Codner. 
 
May 17. 
 
 31 press totoarti tf}e tuarit. — phil. iii. 14. 
 
 N'o man, having put Jiis hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit 
 for the kingdom of God. — LuKE ix. 62. 
 
 A SERVANT has undertaken to guide the plough. His 
 feet are in the furrow, his grasp is upon the handle ; 
 but his face is turned backward. He will make a bad job 
 of ploughing. The furrow will be spoiled. That servant is 
 not " well placed " with regard to the work before him. 
 
 Christians, above all other people in the world, ought to be 
 decided, whole-hearted, enthusiastic. There is no service on 
 earth where enthusiastic devotedness is so reasonable as in 
 the service of Christ. 
 
 Men are not usually indifferent where their affections are 
 enlisted, or where they believe that any great interest is at 
 stake. If I hear of one who loved me in my ruin, — so loved 
 me that he left his throne and came to my level, not only to 
 teach me but to die for me, — and still I feel no awakening of 
 affection for him, and am not aroused to any warmth or 
 earnestness in my service to him, it must be that I do not 
 believe the story that tells of his sacrifice of himself for me. 
 I do not give him my heart because I do not give him my 
 faith, and therefore / am not Jit for the kingdofii of God. 
 
 X>^. 
 
 Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
 That were a present far too small ; 
 
 Love so amazing, so divine, 
 Demands my soul, my life, my all. 
 
 Watts. 
 
May 1 8. 
 
 CJrist must n£ctJS f)a^e siiffcr^ti, anti risen again. 
 
 Acts xvii. 3. 
 
 Ought not Christ to have sttffered these things, and to enter into his 
 glory ? — Luke xxiv. 26. 
 
 HE certainly did, and therefore certainly he ought, for he 
 made no mistakes. Not that our Saviour deserved 
 any punishment, nor that he was under any obligation to 
 become our sacrifice and substitute. But when he took on 
 himself the office of our Redeemer it became necessary and 
 indispensable that he must suffer and bear the penalty of our 
 sins. The disciples were astounded at his arrest, condemna- 
 tion, and death, and all their hopes in him as the promised 
 Deliverer seemed taken away. But ought not these things to 
 have happened ? Should not these very sufferings have 
 strengthened their faith and convinced them he was the 
 Messiah ? Had he not repeatedly foretold these things, and 
 had not all their prophets testified beforehand of the sufferings 
 of Christ and the glory that should follow ? It is in this sense 
 he uses the word " ought." The very thing at which they 
 stumbled was the most convincing proof and demonstration 
 of what they hoped. 
 
 Yes ; he ought and he did. He drew not back, but paid 
 the dreadful penalty of our transgressions. What he under- 
 took he accomplished, and having borne the cross now wears 
 the crown. 
 
 
 There was no other good enough 
 
 To pay the price of sin ; 
 He only could unlock the gate 
 
 Of heaven, and let us in. 
 
 Mrs. C. F. ALEXANDER. 
 
May 19. 
 
 Ejeg sftall reign for ebcr anti thtx, — Rev. xxii. 5- 
 
 If any jnan serve vie, let him follow jne ; and where I am, there 
 shall also my servant be: if any 7nan serve me, him will my Father 
 honour. — John xii. 26. 
 
 IN following Christ we have the advantage of being in the 
 light (John viii. 12) and thus knowing where we are, and 
 rendering him a more intelligent service. No wonder he 
 links following and serving together. I suppose service 
 rendered to him is really fruitful only when he is followed 
 implicitly and trustingly, in the sense of taking him as infal- 
 lible teacher and absolute master. Efforts, and sincere ones 
 too, are often made to serve him when this condition is not 
 carried out. The world or self is too often master. 
 
 It were natural to be where the Master is if we follow 
 him; and yet sometimes we are surprised, and not quite 
 pleased, to find ourselves there. So far from honor being 
 our lot, we meet with shame. 
 
 There may not be this, there may be even no trial at all, 
 in confessing Christ. Thrown among Christians, we may 
 have a kindly welcome and sympathy. But does not the 
 absence of trial sometimes lead to a too easy-going and com- 
 placent sort of living, which ends in a forfeiture of the honor 
 ws had hoped for ? God grant, dear reader, that when those 
 \\\-\o follow him shall appear with Christ in glory we may be 
 
 /T^^ y,Jl^A,V<£/% 
 
 l4ju^ftir^. 
 
 Glories upon glories 
 
 Hath our God j^repared, 
 By the souls that love him 
 
 One day to be shared. 
 
 Dean Alford. 
 
May 20. 
 
 STJe fn'mtig^ip oi tfje inorlti is enmitg iuiti) (gotJ. 
 
 James iv. 4. 
 
 iVi? ?uan can serve two masfej-s : for either he will hate the one, 
 and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the 
 other. Ye cannot serve God and nuwimon. — Matt. vi. 24. 
 
 HERE are two masters, God and Mammon, or the things 
 of God and the things of tliis world. There are only 
 these two masters. The choice is made more easily when it 
 is seen to lie between two things or individuals only; and 
 the choice is not only of an individual, but for a service. 
 The person chooses to serve, and to serve in the service of 
 one of these two masters. Both of these masters cannot be 
 chosen; both of these services cannot be given. From its 
 nature and working, the one necessarily excludes the other. 
 
 In choosing God as master, we choose his service; we 
 choose to serve. "For me to live is Christ;" to live is 
 blessed. " For me to die is gain ; " to die is blessed. But 
 this service must be prompted by love, not performed as 
 duty. It must be a service given in a holding to and a lov- 
 ing of God. A person may do the godly and yet not be 
 godly; love determines the true service. Love must lead to 
 labor, and labor will increase love. 
 
 Jesus, Master, whose I am, 
 
 Purchased thine alone to be 
 By thy blood, O spotless Lamb, 
 
 Shed so willingly for me, 
 Let my heart be all thine own. 
 Let me live to thee alone. 
 
 F. R. HAVERGAL. 
 
May 21. 
 
 ©0 it in it!) t|)g ini'sJt. — eccl. ix. lo. 
 
 / must work the works of hhn that sent ??ie, while it is day : the 
 night Cometh, when no inati can work. — John ix. 4. 
 
 IN saying " I must," as he did more than once, our Lord 
 associated himself with those whom he came to teach 
 and save, as being, in common with them, under the law of 
 duty. In saying, '■ I must work," he showed that he was un- 
 der the law of labor. In saying, " I must work the works of 
 him that sent me," he implfed that for him duty was not the 
 mere satisfaction of his own moral sense, but subjection to 
 the will of one by whom his task was assigned and to whom 
 he owed obedience. In speaking of the approaching night, 
 he represented himself as under the law of death. 
 
 In each of these particulars he is an example for us. If 
 we are not free from the law of duty, neither was the Son of 
 God. If we are often obliged to say " I must," it is a com- 
 fort to remember that Jesus also said it. If he had a definite 
 work to do, so too have we. Duty, for us as for him, is obe- 
 dience to the will of God. As the Father sent him, so has 
 he sent us. To us also the night is drawing nigh. The 
 secret of his peace was his identification of his own will 
 with that of God. It is still the secret of peace. 
 
 O Master, let me walk with thee, 
 In lowly paths of service free. 
 Tell me thy secret ; help me bear 
 The strain of toil, the fret of care. 
 
 Washington gladden. 
 
May 22. 
 
 rafjoebft inill not jjcaritm, ... 31 inill require it of !jim. 
 
 Deut. xviii. 19. 
 
 He that rejedeth me, and receiveth not juy words, hath one that 
 judgeth him : the zvord that I have spoken, the same shall Judge him 
 itt the last day. — John xii. 48. 
 
 LET me confront my soul with this solemn truth. The 
 word of Jesus is to be my judge. In a court of jus- 
 tice the judge pronounces the sentence, but it is the law 
 that condemns the criminal. In the same way the Lord 
 Jesus, as the final judge, will pronounce my sentence ; but 
 it is the word which judges and condemns. 
 
 How solemn then is the relation in which we stand to the 
 words of Jesus ! We have been familiar with them from 
 childhood; they will remain in our memory and will rise up 
 to witness against us at the judgment. They would carry 
 their own condemnation with them even though the judge 
 were silent; but the words which Christ spoke were words 
 of mercy. Oh, how dreadful to be condemned by the very 
 words which Christ spoke in mercy and for our salvation ! 
 
 Think, O my soul, have I declined his words of warning, 
 have I rejected his words of promise, have I perverted his 
 words of mercy into words of judgment? 
 
 But the Christian who believes and obeys Christ's words 
 need have no apprehension. "There is no condemnation to 
 them that are in Christ Jesus." Christ himself will witness 
 for them, saying, " I gave them my words and they received 
 them, for they are thine, and all thine are mine, and I am 
 glorified in them." / 
 
 ^ Lord, in this thy mercy's day 
 
 Ere from us it pass away 
 On our knees we fall and pray. 
 
 Judge and Saviour of our race, 
 Grant us when we see thy face 
 With thy ransomed ones a place. Isaac Williams. 
 
May 23. 
 
 3En \)im berilg 10 tf)c lobe of (3oti perfccteti. — i John ii. 5. 
 
 J/e that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that 
 loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I 
 will love hij?i, and will manifest myself to him. — John xiv. 21. 
 
 WHO will fathom the depth of this wonderful saying of 
 Jesus ? It contains words of direction and words of 
 promise for all Christians. 
 
 Here we find the true test of spiritual life. We often tor- 
 ture ourselves with questions like these, " Am I indeed a 
 Christian ? Do I really love Jesus ? " We fear that our 
 feelings for him have not the warmth and rapture that should 
 be found in his followers. But Jesus tells us that obedience 
 — *' keeping his commandments" — is the only trustworthy 
 evidence of love. Let us not be disheartened because we 
 know little of the inward raptures which some other Chris- 
 tians enjoy. If we are striving for Christ's sake to do the 
 good and right unto all men, we really love him who " went 
 about doing good." If we are striving for Christ's sake to 
 forgive our persecutors and slanderers, we really love him 
 who prayed on the cross, " father, forgive them, they know 
 not what they do." An obedient life is the sure token of a 
 loving heart. 
 
 How precious and inspiring are the privileges here as- 
 sured to those whose obedience proves them to be "the lovers 
 of Jesus." They become in a special sense the beloved of 
 the Father. The Saviour feels that they are linked to him 
 by the tenderest ties. They enjoy continual and increasing 
 revelations of the glory and power and beauty of Christ. 
 
 Abide in me ! there have been moments blest 
 
 When I have heard thy voice and felt thy power ; 
 
 When evil lost its grasp ; and passion hushed, 
 Owned the divine enchantment of the hour. 
 
 Mrs. H. B. Stowe. 
 
May 24. 
 
 Mc lolic fji'm, because Ijc first lobrti us. — 1 John iv. 19. 
 
 Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much ; but 
 to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. — LuKE vii. 47. 
 
 PURITY and gentleness incarnate have crossed the path 
 of sin and shame. Had either been alone, the purity 
 had made her cower away blinded by excessive light, while 
 gentleness alone could convey no promise of help, but to- 
 gether they have inspired a faith which enables her to face 
 the Pharisee's proud scorn ; and lo ! she finds them linked 
 to a Power which can forgive sins also. Humbled and 
 melted she will unobtrusively pour out the wealth of her 
 heart upon the feet of that One wjio alone " hath power on 
 earth to forgive sins." Her love and gratitude are propor- 
 tioned to her sense of former guilt and ill-desert, while both 
 enhance the value of that grace " unmerited and free" which 
 has brought to her the consciousness of pardon. It was not 
 that in the eyes of the Master her guilt was intrinsically 
 greater than that of the cold, hard Pharisee, but that in her 
 consciousness of sin her perception of all the sins of others 
 lost itself. To affirm that she was forgiven because she 
 loved much would be to misrepresent the whole teaching of 
 the parable, for the love w^as not the spring but the evidence 
 of the forgiveness, — the strength of the one indicating the 
 extent of the other. 
 
 It is when we know how much we have owed and how 
 much we have been forgiven that the measure of love and 
 gratitude overflow. 
 
 Nought can T bring, dear Lord, for all I owe ; 
 
 Yet let my full heart what it can bestow. 
 
 Like Mary's gift, let my devotion prove, 
 
 Forgiven greatly, how I greatly love. s. j. stonf.. 
 
May 25. 
 
 ®oti . . . tjatb . . . spoken unto us bg bis Son. 
 
 Heb. i. I, 2. 
 
 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings : and the word that 
 ye hear is not mine, but the Father'' s which sent me. — John xiv. 24. 
 
 THE highest test of love to Christ is obedience at the 
 cost of any self-denial or sacrifice, and the most essen- 
 tial qualification for receiving the manifestations of his 
 love. When Jesus said, "It is my meat and drink to do 
 the will of him that sent me," he disclosed the secret of his 
 perfect union and communion with the Father ; and when 
 we can say from the heart that we delight to do the will of 
 Christ as revealed in the word of the Father, then do we 
 enter into fellowship with him, and he "manifests him- 
 self unto us as he does not unto the world." Disobedience 
 closes every avenue of the soul against the manifestations 
 of Christ's love, as shutting the blinds and drawing the 
 curtains excludes the warm light of the sun. Just to the 
 extent we feel that the commands of Christ are grievous 
 and irksome, imposing unreasonable self-denials, do we dis- 
 qualify ourselves for receiving and reciprocating the tokens 
 of his love. 
 
 Blessed is the disciple who can say, "Thy statutes are 
 the rejoicing of my heart ; more to be desired are they than 
 gold, yea, than much fine gold ; sweeter also than honey and 
 the honeycomb : thy precepts are my songs in the house of 
 my pilgrimage ; " heavenly visions and moments of trans- 
 figuration are awaiting him in the closet, the sanctuary, and 
 at the sacramental table. 
 
 Let us obey ; we then shall know, 
 
 Shall -feel our sins forgiven, 
 Anticipate our heaven below, 
 
 And own that love is heaven. 
 
May 26. 
 
 i^ot bg toorfes of ri'sfttfoiis^css toWi toe |}abe tiane. 
 
 Titus iii. 5. 
 
 Verily, verily, / say unto thee, Except a man be born again he 
 cannot see the kingdom of God. . . . Except a man be born of water 
 and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. — JoHN 
 iii- 3. 5- 
 
 THESE wonderful words of the Lord Jesus were spoken 
 to Nicodemus, a Jewish gentleman, a Pharisee, and a 
 ruler and master in Israel, who " came to Jesus at the first 
 by night." Observe closely the four " Amens " which are 
 translated by as many " Verilys " in our English New Testa- 
 ment, "Amen ! Amen! I say unto thee." The great Teach- 
 er speaks wnth authority as "the Amen, the faithful and 
 true Witness." Alark the new birth of which he testifies. 
 " Except a man [Nicodemus, or any other man] be born 
 again," — or from above, as the margin reads, — "born of 
 water and the Spirit," whose chosen emblem is the cleansing 
 water. This is God's way of making a sinful man over again, 
 "a new creature in Christ Jesus," with a new heart and a 
 new spirit, " by the washing of regeneration and the re- 
 newing of the Holy Ghost. Note again the two "cannots : " 
 " Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom 
 of God;" "he caiuiot enter the kingdom of God." But 
 by the new birth he becomes the child of a king, "a king 
 and a priest unto God," "an heir of God and a joint-heir 
 with Jesus Christ" to "the kingdom prepared for him from 
 the foundation of the world." 
 
 Nor alms, nor deeds, that I have done 
 Can for a single sin atone ; 
 To Calvary alone I flee. 
 () God. be' merciful to me ! 
 
 CORNELIUS ELVEN. 
 
May 27. 
 
 Hn me is tjme j}elp. — Hose a xiii. 9. 
 
 I counsel thee to Iniy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou may est be 
 rich ; and ivhite raijnent, that thou mayest be clothed ; and that the 
 shame of thy nakedness do not appear ; and anoint thine eyes zuith eye- 
 salve, that thou tnayest see. — Rev. iii. i8. 
 
 HERE we have a letter from heaven, the last letter from 
 Jesus addressed to men. Every soul has an inter- 
 est in it. The Laodiceans still live, though their city and 
 church have perished. Observe: i. He discovers the sad 
 state of the church, "lukewarm," — the worst of the seven, 
 nothing good is said of it. 2. He reveals its ignorance of its 
 miserable condition, supposing itself rich when it was poor 
 and blind and naked. 3. He announces the ignominious fate 
 of such a church, " spewed out " with disgust, as a nauseating 
 lotion. 
 
 Let men take warning. Jesus then mercifully offers them 
 the sovereign remedy for all their ills : i. He counsels them 
 to buy fire-tried gold which will make them "rich toward 
 God." This buying is " without money," for it is the riches 
 of Christ, the gift of God. 2. He counsels them to buy white 
 raiment of him to clothe their nakedness. That is the blood- 
 washed robe of his own righteousness. No other garment 
 will admit us to the marriage-supper. Only such can ever 
 " enter through the gate into the city." 3. P'inally, he coun- 
 sels them to anoint their blind eyes with eye-salve, with the 
 illumination of the Holy Spirit, that they may see God and 
 live. 
 
 My heart lies dead ; and no increase 
 
 Doth my dull husbandry improve. 
 Oh, let thy graces, without cease, 
 
 Drop from above. George Herbert. 
 
May 28. 
 
 2^icf) unto all tl^at call upon Jim. — Romans x. 12. 
 
 woman, great is thy faith : be it tinto thee even as thoti wilt. — 
 MaTI'. XV. 28. 
 
 WHAT a wonderful concession this, of the grace of 
 Jesus Christ! It suggests the omnipotence of de- 
 termined faith. It illustrates what we may regard as a law 
 in the higher realm of spiritual relations and results. In it 
 there would seem to be not only no conflict between sov- 
 ereignty and free agency, but the sovereignty of God would 
 seem, by his gracious permission, to have passed over into 
 the agency of his child, — the child a sovereign of grace. 
 We may call it one of the great moral equations of the Bible, 
 the " Be it unto thee " of the Master being in exact equipoise 
 with the " As thou wilt " of the believer. The woman's faith 
 was " great " in kind, — by virtue of the vital energy, the 
 courage to face discouraging conditions, the skill in pleading, 
 which it embodied. Such a faith as this, though seeming 
 " as a grain of mustard seed," shall avail great things. That 
 faith is always great which admits no element of unbelief, 
 and so, great in degree. 
 
 In particular, why should we not believe that Christ is as 
 willing to save men from their sins as he was to heal the Sy- 
 rophcenician woman's daughter? And why may we not sup- 
 pose it a certainty that when we present our appeal for the 
 salvation of sinners with as much earnestness and dexterity 
 as this woman used, — their grievous condition resting with 
 equal heaviness on the heart, — the blessing will in his own 
 time be granted ? 
 
 Thou art coming to a king, 
 Large petitions with thee bring ; 
 For his grace and power are such, 
 None can ever ask too much. 
 
 JOHN Newton. 
 
May 29. 
 
 3E feill gibe gou pastors accortimg to mine fjeatt. 
 
 JER. iii. 15. 
 
 Z%<? harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few ; pray ye 
 therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laboui'ers 
 into his harvest. — Matt. ix. 37, 38. 
 
 SUCH is the duty enjoined by Christ upon his disciples. 
 It indicates both the object and the plan of his work. 
 He was a missionary sent to save sinners. Every pulsation 
 of his heart throbs in sympathy with sinners ; every utterance 
 of his lips, every act of his life, his dying agonies, and all his 
 appointments, contemplate the salvation of sinners. 
 
 In the accomplishment of his purposes Jesus employs 
 human agency. His Church is a grand missionary organiza- 
 tion, — the light of the world and the salt of the earth, the 
 repository and the source of saving influences. The living 
 ministry is the grand leading instrumentality which he em- 
 ploys in the execution of his work. Its business is to reap 
 and garner the harvest. In view of the magnitude of the 
 work, the vastness of the harvest, and the inadequacy of the 
 laborers, Jesus still as emphatically commands his followers, 
 as he did his disciples while upon earth, to pray for an increase 
 of laborers ; and they, prompted by the yearnings of their own 
 hearts, cheerfully obey his command. And while they thus 
 pray, they freely give of their means, their time, and influence 
 to secure an answer to their prayers. Effectual prayer and 
 the use of the means necessary to obtain the blessing sought, 
 like living faith and works, are always conjoined. 
 
 Saints of God ! the dawn is brightening, 
 
 Token of our coming Lord ; 
 O'er the earth the field is whitening ; 
 
 Louder rings the Master's word, — 
 " Pray for reapers 
 
 In the harvest of the Lord." mrs. maxwell. 
 
May 30. 
 
 Cf iot sau tfjat ijoc fjabc no Qin, ij3c ticcnbe otiiselbcs. 
 I John i. 8. 
 
 /f ye were blind, ye should have no sin : but no7v ye say, We 
 see; therefore your sin remaineth. — John ix. 41. 
 
 OUR Lord means by these words that if those who were 
 rejecting his moral allegiance were really blind they 
 would not incur sin. But since they were rejoicing in their 
 light, the fact of their sin remained. Where there is no law 
 there is no sin, and where there is no light there is no shadow. 
 So then whenever we see a law of God and act regardless of 
 it, or wherever we recognize a sin and yet indulge in it, we 
 bring our consciousness to be our own judge, we make our 
 very light the revelation of our moral darkness. 
 
 ^'^ 
 
 Blame not the times in which you live, 
 
 Nor fortune frail and fugitive ; 
 
 Blame not thy i)arents, nor the rule 
 
 Of vice or wrong once learned at school ; 
 
 But hlame thyself, O man ! 
 
 Although both heaven and earth combined 
 
 To mould thy flesh and form thy mind, 
 
 Though every thought, word, action, will. 
 
 Were framed by ]DO\vers beyond thee ; still 
 
 Thou art thyself, O man ! 
 
 And self to take or leave is free, 
 
 Feeling its own sufficiency ; 
 
 In spite of science, spite of fate, 
 
 The judge within thee soon or late 
 
 Will blame but thee, O man ! 
 
 Say not, I would, but could not; he 
 
 Should bear the blame who fashioned me. 
 
 Call you mere change of motive, choice ? 
 
 Scorning such pleas, the inner voice 
 
 Cries, " Thine the deed, O man ! " 
 
May 31, 
 
 Bless tfje Eorti, © mg soul — Psalm dv. 2. 
 
 ff^t';-^ there not ten cleansed? but where are the itme? — Luke 
 xvii. 17. 
 
 WE have here an example of ingratitude so base as to 
 call forth from our Saviour the above exclamation. 
 When we consider the persons (lepers), their need, their 
 helplessness, their prayer, and what was done for them, the 
 very deed witnessing and declaring who it was that thus 
 gave them life, — snatching them by a word out of the jaws 
 of a living death, — and furthermore when we consider their 
 ingratitude as shown by their conduct, who can help won- 
 dering? But let us ask ourselves if our treatment of our 
 Saviour is any less wonderful? The disease which afflicted 
 them affected the body ; it could not destroy the soul. Ours 
 affects both soul and body. 
 
 Moved by his love for us, our Saviour left his throne, 
 came to earth, became a man, paid the penalty for our sins, 
 ransoming us by his own blood, thereby becoming our Re- 
 deemer. And he now offers us without money and without 
 price, peace, pardon, a sonship in heaven; he offers us all 
 this, waits to bestow it upon us, if we will but accept. And 
 we, what is our conduct ? 
 
 Oh, bless the Lord, my soul ! 
 
 Nor let his mercies h'e 
 Forgotten in unthankfuhiess, 
 
 And without praises die. 
 
 WATTS. 
 
June i. 
 
 OTe also sboulti inalk in netontsg of life — Romans vi. 4. 
 
 Follmu mc ; and let the dead bu?y their dead. — Matt. viii. 22. 
 
 HE who spoke these words " bare our sicknesses," and 
 wept at a grave side. There was, then, in this start- 
 ling injunction no lack of sympathy with human sorrow, but 
 rather a holy impatience of conventional customs which 
 engross his servants at the expense of their work. The 
 Lord here speaks not only to a man likely to be detained 
 during long-protracted funeral ceremonies, but through him 
 to all in all ages who might be liable to yield unduly to this 
 world's fashion and custom. " The king's business requireth 
 haste ! " " Seek yejirsi the kingdom of God." How it would 
 simplify all our life if we who claim to be Christians would 
 obey the Lord in this, and would trust that " all these things 
 shall be added," whether it be the burial of a dead father, 
 or the supply of daily needs ! Surely the few who live unto 
 God in this world may more and more leave the convention- 
 alisms of the world to those who, living in worldly pleasure, 
 " are dead while they live," and be single-eyed in the service 
 of the Master! And surely he who says, " I come quickly," 
 if he felt a sharp word was needed to be given to this can- 
 didate for discipleship, would speak a far more solemn word 
 to many called by his name to-day, whose Christianity is 
 little more than an inheritance, not a personal conviction, 
 and whose lagging footsteps are so easily clogged by their 
 very culture and the resources of civilization, whose ''loins " 
 are not " girded," whose " lights " are fiot '" burning," and who, 
 calling themselves servants, do not " wait for their Lord." 
 
 l^l4iU^^i^^^ 
 
 ^U4^ 
 
 Jesus calls us o'er the tumult 
 
 Of our life's wild, restless sea ; 
 Day by day his sweet voice soundeth, 
 
 Saying, Christian, follow me 1 
 
 MRS. C, F. ALEXANDER. 
 
June 2. 
 
 (Bi\)zx fountiation can no man lag. — i Cor. iii. n. 
 
 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayms;s of mine, and doeth them, 
 1 7vill liken him icnto a wise man, which built his house upofi a rock: 
 and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds bleiv, 
 and beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it was founded upon 
 a rock. — Matt. vii. 24, 25. 
 
 'T^H ERE FORE, — because "many in that day" who in 
 jf this life " work iniquity," Jesus will bid " depart." 
 These sayings of mine, — the sermon, enjoining a re- 
 ligion of the heart, a life of prayer, and penitent seeking after 
 God ; the sermon too, as expanded and explained in his 
 future teachings, — for example, prayer, answered only for 
 Christ's sake, " Ask in my name ; " forgiveness, given only 
 through Christ's death, " My blood, shed for the remission 
 of sins." Doeth them, — yielding to Christ as God, for he 
 gives the law and will judge the world, " / say unto you," 
 " Then will /profess unto them; " submission to God, " Thy 
 will be done ; " loving and trusting God, " Seek first his 
 kingdom and righteousness." A renowned editor wrote, 
 *' My creed is the Sermon on the Mount. Live by that and 
 you will be saved." " Yes," repHed a college president, 
 "but no one ever did; and if that is the only way of life, none 
 can hope." Yet none build on the rock but those who do 
 these sayings of Christ; that is, who have /;/ sojne degree 
 the kind of spirit he here describes, and which for his sake 
 is accepted, whether the penitent knows it or not, instead 
 of perfect obedience. 
 
 My hope is built on nothing less 
 Than Jesus' blood and righteousness 
 On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand, 
 All other ground is sinking sand. 
 
 Udwaku mote. 
 
June 3. 
 
 3152 f'T^f' ILorti, inill 31 seek. — Psalm xxvH. 8. 
 
 //"_>/^ ///^;/, being n'il, knoiu Jiotv to give good gifts tmto your children, 
 /lO'iU miich more shall your Father zvhich is in heaven give good things 
 to them that ask him ? — Matt. vii. II. 
 
 HOW wonderful it seems, God plying men with consid- 
 erations why they shall pray, arguing to make them 
 bold! This is the nature of all his promises, pledges ad- 
 dressed to our faith. " Put me in remembrance ; let us 
 plead together," For himself he would not have us say, 
 "for Christ's sake," as aground for our acceptance before 
 we can be heard, but because the repetition will assure us 
 of our power in the all-prevailing Name. Our want of faith 
 is the occasion for the argument. The persuasion is to be 
 of ourselves. "If ye, being evil, etc.," The "being evil" 
 is a shadow; but it can only modify, it cannot restrain the 
 generous impulses of parental love. But divine love is the 
 clear shining of a cloudless sky, the glad melody of an unim- 
 peded stream. Two arguments are addressed to our faith : 
 First, God shall give more abundantly^ according to the 
 incomparable fulness of his grace. Second, he shall give 
 more appropriately, according to his infinitely wise compre- 
 hension of our want. Our human love is borne up to its 
 loftiest round that it may perceive the love of God stretch- 
 ing inimitably beyond it. 
 
 And dost thou say, " Ask what thou wilt " ? 
 
 Lord, I would seize the golden hour ; 
 I pray to be released from guilt 
 
 And freed from sin and Satan's power. 
 
 John Newton. 
 
June 4. 
 
 gabe j^imself for our gins. — Gal. i. 4. 
 
 Behold, we go tip to Jerusalem ; and the Son of man shall be be- 
 trayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall con- 
 demn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Geiitiles to mock, and 
 to scourge, and to criicify him ; and the third day he shall rise again. 
 — Matt. xx. i8, 19. 
 
 NEVER had there been such a going up to Jerusalem 
 as that which Jesus here proposes to his disciples. 
 Jesus goes up voluntarily. The act was not enforced by 
 any external compulsion. Jerusalem might at this time have 
 been avoided. It was deliberately sought. Jesus was hereby 
 fulfilling the Father's will, executing the mission upon which 
 he had been sent. It was after this journey that he said, " I 
 have finished the work thou gavest me to do." His going 
 up was a part of that work. Hence it was right for him to 
 go up, although he knew that betrayal, arrest, condemnation, 
 and crucifixion awaited him. It was a going up to a triumph 
 to be reached through defeat, a coronation to be attained 
 through ignominy and humiliation (Heb. ii. 9). 
 
 O believer, in your walk through the world to-day, be 
 strengthened, be comforted, be inspired, by the specta- 
 cle of the Captain of your salvation thus going up to Jeru- 
 salem ! And remember in all those apparently doivnwa7'd 
 passages of life where sorrow, and it may be death, lie be- 
 fore you, that all such descents made or endured in the 
 spirit of Jesus are really upgoings, steps leading you to the 
 mount of God and the resurrection-glory. 
 
 E'en though it be a cross 
 
 That raiseth me ! 
 Still all my song shall be, 
 Nearer, my God, to thee, 
 
 Nearer to thee I mrs. s. f. adams. 
 
June 5. 
 
 J^ati^ Qibm ftimself for us an offering. — Eph. v. 2. 
 
 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay doivn my life, 
 that I might fake it agaifi. No majt taketh it froiu me, but I lay it dcnon 
 of myself . I have power to lay it doivn, and I have poioer to take it 
 a^ain. This commandmetit have I received of my Father. — John x. 
 17, 18. 
 
 CHRIST here asserts his own absolute freedom and vol- 
 untariness in dying. No act of self-sacrifice can be 
 conceived of as more unforced. It is the model and warrant, 
 as it has been the inspiration of every noble act of self-devo- 
 tion from that time till now. He was under no obligation 
 in the first place to throw his own body across the track 
 along which remorseless death was rushing upon man- 
 kind. Every step on the road to Calvary he took shrinking 
 yet resolved. His innocent, sensitive nature appreciated 
 the torture, the shame, the horror of the death-pang; but 
 he went forward to meet them. The betrayal, the arrest, 
 the consent of Pilate, the rude violence of the Roman sol- 
 diery were only prearranged parts of the process by which 
 his voluntary sacrifice was to be consummated. There was 
 no power in the universe less than God's that could have 
 reft his life without his own consent. Up to the last expir- 
 ing cry, all was free ; the most stupendous act of self-sacri- 
 fice the world has ever seen. 
 
 Do you love him as you ought, O man, for such a shame, 
 for such a death endured for you ; and will you learn from 
 such an example to make some sacrifice at least for the 
 good of others ? 
 
 This was compassion, like a God, 
 
 That when the Saviour knew 
 The price of pardon was his blood 
 
 His pity ne'er withdrew. watts. 
 
June 6. 
 5^e ijatfj fillcti tfje j^unigrg iiritfj gooti tfjings. — luke i. 53. 
 
 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : 
 for they shall be filled. — Matt. v. 6. 
 
 IF we would take these words by the heart we must make 
 sure of these vital truths concerning them, — 
 
 First, as to their character. They are not a promise ; they 
 are not a law. A promise is founded on conditions ; a law 
 is subject to repeal and amendment. They are the fourth 
 article in the constitution of the kingdom of heaven on earth. 
 John had declared that the kingdom was at hand. Jesus be- 
 gan his reign in the new kingdom by announcing to the world 
 its constitution, — the Beatitudes. The constitution is the 
 eternal, unchangeable truth back of all promises and laws. 
 Make sure of these Beatitudes, and you are at home in all 
 worlds, in time and in eternity. These truths have reigned 
 in the mind and heart of God from the beginning. 
 
 In the second place, be sure to note that the Beatitude is 
 pronounced upon hunger and thirsty — our symbols of unrest 
 and pain and poverty. To be cursed is to be full and con- 
 tented and lodged in a nest. To be blessed is to be shaken 
 out of our nest and compelled to develop both our wits and 
 our wings in the endless quest of spiritual food. 
 
 In the third place, do not fail to notice that it is that very 
 simple, fundamental thing, righteousness, which we are to 
 seek with consuming desire. "Rightness, not spiritual peace, 
 not grace, not soul power, but first and last rightness with 
 God and men. When Rightness is enthroned in the holy of 
 holies her train of joys and graces will fill the temple. 
 
 ile leads me to the place 
 
 Where heavenly pasture grows, 
 Where living waters gently pass, 
 
 And full salvation flows. watts. 
 
June 
 
 2rf)e upright ^ftall f)a^^ tiominton. — psalm xHx. 14- 
 
 And ]ie that overcojHeth, ami keepeth my works tinto the end, to 
 him will I give power over the nations : and he shall ride them 
 7vith a rod of iron ; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to 
 shivers: even as I received of my Father. And J will give him the 
 morning star. — Rev. ii. 26-28. 
 
 THE promise given to conquering fidelity is here expressed 
 in most striking and impressive terms. It is nothing 
 less than complete and unbroken dominion over the nations. 
 
 In his ideal republic, Plato dreamed of a golden age when 
 all kings should be philosophers, and all philosophers should 
 be kings; how transcendently does the heavenly kingdom 
 surpass that of the philosophical dreamer, for there all kings 
 shall be saints, and all saints shall be kings. 
 
 The morning star is here the image of the glory of the 
 kingdom. It is frequently associated with the sceptre, as the 
 star of Jacob in the prophecy of Balaam (Numbers xxiv. 17). 
 
 This destined inheritance, so unspeakably great, is for him 
 that overcometh, and keepeth Christ's works. True religion 
 is not spasmodic, it is not a thing of times and seasons. Vic- 
 tory and its rewards are for him only who continues in well- 
 doing, who keeps the faith. Hold fast, then ; let no man take 
 thy crown. 
 
 Sg^^^ 
 
 Onward, ever onward, 
 Journeying o'er the road 
 
 Worn by saints before us, 
 Journeying on to God. 
 
 Leaving all behind us 
 May we hasten on ; 
 
 Backward never looking 
 Till the prize is won. 
 
 Godfrey Thring. 
 
June 8. 
 
 1 \}B!i3t jgiijEit ^im for a initiuss to i])z people. 
 
 Isaiah iv. 4. 
 
 T/w7( say est that I am a ^in^i;: To this end was I born, and for 
 this cause came I i)ito the world, that I should bear witness tmto the 
 truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. — JoHN 
 xviii. 37. 
 
 JESUS elsewhere calls himself the truth. Here he states 
 it to be the purpose not only of his birth as a man but 
 ot his coming into the world as the pre-existent Son of God 
 to bear witness to the truth. Never was such testimony 
 given by such a being to such a fact, as was rendered by him 
 who at the last before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good con- 
 fession. The glad tidings were attested not only by Jesus, 
 the Truth, but by the Father, in the works he wrought through 
 his holy Son, and in the w^ord he spoke from heaven. Yet 
 even such testimony may be disregarded, rejected. Those 
 who had not God's word abiding in them refused to believe 
 him whom God sent. For effectual hearing, these must be a 
 congruity in the recipient; he must be "of the truth," — one 
 who is eager to know and ready to do God's will. To him 
 God makes himself known ; and he believes, not because of 
 the words of others, but because he has himself heard Jesus, 
 and knows that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the 
 world. 
 
 Oh, for a strong, a lasting faith 
 To credit what the Ahnighty saith ; 
 To embrace the message of his Son, 
 And call the joys of heaven our own. 
 
June 9. 
 
 STfjat 2^ put on tfje neirr man. — Eph. iv. 24. 
 
 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good ; or else make the tree 
 corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. — 
 Matt. xii. ^t^. 
 
 IN this world of "vain shows," shams, semblances, and 
 self-deceptions, we need every hour some certain test by 
 which to distinguish the true from the false. Such a touch- 
 stone the Master here furnishes us in his inimitable nature- 
 teaching manner in the tree. "' The tree is known by its 
 fruit." The fruit is the only true thing about the tree. All 
 things else are mere accidents and appendages, preludes, 
 preparations, and promises ; that upon which the tree expends 
 all its labors and exhausts all its nature, and into which it 
 pours its whole life, is its fruit. Its leaves and blossoms 
 fade and fall, its branches wither, itself dies ; but its fruit, en- 
 wrapping a living seed, springs up it may be in another 
 garden on a distant continent, and lives on and on, reproduc- 
 ing itself forever, the only immortal thing of earth. So 
 character, the expression of the whole nature, the product 
 of the whole life's activities, the one reality which abides 
 amid all changes, the only immortal thing about man, is the 
 only infallible touchstone by which we can test ourselves 
 and others. Professions and promises, however fair, are 
 worthless as the faded leaves and blossoms of summer 
 where they do not ripen into the fruits of holiness; and the 
 fruitless tree is fit only for the burning. Reader, let me be- 
 seech you to try yourself by this test, and remember it is for 
 your life. 
 
 So let our lips and lives express 
 
 The holy gospel we profess ; 
 
 So let our works and virtues shine, 
 
 To prove the doctrine all divine. watts. 
 
June io. 
 Ci^osm , , , in f)im Moxt t|)e foimtiation of i\)t borlti. 
 
 Eph. i. 4. 
 
 T/ien shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Covie, ye 
 blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for yon from the 
 foundation of the world. — MaTT. xxv. 34. 
 
 IT is the great and notable day of the Lord. He who came 
 " in weakness clad " to be, as the Son of man, the Saviour 
 of the world, by offering himself once for all an atoning ex- 
 piation for sin upon the cross, has come in the power and 
 majesty of heavenly glory to judge the world in righteous- 
 ness and mete out to men their eternal doom. See how his 
 lowly, faithful followers fare ! On earth it cost them self- 
 crucifixion and the bitter contempt of men to confess the 
 Lord and follow him ; now they are recognized, welcomed by 
 the King of kings, and greeted as sharers of his glory. For 
 his sake and the gospel's they had become poor, naked out- 
 casts ; now for the trashy perishable tinsel and trinkets they 
 had dropped, they receive treasures pure and true which 
 shall endure forever. They had counted all things but loss 
 so they might win Christ; through abounding grace they 
 had won Christ and heaven and shall rejoice eternally in the 
 full possession of that " inheritance which is incorruptible, 
 undefiled, and shall endure forever." Were they deceived 
 in their trust, hope, and obedience .'' Does the reward equal 
 the promise t Ask them ! Nay, rather, " be followers of 
 them who through faith and patience inherit the promises ;" 
 then shall their exceeding joy be yours. 
 
 Judge and Saviour of our race, 
 Grant us, when we see thy face, 
 With thy ransomed ones a place. 
 
 I. Williams. 
 
June i 
 
 @otJ l^atf) TfbeaUti tijcm unto us bg iis %irit. 
 
 I Cor. ii. lo. 
 
 Hewheii when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into 
 all truth : for he shall not speak of himself ; but whatscrver he shall 
 hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He 
 shall glorify me : for he shall receive of 77ii7ie., and shall shew it unto 
 you. — John xvi. 13, 14. 
 
 WHEN Jesus went back to heaven, he sent another 
 divine Person, the Spirit of truth, to take his place, 
 carry forward his work, and to abide with his followers. On 
 the day of Pentecost that Spirit came from heaven in mighty 
 power and filled the disciples, and has been here ever since 
 as a teacher and a guide. Unless he reveals them unto us, 
 we cannot understand the things of God. Every believer 
 needs to be taught by him out of the Scriptures. With the 
 words of Christ in our hands and this Spirit in our hearts, 
 we are led into true and blessed knowledge of God, which 
 is life eternal. The weakest believer thus taught may know 
 far more of God than the wisest man of this world. 
 
 This divine Teacher reveals to the believer the glories of 
 Christ Jesus as they shine in the written Word. He is the 
 Advocate of an absent Christ and pleads his cause. He en- 
 ables us to see the matchless beauty of the character and 
 life of our Redeemer, and makes him glorio7is in the eyes 
 of all them that believe. If we open wide our hearts to this 
 blessed person and do not grieve him by our sins, he will 
 guide us into the fulness of the knowledge and joy of our 
 Lord. 
 
 m^iS2^. 
 
 '^,/^i^ 
 
 He teaches us the Father's grace, 
 Reveals to us the Saviour's face, 
 And doth to all our hearts declare 
 The glory it is ours to share. 
 
 Mrs. M. J. Walker. 
 
June 12. 
 
 ©otilmesg irri'tt) contentment i& great fjafn. — i Tm. vi. 6. 
 
 7<2^(? //^i?^, and beiuare of covetoiisness : for a tnan^s life consisteth 
 not in the abimdance of the things which he possesscth. — LUKE 
 xii. 15. 
 
 HERE we have a solemn command evoked by a striking 
 incident and backed up by a pertinent reason. The 
 command itself is cumulative in form. " Take heed and 
 beware." If we carefully consider what covetousness is 
 in its nature and tendencies, we will diligently avoid it. 
 " Take heed." Meditate upon the tenth commandment as 
 well as repeat it ; revolve in mind how discontent with our 
 lot dishonors God, how envy of the apparent happiness of 
 others destroys brotherly sympathy, how covetousness kills 
 generosity, stifles good impulses, and stands in the way of 
 that charity which " suffereth long and is kind " because it 
 " envieth not." And having taken heed, " beware ! " Set 
 a watch on every thought and motive that tends toward 
 envy. Be strict with yourself and generous with others. 
 Covetousness creeps in unnoticed, and you will be startled 
 to find it appearing in heart and life. Hence the need of 
 being " wary," vigilant. 
 
 The incident out of which this command grew is very 
 striking (v. 13). The dividing of inheritances has been in 
 all the ages a fruitful source of covetousness. Envy is 
 "as rottenness in the bones." How soon envy entered into 
 the world ! The first sin was Adam's pride; and the second, 
 perhaps, was Cain's envy. 
 
 The Lord my shepherd is ; 
 
 I shall be well supplied. 
 Since he is mine, and I am his, 
 
 What can I want beside ? watis. 
 
June 13. 
 
 STfje fxrc sjall trg ebcrg man's toork. — i Cor. iii. 13. 
 
 Every plant, zv/iich my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be 
 rooted tip. — Matt, xv, 13. 
 
 THIS is one of our Lord's enigmatical replies. His dis- 
 ciples had informed him that the Pharisees had taken 
 offence at certain of his remarks. Without commenting on 
 their conduct, he points his followers to a future when all 
 error and malice will be brought to nought. He thought it 
 better to impress a truth on his friends than to confute his 
 enemies. 
 
 We are taught by Christ's words that we are not always 
 to take the responsibility of opposing openly that which we 
 disapprove, but that we may at times leave it to the provi- 
 dence of God to thwart and defeat the evil practices and 
 false opinions of others. We are taught also that our own 
 characteristics and cherished habits are to be estimated in 
 view of the source from which they came. " The question 
 respecting our plans and occupations is not, Are they at- 
 tractive? Do they comport with our pride or our place in the 
 world ? but. Are they of God } They will be surely rooted 
 up unless they derive their support from him. Most cheering 
 of all is the truth that what God has planted will abide for- 
 ever. The seeds which Christ sows in the heart will spring 
 up and bear fruit unless we permit them to be snatched away 
 or to be choked by weeds of which an enemy has sown the 
 seed. The fruits of the Spirit will always be cherished by 
 the heavenly Father. 
 
 ^^,^/p^/^^ 
 
 O Master, point thou out the way, 
 Nor suffer thou our steps to stray ; 
 Then in that path that leads to day, 
 We follow thee. 
 
 H. BONAR. 
 
June 14. 
 
 STfje kingtjflm of Ooti is . . . jog in tl}0 J^olg ©fjogt, 
 
 Romans xiv. 17. 
 
 These things have I spoken tinto you, that my joy might remain in 
 you, and that your joy might be full. — John xv. 1 1. 
 
 THESE things are all the words of Christ, but especially 
 those spoken in the two preceding verses, where his 
 joy is traced directly to his Father's love, resting on him in 
 the keeping of his commandments, as our joy comes from 
 his love while doing his will. My joy and your joy are fruits 
 of the Vine mentioned a little while before. Indeed, this joy 
 is the very wine of the Christian life. It is not so much one 
 of the fruits of the Spirit as the resultant of them all. The 
 joy of Christ here is not the blessedness he had with the 
 Father before the worlds were, but the joy that was set 
 before him for enduring the cross and despising the shame. 
 So the joy of his people when full will far transcend the 
 happiness of primeval man. 
 
 How amazing is the absence of joy in the average Chris- 
 tian experience, seeing it is not only the logical result of 
 salvation, but that Christ has made special provision for 
 it in his continued communion with his people! He bears 
 the thought with him a little while afterward into the holy 
 of holies, and prays, " And now I come to thee, and these 
 things I speak in the world that they might have my joy 
 fulfilled in themselves." 
 
 My merry heart is springing, 
 
 And knows not how to pine ; 
 'T is full of joy and singing 
 
 And radiancy divine. 
 The sun whose smiles so cheer me 
 
 Is Jesus Christ alone ; 
 To have him always near me, 
 
 Is heaven itself begun. 
 
 Richard Massie {Translation). 
 
June 15. 
 
 i^ut on . . . as tlje elect of (!5oti . . . boinels of nurcicg. 
 
 Col. iii. 12. 
 
 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. — 
 Luke vi. 36. 
 
 THE Pagan philosophers, who spake as men, taught that 
 justice is a duty required of all men. Our divine 
 Master, who spake as never man spake, goes farther and en- 
 joins upon his disciples mercy as a Christian duty. Mercy 
 consists of kindness that goes beyond all the requirements of 
 justice, and does for men more and better than their merits 
 deserve. We have no merit in the sight of God ; therefore 
 all his goodness toward us is the gift of his mercy. Our 
 God is the Father of mercies, and he is kind unto the un- 
 thankful and to the evil. Therefore, saith our Saviour, we 
 should be merciful and love our enemies, and do good to 
 those who would do us evil. This is an original and peculiar 
 law of our Christianity, and it proves that it is not of the 
 earth, but from heaven. Mercy in the heart of man is a 
 grace that is all divine, and one which makes the man more 
 manful and more than a man, — it makes him a Christian. 
 " The meek shall inherit the earth." The merciful shall 
 obtain mercy, and with Christ shall inherit all things. 
 
 Come, thou Spirit of pure love, 
 
 Who didst forth from God proceed, 
 Never from my heart remove, 
 
 Let me all thy impulse heed; 
 Let my heart hence forward be 
 Moved, controlled, inspired by thee. 
 
 Catharine Winkuorth {Translation). 
 
June i6. 
 
 ILabourers tagetijer Initjj (^oti. — i Cor. iii. 9. 
 
 And he that reapeth receiveth wxges, and gathereth fruit tinto life 
 eternal : that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice 
 together. — John iv. 36. 
 
 THE cheering lesson of this verse is that immediate re- 
 sults often follow Christian work. Usually seed-time 
 and harvest are divided by a considerable interval of time ; 
 but here we learn that they may follow in quick succession. 
 This cheering truth is impressed by our Lord's experience, 
 when, as the result of his wayside sowing in his words to the 
 woman of Samaria, a rich harvest was reaped on the selfsame 
 day. So it was on the day of Pentecost, and so it has been 
 in many other instances when the Spirit of God has given 
 the truth immediate power, and the sower and the reaper 
 have rejoiced together. 
 
 An insight is also given us into the nature of Christian 
 service. It is a co-operative system, and God is a liberal 
 master. He gives those who work for him a share in the 
 profits that accrue, — that is, the blessings and results that 
 follow such work. " He that reapeth receiveth wages." The 
 Master here distinctly encourages us to expect immediate 
 results in Christian work at home and abroad, and happy are 
 they who midst the tears of sowing hear the joyous shout 
 of the reapers. 
 
 The harvest dawn is near, 
 
 The year delays not long ; 
 And he who .sows with many a tear, 
 
 Shall reap with many a song 
 
 Georgr Burgess. 
 
June 17. 
 
 5^e tot fintietfj Jis oton brotjjer. — John i. 41. 
 
 6"^ y^^Wif to thy friends, and tell them how great thmgs the Lord 
 hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. — Mark v. 19. 
 
 THE command had peculiar significance as given to the 
 man out of whom Christ had sent the unclean spirits. 
 In the case of the leper at Capernaum, or the deaf and dumb 
 sufferer subsequently in Decapolis, the excitement was al- 
 ready so great about the miracle-worker that Christ's work 
 was in danger of serious obstruction. But here and now 
 in accord with the wishes and entreaties of their unbelief, 
 Christ was already on board the vessel that was to take him 
 across the lake, and his cause must suffer. So this healed 
 demoniac from the tombs, a signal monument of his mercy, 
 must go to places from which Christ in his own person was 
 debarred, to testify of Christ's power. And he did go among 
 his friends at home, and subsequently to the south in Decap- 
 olis proclaiming the wonder-working power of Jesus with 
 blessed results. It was a far nobler work, too, for him thus 
 to go w^here those who knew him before and dreaded him 
 before could now see the great change and hear him tell 
 what Christ had done than to go where he was unknown. 
 The man himself where he was known of old was a monu- 
 ment now of Christ's healing mercy. So, too, Christ's direc- 
 tion to the man thus healed is one of significance for every 
 one of us who has felt spiritually Christ's healing power. 
 
 Our first and best testimony as to any change Christ has 
 wrought in us is always given at home, among our friends 
 and those who know us best. 
 
 A piety that cannot stand such a test, a piety that lan- 
 guishes at home, is to be suspected. 
 
 i^-^^W 
 
 Thanks we give, and adoration, 
 
 For thy gospel's joyful sound. 
 May the fruits of thy salvation 
 
 In our hearts and lives abound ! Robert hawkhr. 
 
June i8. 
 
 Ei)at no flesl) 0|}oulti glorg in Jig presence. — i Cor. i. 29. 
 
 Yea; have ye never read^ Out of the moiith of babes and sucklings 
 thoii hast perfected p7'aise ? —Matt. xxi. 1 6. 
 
 HOW beautiful the hosannas of childhood offered to him 
 who said, " Suffer little children, and forbid them not, 
 to come unto me " ! Cold formalism and pharisaic holiness 
 would rebuke the approach of children to Jesus, and silence 
 their songs in the temple. But the blessed Jesus welcomes 
 their presence, and listens well-pleased to their hymns of 
 praise. He indeed spoke words of hope to the dying thief, 
 and graciously regards the penitential tears of the hoary- 
 headed sinner; but still more is he pleased to receive into 
 his favor and to his service those of early years. He would 
 have their character early moulded into his likeness, and 
 imbued with his spirit. He would have all from their ear- 
 liest years devoted to his service in works of benevolence 
 and piety. He would have the entire life. 
 
 Yes, let the children come to Jesus. He waits to welcome 
 them. To them is extended a special promise, "Those 
 that seek me early shall find me." Let parents as they love 
 their children, strive to bring them to Jesus. Let Sabbath- 
 school teachers seek to lead those under their care to a 
 saving knowledge of his truth. Let pastors remember the 
 words of the Master, " Feed my lambs." Yes, dear children, 
 come to Jesus. 
 
 All glory, laud, and honor 
 
 To thee, Redeemer, King, 
 To whom the lips of children 
 
 Made sweet hosannas ring. 
 
 Thou didst accept their praises ; 
 
 Accept the prayers we bring, 
 "Who in all good delightest, 
 
 Thou good and gracious King. 
 
 J. NEALE (Translation). 
 
June 19. 
 
 (Sotilmess IS profitable unto all things. — i Tim. iv. 8. 
 
 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness ; and all 
 these things shall be added ujito you. — Matt. vi. 33. 
 
 SEEKyiVj-/, not exclusively ; this is no rebuke to intens- 
 est business devotion. Nor does "first '' mean merely 
 in order of time, — say prayers in the morning, serve God on 
 Sunday, the first day of the week, get religion in early life, 
 " First " means chiefly, — serve God supremely, even in secu- 
 lar matters. 
 
 This does not imply that one shall be most of the time 
 thinking about religious things. Our supreme secular pur- 
 pose in going to business is to provide comfort for our fami- 
 lies; yet we hardly think of a loved face in business hours, 
 except as in leisure moments it peers in through the window 
 of the heart. But however absorbed in the scramble of 
 trade, there is always over us a delightful, though vague, 
 impression of home and its loves ; just as there is always 
 an impression of the sky over our heads, though we do not 
 look up at it incessantly. So may the delightful sense of 
 the kingdom of God environ us, the sceptre-shadow of his 
 righteousness be always upon our consciences, the benedic- 
 tion of his love upon our hearts ! This feeling will add all 
 good things to us, in that it will make all things good. It 
 will mark everything we possess as a souvenir of infinite 
 affection. 
 
 l{li4Ajt4^i>CC^Cc^^ 
 
 
 Saviour, happy would I be, 
 If I could but trust in thee, — 
 Trust thy wisdom me to guide ; 
 Trust thy goodness to provide ; 
 Trust thy saving love and power ; 
 Trust thee every day and hour. 
 
 liDWIN H. NEVIN. 
 
June 20. 
 5^10 initz lookzti back. — Gen. xix. 26. 
 
 Remember Lot's wife. — Luke xvii. 32. 
 
 OUR Lord was depicting scenes of the judgment day, 
 and points to the shore of the Dead Sea, where Lot's 
 wife built herself a monument, a piece of statuary, making 
 a complete picture in itself. 
 
 Why this injunction? She was the type of the worldly- 
 minded. " Remember," then, " the friends of the world 
 are the enemies of God;" that Christ died "to deliver us 
 from this present evil world," therefore, " he that forsaketh 
 not all that he hath cannot be my disciple." " Remember," 
 the time hastens when the world must be abandoned, love 
 it as we may. We can carry nothing away ; the things of 
 Sodom taken to Zoar would make a Sodom there, necessi- 
 tating the fire that burns the world and the worldling. 
 
 We must not only leave Sodom, but " linger not in the 
 plain." Remember, if the separation from the world be not 
 complete, it must soon be final, from God, home, friends, all. 
 "Two shall be in the field, one shall be taken and the other 
 left." 
 
 " Remember," the love of the world perpetuates itself in 
 the generations that follow ; the " lovers of pleasure, more 
 than lovers of God," are seen in her daughters and descend- 
 ants down through Moab and Ammon. 
 
 Once earthly joy I craved, 
 
 Sought peace and rest ; 
 Now thee alone I seek, 
 
 Give what is best. 
 This all my prayer shall be, 
 More love, O Christ, to thee, 
 
 More love to thee ! mrs. e. p. prentiss. 
 
June 21, 
 
 Cije Horti is . . . plmtecus in mercg, — psalm ciii. 8. 
 
 And he arose, a7td came to his father. But 2uhen he was yet a 
 great way off, his father saw him, ajid had compassion, and ran, and 
 fell on his neck, and kissed hi7n. — LUKE xv. 20. 
 
 A PICTURE of divine pity, forgiveness, and love more 
 affecting than this it would be impossible to find ! In 
 this parable we see not only to what degradation sin has 
 brought a human soul, but we see also what divine compas- 
 sion is felt for it, and what grace and love are lavished upon 
 it. The instant the prodigal turns toward his father, that 
 instant the father runs to meet him. Contrast the slow ap- 
 proach of the son with the eager haste of the father running 
 to meet him, the shame and fear of the one with the love 
 and joy of the other. And though still in rags, his father 
 fell on his neck and kissed him, not only forgiving the wan- 
 derer, but restoring to him fully the possession and enjoy- 
 ment of his forfeited filial rights. Such welcome awaits 
 every returning prodigal. How return? In King's College, 
 Cambridge, was once a young man anxious about his soul. 
 He read and pondered Lev. xvi. 20-22. The gospel inter- 
 preted the passage. His heart was touched ; he said, " If 
 the Lamb of God has borne and carried away my sins, I will 
 not bear them another hour." This was Charles Simeon. 
 Like him yield to the drawings of the Saviour's love. 
 
 Spread for thee the festal board, 
 See, with richest bounty stored ; 
 To thy Father's bosom pressed, 
 Thou shalt be a child confessed, 
 Never from his house to roam; 
 Come and welcome, sinner, come 
 
 Thomas Haweis. 
 
June 22. 
 
 CJe Inicferti 0}}all ht turneti into i^cll. — Psalm ix. 17. 
 
 77/^;^ j^«// ^e" Jrtj a/so unto them oil the left hand, Depart from 
 me, ye cursed, into ro'erlastmg fire, prepared for the devil and his 
 angels. — Matt. xxv. 41. 
 
 TWO characters only are to be found among all the 
 millions of this earth. In the hour of judgment two 
 characters only will appear before the Judge. Throughout 
 eternity but two characters will remain. There are two and 
 only two characters delineated in the Word of God. These 
 characters are distinct, antagonistic, eternally separated, — 
 the righteous and the unrighteous. The smile of God is 
 upon them that do well, his frown upon them that do evil. 
 The present state of the godly is happiness and prosperity; 
 the ungodly are not so. The reward of the righteous is eter- 
 nal union with God, the end of the wicked banishment from 
 his presence. Heaven is a being with God, hell a being 
 without him. 
 
 Our Lord depicts the final separation of the righteous and 
 the unrighteous. To those on his left hand the King ex- 
 claims, " Depart ! " Unwilling to come to him that they 
 might have life, they are now to be deprived of the joy and 
 glory of his face. Union with him is no longer possible, 
 and separation brings torment. This punishment is not 
 prepared for human souls ; but sharing with the Devil and 
 his angels here, they are sharers with them also hereafter, 
 cursed because they refused to be blessed, lost because unwil- 
 ling to be saved. Which will you be ? What character are 
 you making for yourself now? 
 
 A^e^c^ys^ t/^ IX X O^yC^T^ 
 
 O just Judge, to whom belongs 
 Vengeance for all earthly wrongs, 
 Grant forgiveness, Lord, at last, 
 Ere the dread account be past ! 
 
 Dean Stanley ( Translation). 
 
June 23. 
 
 H bjc suffer, ine s{)all also rrigu ixiitt) |)im. 
 
 2 Tim. ii. 12. 
 
 Verily I say unto yoit, There is no man that hath left house, or 
 parents, or brethren, or wife, or childreji, for the kingdom of God^s 
 sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this presetit ti?ne, and 
 in the zoorld to come life everlasting. — Luke xviii. 29, 30. 
 
 THE light and power of this text is in the phrase, "For 
 the kingdom of God's sake." Fearful calamities have 
 befallen the Church from errors concerning the principle of 
 true evangelical sacrifice and service. Christ is not making 
 a bargain nor appealing to our self-interest, but stating a fact 
 verified in the experience of millions who have joyfully sung, 
 '• For thy sake we are killed all the day long." The mother 
 who rushes through the flames to save her child, the soldier 
 who counts not his possessions or life dear that he may serve 
 his king, do not speak or think of sacrifice. Jesus Christ 
 gains men by his attractive power. When the kingdom of 
 God and the beauties of its King are revealed to the soul, it 
 enters at once upon its glorious inheritance of everlasting 
 life, and asks no other reward. We have long possessed a 
 picture of a saint of the Middle Ages kneeling at the feet of 
 Christ. The Lord is saying to him, '• Thou hast done much 
 for me, what shall 1 give thee?" And Saint Thomas Aqui- 
 nas is answering, '• Lord, nothing but thyself." 
 
 Jesus, I my cross have taken 
 
 All to leave, and follow thee; 
 Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, 
 
 Thou from hence my all shalt be ! 
 Perish every fond ambition. 
 
 All I 've sought, or hoped, or known; 
 Yet how rich is my condition, 
 
 God and heaven are still my own ! lyte. 
 
June 24. 
 
 J^im fjat]^ (3siti cialtttj ... to gtije repentance . . . anti 
 forgibeness. — acts v. 31. 
 
 Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. — LuKE xiii. 3. 
 
 TWICE does this declaration come from the lips of 
 Jesus Christ in one brief discourse. He speaks with 
 the authority of a king and a judge. It is at our peril if 
 we disregard or remain inattentive to what he says. And 
 this sure word comes to all — to me ! No judgments falling 
 upon others can justify me in believing that I am without 
 guilt. Perchance my brother's guilt may be greater than 
 mine, but still repentance is not more indispensable to him 
 than to me. Failing to give it, there lies before the sinner 
 that doom expressed in the word "perish," — a doom so great, 
 so unspeakably awful to a human soul, that no language can 
 adequately describe it. 
 
 Repentance is the escape of the soul from the dominion 
 of sin ; it is enlightenment of the mind, so that the sinner 
 sees the danger and folly of his course. It is the renewal 
 of the heart, so that it separates itself from the sin that was 
 destroying it. It is the beginning of a new and glorious life. 
 Should it then be a hard thing to repent "i True, repentance 
 has its tears, but they are indeed blessed tears. It has its 
 lamentations, but they soon turn to joy and praise. It has 
 its humiliations, but it leads to a glorious exaltation. 
 
 With broken heart and contrite sigh, 
 A trembling sinner, Lord, T cry : 
 Thy pardoning grace is rich and free, 
 O God, be merciful to me ! 
 
 Cornelius Elven. 
 
June 25. 
 
 (3ot}, iM^cr qufckenetf) tj^e tieati. — Romans iv. 17. 
 
 For as the Father raiseth tip the dead, and quickeneth them ; even 
 so the Son quickeneth whom he will, — John v. 21. 
 
 LIFE is the prerogative and gift of God, alike of Father 
 and Son. So declare these words of Saint John ; and 
 all life is essentially one. But to the conscious recipient is 
 there not a difference in the gift suggested by these same 
 words corresponding to the person of the giver ? Surely to 
 such a recipient a gift carries with it the personality, the 
 touch, of the hand from which it comes. And it is this per- 
 sonality which gives it most often its highest value and in- 
 fluence. " The gift without the giver is bare." But what is 
 true of our smaller earthly tokens is vastly truer of the 
 high gifts of heaven, and this highest gift of all. Grateful, 
 happy, is it to the devout soul, to recognize in every heart- 
 throb, every function, physical or spiritual, the Father's fore- 
 thought and provision for his children. But an element of 
 even deeper tenderness and love, as well as responsibility, is 
 added to the gift, as coming from the wounded human hand 
 of Jesus. It glows and breathes with the very spirit of his 
 life and redeeming work. 
 
 And this is the gift, this life, which he gives to every 
 earnest seeking heart; for "whom he will," is after all only 
 another expression, according to the gospel, for " whoso- 
 ever will." 
 
 /^^^^2^y2i^ 
 
 ^^y*^-^ 
 
 Thou art the life ; the rending tomb 
 
 Proclaims thy conquering arm ; 
 And tho'^e who put their trust in thee 
 
 Nor death nor hell shall harm. 
 
 Bishop doane. 
 
June 26. 
 
 OTe Jjabr rctinnption t{}rou3i} f)is tlaoti. — Ei-h. i. 7. 
 
 Take, eat ; this is my body. . . . Drink ye all of it ; for this is my 
 blood of the neiv testament, which is shed for many for the remission 
 of sins. — Matt. xxvi. 26-28. 
 
 PRECIOUS words of Jesus ! Our Lord here institutes 
 the sacrament or feast which should ever commem- 
 orate his love and delivering mercy to his believing people, 
 "Take, eat," etc. This feast is "meat indeed, and drink 
 indeed " to those who have faith to discern the Lord's body 
 and blood, and love to feed upon his grace. " Do this in 
 remembrance of me " is his tender loving command to his 
 Church and people of all ages, " till he come." Can w^e 
 refuse to obey, and not "deny him before men "? 
 
 This supper is not a sacrifice, it is a feast commemorating 
 a sacrifice; we should observe it with thankful hearts. It 
 tells us, in mute eloquence, of the victory he achieved, and 
 of the life and liberty he purchased for us. It breathes the 
 love of Christ ; it is fragrant with the mercy of our God, 
 who is now ready to welcome the w-eakest believer who 
 comes trusting and resting the soul upon the righteousness 
 of Jesus only. In this feast of love, there is food for hun- 
 gry souls, refreshment for weary spirits, and heavenly com- 
 fort for those that mourn. It brings the behever into closer 
 union with Christ, it strengthens faith, brightens hope, and 
 cheers the Christian along the way. 
 
 Bread of the world, in mercy broken, 
 
 Wine of the soul, in mercy shed, 
 By whom the words of life were spoken, 
 
 And in whose death our sins are dead, 
 Look on the hearts by sorrow broken ; 
 
 Look on the tears by sinners shed ; 
 And be this feast to us the token 
 
 That by thy love our souls are fed. heber. 
 
June 27. 
 
 Mjjat ti)injg0 lucre gain to me, tfjose 31 coimtetj loss for 
 Cfjrist. — Phil. iii. 7. 
 
 For what is a man profited, if he shall gairi the whole world, and 
 lose his oiun soul ? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul ? 
 — Matt. xvi. 26. 
 
 THERE can be no true discipleship without sacrifice. 
 To follow the Master is " to take up his cross." It 
 may require the surrender of friends, of chosen pursuits, of 
 opportunities for securing wealth, and in obeying the calls of 
 his spirit and providence, even of life itself. It is for Christ 
 against the world that the sincere, well-considered, loving 
 choice is to be made. But what if it should not be made? 
 What compensation does the world offer, even at its best 
 estate } How uncertain and short-lived earthly friendships ! 
 How disappointing the gratifications of taste and worldly 
 honors ! How evanescent, how unsatisfying, how limited at 
 best the period of its enjoyment ! And all this to be bal- 
 anced by the irremediable loss of the soul I 
 
 But what if the better alternative is elected ? There may, 
 indeed, be heavy sacrifices required, and human tears. 
 But in all this we follow and enjoy the presence of our divine 
 Leader. We are supported by his promised aid. We are 
 filled with joy amid our sufferings, "we glory in tribulations 
 also," and in the end receive the crown of an immortal life. 
 
 Jesus, thy boundless love to nie 
 
 No thought can reach, no tongue declare ; 
 
 Oh, knit my thankful heart to thee, 
 And reign without a rival there. 
 
 Thine wholly, thine alone, I am ; 
 
 Be thou alone my constant flame. 
 
 J. Wesley (Translation). 
 
June 28. 
 
 Het patience fjabe fjer perfect inork. — James i. 4. 
 
 In your patience possess ye your souls. — Lu KE xxi. 1 9. 
 
 A glance at our Revised Version, " In your patience ye 
 shall win your souls," shows us that this text is a 
 promise, not a command, a blessed hope, not a stern ordi- 
 nance. What is the spirit of this promise? "Souls" is 
 rendered in the margin "lives ; " and the thought of winning 
 one's life is of accomplishing the highest end of life, and of 
 reahzing its highest possibility of power and of peace. Re- 
 garded in this light, how sweet is the promise for those who- 
 are compelled to live in this impetuous, harassing generation ! 
 By patience we shall win our lives ! Impatience in our work ; 
 the chafing of the spirit against providential restrictions ; 
 the wild haste to be rich ; the intolerant and consuming am- 
 bition, which to satisfy itself will crush a path over the 
 rights of others, — these are characteristic types of world-life 
 to be seen around us every day. But the servant of the 
 Lord must not, will not abandon himself to this impatient, 
 selfish strife. He will maintain the bright example of the 
 patient Jesus. He will discern by the light of the Holy 
 Spirit's teaching that the highest end of our life on earth 
 cannot be won by the selfish and by the impatient ; he will 
 receive the strength to remember that impatience is waste 
 and loss, the strength to live in the hourly atmosphere of 
 that blessed prayer for every busy and every earnest life. 
 
 Calm me, my God, and keep me calm 
 Let thine outstretched wing 
 
 Be like the shade of Elim's palm 
 Beside her desert spring. 
 
June 29. 
 
 tKakc jcctJ tjjereforc unto soursclbcs. — acts xx. 28. 
 
 T/ie men of Ninezeh shall rise in judgment with this g-eneration, 
 and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of 
 Jonas ; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. — Matt. xii. 41. 
 
 THESE words of the Master teach that light measures 
 responsibility, that obligation is commensurate with 
 opportunity. 
 
 We of this generation may find a solemn joy in the fact 
 that our opportunities and our obligations are unequalled. 
 Not only is this the formative and decisive period in that 
 portion of our country which is to determine the national 
 destiny, but there is the quickening of a new intellectual 
 life among the churchless multitude, which needs the mould- 
 ing hand of the Church. Moreover, the door of opportu- 
 nity, "great and effectual," is as wide as the world, for this 
 is the first generation in man's history that has seen the 
 whole world open to the gospel. The highways of com- 
 merce have been opened; channels of benefaction have been 
 established; wealth has been amassed; and an intellectual 
 revolution which seems to follow the touch of the nine- 
 teenth century is shattering traditional beliefs and preparing 
 heathen nations, like the Ninevites, to receive the preachers 
 of righteousness. We can now stretch out our hands in 
 benediction over Asia and Africa. 
 
 The men of Christ's generation sinned above others in 
 refusing to accept light. We of this generation shall sin 
 above others if we refuse to give it. 
 
 Be this my one great business here, 
 With serious industry and fear, 
 
 Eternal bliss to insure ; 
 Thine utmost counsel to fulfil, 
 And suffer all thy righteous will, 
 
 And to the end endure. c. Wesley. 
 
June 30. 
 
 TOe l}ai)C peace ini'ti) #0tJ. — Romans v. I. 
 
 Peace be unto yoH. — JoHN xx. 19. 
 
 THE natal song of Christ sung by prophetic angels was 
 " peace " and " glory," — "glory in the highest, and on 
 earth peace." Yet when Jesus began his ministry, he said, 
 " I came not to send peace, but a sword." Are these state- 
 ments and others like them contradictions? No! sweet 
 paradoxes. By nature, man is at peace with the world 
 and at war with God. Christ came to reverse this, and by 
 his atonement to establish a peace between God and man 
 which involves w^ar with the world. The Christian, then, 
 is called to fight his way to eternal peace. But has he no 
 peace until the end? Yes, blessed peace; war without, and 
 peace within, — " the peace of God that passeth all under- 
 standing." His turbulent passions are stilled; his soul's 
 great anxieties are laid to rest ; his sin is forgiven ; he is 
 cleansed in the blood of the Lamb ; he has promises of final 
 salvation, "a place" in the "house of many mansions," 
 and " a crown of glory that fadeth not away." With a con- 
 sciousness of all these in the Christian's soul, time, death, 
 and eternity cannot mar his imperturbable repose. 
 
 :^eAyi^ 
 
 Grant us thy peace throughout our earthly life, 
 Our balm in sorrow, and our stay in strife ; 
 Then, when thy voice shall bid our conflict cease, 
 Call us, O Lord, to thine eternal peace. 
 
 John ellerton. 
 
July i. 
 %iritual sacrifices, acccptaijlc to (^oti bg Jesus Cljrist, 
 
 I Peter ii. 5. 
 
 But the ho7ir coiuet/i, and nozo is, when the true zvorshippers shall 
 worship the Father in spirit and in trnth : for the Father seeketh such 
 to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that xvorship him must 
 worship him in spirit and in trtith. — John iv. 23, 24. 
 
 ALAS, how sad that the Hebrews had forgotten the God 
 of Israel as he revealed himself to their fathers, and 
 had fallen into formalism ! But our Lord had come to bring 
 in a better state of things and to prepare a people over all the 
 earth, diverse from one another in many things, but one in 
 this, that they aim at worship which is true to the truth of 
 things, and which is spiritual. We live in the time contem- 
 plated. Let us be profoundly thankful for what we witness, 
 still more for what we have been taught of the Holy Ghost 
 to join in rendering to the Father, 
 
 For the Father, combining love which looks to the good of 
 his creatures with law which comes from his own nature, 
 seeks spiritual worshippers. Let us be fellow-workers with 
 him and try to teach men his nature that, forsaking idols and 
 errors, they may worship him in spirit and in truth. 
 
 The nature of God determines the kind of worship. He is 
 holy. He calls for holiness in them that come nigh him. 
 He is omniscient. He sees and hates evil in the heart no 
 less than in the life. He requires heart purity in his wor- 
 shippers. He is not like the gods of the heathen, and he will 
 not accept what blinded men carry to them. He has made 
 known his nature and his attributes to men with clearness 
 enough to show them what they ought to be and to offer. 
 
 The holy Church throughout the world, 
 
 O Lord, confesses thee, 
 That thou the eternal Father are, 
 
 Of boundless majesty. 
 
 Tate ( Translation). 
 
July 2. 
 Efjat C^Jrigit mag titodl in ^aux Jeartg bg faitlj. 
 
 Eph. iii. 17. 
 
 K^/ a little while, and the ivorld seeth me no more ; but ye see me : 
 because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall knoiv that I 
 am in my Father y and ye in me, and I in you. — John xiv. 19, 20. 
 
 THE above words were uttered by the Saviour on the eve 
 of his crucifixion, at a time when the most painful 
 scenes of his life were crowding one upon another and sorely 
 pressing him on all sides. They were given to comfort the 
 hearts of his disciples, who were overwhelmed with grief. 
 Thus soon their Lord and Master was to be taken from their 
 midst. And as we read and re-read this valedictory, we ex- 
 claim, How beautiful ! how fitting to the occasion ! how com- 
 forting! Surely the disciples, though stricken with grief, 
 must have felt, to some degree at least, their hearts burn 
 within them at the announcement of these exceeding great 
 and precious promises. 
 
 " Yet a little while," says the Saviour. He had but a few 
 hours to live. Judas at that very hour, perhaps moment, was 
 consummating his treason. And before the morrow's sun ap- 
 peared over the hills of Judea the Saviour was in the hands 
 of his betrayers and murderers. " And the world seeth me 
 no more." No, not till the morning of the resurrection, when 
 every eye shall see him, but not as a man of sorrows and 
 acquainted with grief, but as a conqueror amid the splendors 
 and soldiery of heaven. " But ye see me." Between the time 
 of his resurrection and ascension, for the space of forty days 
 he appeared to his apostles, and on one occasion was seen of 
 above five hundred brethren at once. Yes, and his followers 
 ever see him by the eye of faith, and at last will see him as 
 he is. 
 
 Prince of light, to thee I cry ! 
 
 By thy glorious majesty, 
 
 Lord, thy presence let me see ; 
 
 Manifest thyself to me 1 Richard Manx. 
 
July 3. 
 
 ^0 0f)all fa3£ cbcr hz iuiti) tfje Horti. — i Thess. iv. 17. 
 
 /;/ my Father^ s hotise are many mansions : if it were not so, I 
 would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go 
 and prepare a place for yon, I will come again, and receive you unto 
 myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go 
 ye know, and the way ye know. — John xiv. 2-4. 
 
 HOW clear and satisfying a view of the life to come is 
 presented in these words of our Saviour's! So posi- 
 tive an affirmation of its reality from the hps of one who came 
 forth from God puts to silence the denials of unbelief. All 
 speculations respecting the future state are valueless to those 
 who have looked upon this picture of home life beyond the 
 grave. How cheering in view of earthly conflicts, and what 
 a stimulus to untiring activity in Christian work! 
 
 Into this land of many mansions, or abiding places, the 
 Lord has gone as the head and representative of ransomed 
 humanity. Our hope, as an anchor of the soul, is sure and 
 steadfast, entering into that which is within the veil, whither 
 the forerunner has for us entered, even Jesus. There he 
 reigns for the overthrow of sin ; and when he has accom- 
 plished his purpose of mercy in the hearts and through the 
 agency of his faithful followers, he receives them to himself 
 that they may share his glory. 
 
 Nor need any one go astray. Christ is the way. Trustful 
 reliance upon him and his finished work will secure all the 
 blessings that are wrapped up in the terms, Home and 
 Father. 
 
 BMifc 
 
 crudorpt^t^z/t^^. 
 
 Well, the delightful day will come, 
 When my dear Lord will bring me home, 
 
 And I shall see his face. 
 Then with my Saviour, brother, fiiend, 
 A blest eternity I '11 spend, 
 
 Triumphant in his grace. 
 
 Samuel Medley. 
 
July 4. 
 ^ berg present fj^Ip m trouble. — psalm xivi. i. 
 
 Be of good cheer ; it is I ; be not afraid. — Matt. xiv. 27. 
 
 " T ESUS constrained his disciples to get into a ship and 
 I go to the other side " away from influences which 
 tended only to the carnal and temporal; and "he himself 
 went up into a mountain apart to pray." If we would escape 
 temptation, we must flee from it and draw nigh unto God. And 
 sometimes it may seem that in escaping temptation we fall 
 into dire calamities. The winds may be contrary, the waves 
 may be rough and boisterous, the night may come on dark 
 and starless, and yet it were better to be overwhelmed in 
 such a sea than to be engulfed in sin and error. But Jesus 
 does not forget his disciples. High on the mountain-top 
 he prays, and in the hour of need comes with almighty help 
 to convert our calamities into blessings. 
 
 We are sailing to the other shore. Sometimes the sea is 
 wild and raging; sometimes the heart is troubled like the 
 sea, but Jesus comes walking on the angry waters, and over 
 the roar of the tempest, within and without, we hear his 
 voice, " Be of good cheer; it is I ; be not afraid; " and that 
 voice brings a calm to the sea and the soul. And when he 
 bids us come to his side, we can look to Jesus, and walk, 
 like Peter, on the angry flood. But if we look away from 
 Jesus to the threatening tide and storm, our faith will 
 weaken, our courage will fail, our feet will sink. But happy 
 for us even then if there yet remaineth faith to cry, " Lord, 
 save, or I perish;" for in that hour Jesus will stretch forth 
 his hand to save, and to bring the peace which the soul 
 needs. 
 
 Ridc;e of the mountain-wave, lower thy crest ! 
 Wail of the tempest-wind, be thou at rest ! 
 Sorrow can never be, darkness must flv, 
 Where saith the Light of light, " Peace ! it is I ! " 
 
 J. NEALE (Translation). 
 
July 5. 
 
 5E62 hjortis totxt faunti, antJ 31 tJi'tJ tai tf)cm. — jer. xv. 16. 
 
 Verily, vet'ily, I say tmto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the 
 miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and ivere filled. — JoHN 
 vi. 26. 
 
 THE miracles should have convinced the Galileans that 
 Jesus of Nazareth is the Saviour of the world. This 
 was their design. After he had seen a few of them, Nico- 
 demus of Jerusalem made a distinct confession. But these 
 Galileans were gross and sensual in their desires. Food 
 without work was an attraction. Curiosity was aroused. 
 The material advantages of our Lord's ministry were wel- 
 come. Like the Roman soldiers who crucified him and 
 then divided his garments, they were glad to accept all that 
 he would give, while they were unwilling to accept hint. 
 Thus they announced their own condemnation. In refusing 
 salvation they ultimately lost every blessing. 
 
 Their mistake is constantly repeated. Men "eat of the 
 loaves " and still reject the Saviour. Freedom, civilization, 
 home, the Sabbath, — these are all the miracles of our Lord. 
 No one would wish to live away from them. Life is not 
 worth much if it is not within sound of the church bell. But 
 these things cannot save ; they are evidences of a Saviour's 
 presence. They are not the Saviour; he, and he alone, can 
 save, and the silent appeal of these precious blessings is 
 an urgent entreaty to accept his salvation. Have you found 
 the Saviour, or are you satisfied to " eat of the loaves " 1 
 
 Break thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me, 
 As thou didst break the loaves beside the sea. 
 Beyond the sacred page I seek thee, Lord, 
 My spirit pants for thee, O living Word! 
 
 Mary A. Lathbury. 
 
July 6. 
 hx notjincf tcrrifieti ig 2^^^ atj^ergaries. — Phil. i. 28. 
 
 Bz^t there shall not a hair of your head perish. — Luke xxi. i8. 
 
 IN terms proverbial and figurative Jesus here signifies the 
 immunity of his servants ; adversity cannot hinder what 
 he promises them. The family ties of a believer may be 
 rent, but not the union of his soul with his Saviour, once it 
 has in good faith been established. No slander of adver- 
 saries can diminish our inheritance with the saints in glory. 
 Tribulations endured on earth shall only enhance " the rest 
 that remaineth," and add zest to the more active joys of each 
 guest arriving with angels to welcome him at the celestial 
 home. The very defeats suffered by the servants of the 
 Lord shall set forward and build up the kingdom they labor 
 for. Stephen in his death was defeated, but the end of the 
 victory he then achieved, in bringing converts to Christ, is 
 not seen yet. His body was bruised; his head was fractured, 
 and yet not a hair of it perished. Sustained, honored, saved 
 he was. Heaven he saw opened, and Jesus standing there 
 by the throne, who received his spirit. 
 
 Our Lord has not promised exemption from all violence 
 of evil men, on the contrary has bidden us look for it; but 
 he promises his blessed presence and a safety higher and 
 more enduring. They that suffer with him shall succeed. 
 His tried ones shall triumph. His slain shall survive. 
 Followers of the Lamb shall reign forever with him. 
 
 How are thy servants blest, O Lord I 
 
 How sure is their defence ! 
 Eternal wisdom is their guide, 
 
 Their help, omnipotence. 
 
 JOSEPH Addison. 
 
July 7. 
 
 (ZT^c 3Lortj Jatfj lai'ti on Jim tfje miquitg of us all. 
 Isaiah liii. 6. 
 
 Ail jjv shall be offended because of me this night : for it is written, 
 I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered 
 abroad. — Matt. xxvi. 31. 
 
 THESE touching words of our most holy Lord must 
 have made a deep impression on his disciples ; and so 
 they should on us. The occasion and the surroundings were 
 sad; and in the tones of his voice and in his words there 
 was sadness. They reveal the loneliness of Christ, on the 
 one hand, and on the other, the weakness of even his own 
 chosen and best disciples. When troubles come, friends 
 forsake us. ALiny people will shrink from standing by their 
 friends or the Church when in trouble, even if good is to 
 come out of the troubles. The good appear to disadvantage 
 and are at a discount in this world, and people last of all 
 help a good man because he is good, or suffers for the 
 good. 
 
 All the disciples were *• offended " because of Christ that 
 night, and all forsook him, and were like sheep without a 
 shepherd. Oh, that we may never from fear or shame allow 
 our Master's cause to suffer, or forsake it when dangers sur- 
 round it or threaten it! Although all were "offended" and 
 forsook Christ, he still fulfilled his high and holy mission, 
 and so let each one of us, even if all alone and forsaken, 
 live, labor, and suffer for God, his cause, and his children. 
 
 <^.^k-M.<iuA 
 
 1/(^rA. 
 
 Ashamed of Jesus ! — empty pride ; 
 I '11 boast a Saviour crucified, 
 And, oh, may this my portion be, 
 My Saviour not ashamed of me ! 
 
 Joseph Grigg. 
 
July 8. 
 
 lElentier ... to all tjeir tiues. — Romans xiii. 7. 
 
 Render therefor tuito Ccesar the things which are Casar's ; and 
 unto God the things that are God's. — Matt. xxii. 21. 
 
 THIS answer of our Lord evokes our admiration of his 
 wisdom in dealing with his hypocritical adversaries. 
 But now that eighteen centuries have passed, it remains one 
 of the most convincing proofs of his wonderful wisdom as a 
 teacher of men. Sadly enough it happens that those bear- 
 ing his name have not profited by this plain discrimination. 
 A large proportion of the public troubles in Christendom 
 may be traced to our practical ignoring of the distinction 
 between duties to God and duties to the government. The 
 first Christian emperors sought to subordinate the Church 
 to the State, and this error still prevails. The Papacy seeks 
 to subordinate the State to the Church, while Puritanism 
 sought to make Church and State identical. All these efforts 
 have failed. In our country the correct principle prevails. 
 But how many Protestants err in one or the other of the 
 ways just indicated ! In a free country more than in any 
 other safety depends on following closely this principle laid 
 down by our Master. 
 
 /^ ^^^tMc. 
 
 t^ 
 
 May we thy bounties thus 
 
 As stewards true receive, 
 And gladly, as thou blessest us, 
 
 To thee our first fruits give ! 
 
 \\'. W. How. 
 
July 9. 
 Clotjeb toitj) irii)itc robes, antj palms in tj^eir j^antis. 
 
 Rev. vii. 9. 
 
 A^<f that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment ; 
 and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will con- 
 fess his name before my Father, and before his angels. — Rev. iii. 5. 
 
 WHAT earnestness there must be in the hfe of a Chris- 
 tian if we either look upon how much he has to over- 
 come, or how much he is in danger of losing ! We, as Chris- 
 tians, have before us difficulties and temptations, enemies 
 within and without, especially that dreadful and deadly dis- 
 ease, self-confidence, when we are pleased with what we are 
 and therefore do not press on toward the goal unto the prize 
 of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. But no matter 
 what is in our way it ought not to discourage, still less de- 
 ject us, as if it would be almost hopeless to think of over- 
 coming. The last words in our text not only show us the 
 glorious things we may lose, but they at the same time hold 
 up before our eyes what we will gain by continuing the fight 
 till the last enemy is overcome ; yea, they are properly prom- 
 ises that ought to give us courage and strength to hold out 
 to the end. Then what a victory, — white raiment, having our 
 names in the book of life as members of the heavenly com- 
 monwealth, and confessed by our Saviour as being his before 
 God and the world I 
 
 Ten thousand times ten thousand, 
 
 In sparkling raiment bright, 
 The armies of the ransomed saints 
 
 Throng up the steeps of light. 
 
 'Tis finished, all is finished, 
 
 Their fight with death and sin ! 
 Fling open wide the golden gates 
 
 And let the victors in ! 
 
 Dean Alford. 
 
July io. 
 
 ?^e sjall come to be glorifieti m fjis saints. — 2 thess. i. 10. 
 
 Ve have heard how I said tuito you, I go azvay, and co7ne again unto 
 you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go tinto the 
 Father : for my Father is greater than J. — John xiv. 28. 
 
 NO wonder the disciples were grieved at the thought of 
 losing the familiar presence of their Lord. But 
 whither was he going? To the Father. And would he re- 
 turn? Assuredly, and soon. In this twofold fact, therefore, 
 they were to rejoice, if their love for the Master was intelli- 
 gent and true: (i) They would be glad of his asceiision to 
 the place of his glory both for his sake and their own, — for 
 his, because the humiliation he was enduring was thus about 
 to be replaced by a corresponding exaltation ; for their own, 
 because in this same exaltation the assurance was to be found 
 that the great salvation was at last achieved. (2) The final 
 step is thus about to be taken for his speedy return in the per- 
 son of another and better Comforter than himself, — that of 
 the Holy Spirit. In all this Christ exults in the superiority 
 of his Father who is now recalling him, — superiority in view 
 of that stupendous method of grace which originated with the 
 Father, and who, having sent his Son to mediate it in his 
 name and as his willing servant, promised to reward so 
 signal a service by peophng heaven with those multitudes 
 of the redeemed who shall forever make that abode of bliss 
 resound with the rapturous acclaim: "Salvation unto our 
 God which sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb." 
 
 ^^^^^ 
 
 Hark, those bursts of acclamation ! 
 
 Hark, those loud triumphant chords I 
 Jesus takes the highest station ; 
 
 Oh, what joy the sight affords ! 
 Crown him, crown him, 
 
 ** King of kings and Lord of lords." 
 
July i 
 
 ilorti, is it E ? — Matt. xxvi. 22. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betj-ay me. — 
 John xiii. 21. 
 
 F^ROM the foreknowledge here displayed it results that so 
 shocking an event as the betrayal of Christ by a dis- 
 ciple, which some might allege as grounding at least a sus- 
 picion against Christianity, is rescued from even a seeming- 
 support of such an objection, and becomes itself a " true yoke- 
 fellow " in the grand array of Christian evidences (v. 19). 
 Judas revolted from the Master ; but the Master had foretold 
 it. The shock was broken, his Messiahship was confirmed. 
 
 2. Judas heard the prediction, and therein his own charac- 
 terization at the lips of the Son of God, and also those con- 
 current words, " It had been good for that man if he had not 
 been born." Thus a rehearsal of the judgment day, an 
 earnest of future punishment. 
 
 3. The betrayer, said Jesus, shall be one of you. This em- 
 phatic word brings home the question, Am I treacherous to 
 him ? Is there no Judas-way in me ? 
 
 4. Jesus was "troubled in spirit." What compassion 
 toward the traitor, although justice must take its course ! 
 How great an evil to his eye is sin ! And that trouble of his 
 spirit was but as the twilight to the then fast-coming dark- 
 ness of Gethsemane and Calvary. Amazing love to sinners ! 
 
 'W^.^Jc.c^li^. 
 
 '^ 
 
 Blest Jesus, come and rule my heart, 
 
 And make me wholly thine, 
 That I may never more depart, 
 
 Nor grieve thy love divine. 
 
 Benjamin Cleveland. 
 
July 12. 
 
 iFeeti tfje Eocfe 0! (Hoti.— i peterv. 2. 
 
 IV/io then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made 
 rnler over his household, to give the?n meat in due sea»on? Blessed is 
 that servant, whom his Lord ivhen he cometh shall find so doing. 
 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his 
 goods. — Matt. xxiv. 45-47. 
 
 A FAITHFUL and wise sen^ant, or steward, as Luke 
 calls him, watches — that is, cares for — the interests of 
 his Lord. This is one of those striking parabolic pictures for 
 which our Lord's teachings are distinguished. It is here in 
 the form of a question which each of us must put to his own 
 soul : " Am I this faithful and wise serv^ant or steward .? " 
 The main characteristics of such a ser\^ant are that he should 
 be faithful and wise. Paul writes, " It is required of a stew- 
 ard that a man be found faithful." The proof of his faith- 
 fulness is his watchfulness. The punishment of a sentinel 
 who sleeps on his post has in all ages been death. An un- 
 watchful steward who allows his master's goods to be stolen 
 has his portion with the hypocrites ; but let us be watchful, 
 faithful, and wise, and we shall hear the Lord saying, " Blessed 
 is that servant." 
 
 Especially are our Lord's words addressed to ministers, 
 who are " stewards of the mysteries of God," which demands 
 fidelity to Christ as servants, fidelity to the people as dis- 
 pensers of his Word. To be thus faithful we must be full of 
 faith. And then as to the blessedness, the reward of faithful 
 stewardship, we caii only say in the words of the beloved 
 John, " It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know 
 that when he shall appear we shall be like him : for we shall 
 see him as he is." 
 
 J J. /^^^^^'^-'^^ 
 
 'T is not a cause of small import 
 
 The pastor's care demands, 
 But what might fill an angel's heart, 
 
 And filled a Saviour's hands. 
 
 PHILIP DODDRIDGE, 
 
July 13. 
 
 2rfj2 tegtimonics also are mg tjelitjljt. — psalm cxix. 24. 
 
 // is wrilteit, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word 
 that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. — Matt. iv. 4. 
 
 JESUS meets temptation as a man. Had he used divine 
 power to destroy the Tempter, his victory could neither 
 guide our conduct nor inspire our hope. He fought as we 
 may light ; he won as we may win. He never performed 
 miracles for his own comfort. "It is written," — by this 
 weapon he conquered Satan in each conflict. " The sword 
 of the Spirit, which is the Word of God," was his weapon. 
 On each occasion he cites words from Deuteronomy. He 
 found in this book, against which the critics are hurling their 
 poisoned arrows, an armory of defence. In opposing this 
 book rationalism tilts with divinity. Moses taught the people 
 that God in giving manna was able to feed them with some- 
 thing other than bread ; so Jesus teaches us faith in God's 
 power to help us by whatever he appoints, Jesus was a 
 profound thinker; he went to the heart of truth. The man 
 who tries to live on bread alone, dies. A soul cannot eat 
 wheat ; earthly food feeds earthly life. But man is made to 
 be a son of God; he is a child of eternity, a possible heir 
 of heaven. His spiritual nature, as truly as his physical, 
 must have its appropriate food. The heart is made for 
 God; it cries out for him. A living soul needs a living God. 
 A "thing" may be satisfied with things; a true man needs 
 and must have as his portion the true and living God. This 
 great truth is man's highest glory. Happy they who turn 
 from that which is not bread to eat of the true and " living 
 bread which came down out of heaven." 
 
 Oh, grant us grace, almighty Lord, 
 To read and mark thy holy Word, 
 Its truth with meekness to receive, 
 And by its holy precepts live 1 
 
 Benjamin Beddome. 
 
July 14. 
 
 (Boti Ijatf} gibm to m eternal life— i John v. n. 
 
 TAt's is the h-ead which cometh down from heaven, that a 7naji 
 may eat thei-eof, and not die. — John vi. 50. 
 
 WHAT was the lesson of the manna to the Israelites? 
 Moses explained it thus : " That he might make 
 thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by 
 every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." 
 
 To the saints of the Old Testament the Word of God was 
 the food of the soul. With how much greater ardor and 
 gratitude should we receive this heavenly food ! The Word 
 of God has now become incarnate, has dwelt among us in 
 his ineffable purity and holiness, pitied us, loved us, taught 
 us, healed us, suffered and died for us, risen again on our 
 behalf, and promised to come in glory to receive us to 
 himself, in the mean time offering himself to us in the 
 depths of his love, and by the most simple rite, as the true 
 bread from heaven, the food of our souls. 
 
 Let us feed on Christ, feed on him daily and constantly. 
 When we approach his table, let us not busy ourselves with 
 curious questions about the nature of the mystery we cele- 
 brate, but make it our one concern to receive into our hearts 
 our crucified Saviour. So we shall know what it is to dwell 
 in him, and have him dwelling in us, — to be made like Christ, 
 having within us that new and endless life which comes from 
 Christ and from God, and which bears in it the promise of 
 a glorious resurrection at the last day. 
 
 True Bread of life, in pitying mercy given, 
 
 Long famished souls to strengthen and to feed, 
 
 Christ Jesus, Son of God, true Bread of heaven, 
 Thy flesh is meat, thy blood is drink indeed. 
 
 H. 
 
July 15. 
 
 Eest f)apl2 gc be fotmti then to fiigljt ajgainst t^oti. 
 Acts v. 39. 
 
 Forbid hihi not : for there is no man which shall do a miracle in 
 my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not 
 against its is on our part. — AIark ix. 39, 40. 
 
 WE are taught that working for and with Christ is the 
 way to church union. 
 
 Opposition to deceit and violence, to wrong acts or opin- 
 ions, is opposition to evil spirits, and real alliance with "the 
 Son of Ood," who " was manifested that he might destroy 
 the works of the Devil." 
 
 What work is so " mighty " as that which dispossesses 
 the Devil of his captives and victims? Can it be done excep.t 
 by the truth and authority inseparable from the " Name 
 which is above every name ? " It may be done without the 
 sanction for the moment of habitual association with pro- 
 fessed followers of the Lord. Nevertheless, whenever with 
 the weapons of truth one fights against the spirits of evil, he 
 is already on the way to full fellowship with all the disciples. 
 The work needs no authority beyond the power to do it 
 received from the Master ; but the doer needs for himself 
 the support and comfort of those who are " like minded." 
 The disciples are forbidden to hinder those who are resisting 
 evils in Christ's name, since they will at length come into 
 open unity with all the brethren. 
 
 ^ rCir^^i/^ 
 
 Work, for the night is coming, 
 
 Work through the sunny noon ; 
 Fill brightest hours with labor, 
 
 Rest comes sure and soon. 
 
 ANNIE L. Walker. 
 
July i6. 
 
 E\)t liberal soul sljall lit matje fat. — prov. xi. 25. 
 
 Give, aud it shall be given tmto you ; good measure, pressed down, 
 and s/ialcen together, and running over, shall men give into your 
 bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be 
 measured to you again. — Luke vi. 38. 
 
 GIVE not stintedly, but freely, liberally, cheerfully, not as 
 if driven by a need, except the need of a heart which 
 must satisfy its own motions of love. It is therefore not 
 simply a command from the Master by the authority of the 
 Lord, but it is the challenge of one who is the believer's 
 friend, and who by his wisdom knows how the exercise of 
 this grace will enrich the giver with an abundance of all that 
 is best. It is the voice of him whose love for his is ever 
 actively desiring that his followers shall rejoice and be glad 
 in the enjoyment of all that is enduring. 
 
 These words of our Saviour bear to us the thought which 
 the apostle refers to when he says, " It is more blessed to 
 give than to receive." Now while it is true that God's good- 
 ness is fullest in a spiritual sense, we do hurt to his truth and 
 we fail to reach the intention of the words of Jesus in this 
 text when we refer their application either to the world to 
 come, or to the sphere of purely spiritual things. It is this 
 life which is to be enriched by the free and loving emulation 
 of the example of Jesus. It is here and now that the seed 
 we sow with ungrudging spirit and an open hand shall bring 
 us the promised return. Because " God loveth a cheerful 
 giver," therefore it is that "he which soweth bountifully 
 shall reap bountifully" (see 2 Cor. ix. 6-13). Thus, then, 
 giving with loving heart and hand for Jesus' sake is the 
 surest way of refreshing, beautifying, and enriching most 
 abundantly our own life. Thus will his disciples be more 
 like the Master both in spirit and deed. 
 
 XC. 2a/vi-u>»^ Aie>3^ 
 
 Who sparingly his seed bestows, 
 
 He sparingly shall also reap ; 
 But whoso plentifully sows, 
 
 The plenteous sheaves his hand shall heap. 
 
 Thomas Cotterill. 
 
July 17. 
 
 get inill 31 trust m Jim. — Job xiii. 15. 
 
 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. — Matt, 
 xi. 6. 
 
 THE occasions of offence in the Christian life are many, 
 and come from every side. John the Baptist was 
 offended because he was imprisoned. The sisters Mary 
 and Martha were offended when their brother, whom Jesus 
 loved, languished and died. So it is still, and so it will be 
 always. What Christ does we know not now. His conduct 
 toward his dearest friends is often apparently very strange; 
 they know disappointment, disaster, and death. As with 
 Jacob of old, all things seem to be against them. Never- 
 theless it is Christ who gives sight to the blind and preaches 
 the gospel to the poor. He it is who, though he was rich, 
 for our sakes became poor. In the multitude of our thoughts 
 within us these comforts should delight our souls. Come 
 what may, the love of the cross can never fail ; Jesus Christ 
 is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. Blessed indeed is 
 it, though nature faints and fails, to look beyond the clouds 
 into his face and say, " Though he slay me, yet will I trust 
 him," then heaven comes down our souls to greet, and we 
 have songs in the night, in the assurance that the same hand 
 that was pierced for us is leading us by the right way to the 
 city of habitation. 
 
 Far, far above thy thought 
 
 Ills counsel shall appear, 
 When fully he the work has wrought 
 
 That caused thy needless fear. 
 
 J. Wesley {Translation). 
 
July i8. 
 
 ST^CS ^^^^ ^^'^ ^^^^"^ ^^ft ^6^ ?^'''^2 ®!)O0t. — Acts ii. 4. 
 Receive ye the Holy Ghost.— ]o'A^ xx. 22. 
 
 IT is the peculiar excellence and glory of our religion that 
 it is spiritual ; that the soul of man is quickened, enlight- 
 ened, sanctified, and consoled by the indwelling presence of 
 the spirit of the eternal God. To his disciples, in view of 
 the great work to which he had called them, — the evan- 
 gelization of the world, — Jesus said, " Receive ye the Holy 
 Ghost." The gift of the Holy Spirit was not peculiar to the 
 chosen ambassadors of the Christ. The same gift is ex- 
 pressly promised " to them that obey him." The saints in 
 Ephesus trusted in Jesus after they heard the word of truth, 
 the gospel of their salvation, and after they believed they 
 were sealed with the Holy Spirit which had been promised. 
 Saint Paul exhorts his brethren to pray "always with all 
 prayer and supplication in the Spirit;" and assures them 
 that he prays to our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole 
 family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant 
 them according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened 
 with might by his spirit in the inner man. This blessing 
 is needed by Christians now; and it maybe possessed and 
 enjoyed by faith, love, obedience, and prayer. Be assured 
 that " our Father which art in heaven" will freely "give the 
 Holy Spirit to them that ask him." 
 
 O Holy Spirit, now descend on me 
 
 As showers of rain upon the thirsty ground I 
 
 Cause me to flourish as a spreading tree ; 
 May all thy precious fruits in me be found ! 
 
 C. FORSVTH. 
 
July 19. 
 
 ge ^uijt fenoiun tf)c iFat|}er. — i John ii. 13. 
 
 O righteous Father, the world hath not knozun thee : but I have 
 known thee, and these have k)iown that thou hast sent me. And I 
 have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it : that the love 
 luherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. — John 
 xvii. 25, 26. 
 
 SO ends the tender intercessory prayer of our Lord. First 
 it was the " Father," then the " holy Father," and now 
 it is the " righteous Father " to whom the appeal is made, — 
 righteous to condemn the faithless and to justify the believer, 
 — ready to impute his righteousness to those who rely on the 
 atonement of his Son, and to implant that righteousness in 
 those who seek conformity to his image. 
 
 But the unbelieving world knows not God as the fountain 
 of forgiving love. This knowledge can be communicated 
 only by one who knows the Father as the Son knows him, in 
 the riches of his grace and glory. Christ comes bearing a 
 royal commission, and what he is sent to do he will surely ac- 
 complish. To all who receive him he will make immediate 
 and continued revelations of what is implied in the Father's 
 saving, sanctifying, glorifying name, — once a name which the 
 trembling worshipper scarcely dared to pronounce, but now a 
 name inspiring confidence, love, and joy ; once a name ex- 
 pressive of eternal being only, but now of eternal love. God, 
 therefore, may be known, not as " the power without us that 
 works for righteousness," but as a personal Father, revealing 
 himself to our consciousness and to our affection. 
 
 Regard thine own eternal prayer, 
 
 And send a peaceful answer down. 
 To us thy Father's name declare ; 
 
 Unite and perfect us in one. 
 
July 20. 
 
 Cfjete 10 hut one . . . ILorli Jesus ^jjrist, — i Cor. viii. 6. 
 
 Biit be not ye called Rabbi : for one is your Master^ even Christ; 
 and all ye are brethren. — Matt, xxiii. 8. 
 
 BOTH by precept and example our blessed Saviour teaches 
 us the greatness and the glory of a meek and lowly 
 spirit, — that superiority comes by subjection ; that mastership 
 goes hand in hand with ministration ; that the only true great- 
 ness is the greatness of him that serves. He washed his dis- 
 ciples' feet, and said, " I am among you as he that serveth." 
 He declares of himself that he came " not to be ministered 
 unto, but to minister," and says, " Whosoever will be chief 
 among you let him be your servant." How often he said, 
 "He that exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that hum- 
 bleth himself shall be exalted " ! The teaching of his entire 
 ministry, and especially the teaching of his cross, is against 
 the desire to be called '* Rabbi." 
 
 One is our Master, even Christ. How deep a want of our 
 being is answered here! We must have a master; we were 
 formed for reverencing and loving, for learning, following, 
 and obeying. Such a master we have in Jesus Christ our 
 Lord; and upon him we may expend those feelings of bound- 
 less admiration and passionate attachment and devotion 
 which we may cherish for no earthly master. Let us sit at 
 his feet and learn of him. Let us take our orders from him. 
 Let us be loyal to him. 
 
 Wpp4^ 
 
 / 
 
 O Master, let me walk with thee 
 In lowly paths of service free. 
 Tell me thy secret ; help me bear 
 The strain of toil, the fret of care. 
 
 WASHINGTON GLADDEN. 
 
July 21. 
 
 ^fjetoelJ tobjartJ jjw name, in tfiat ge jjafje ministereti to 
 tf)e gamts. — Heb. vi. 10. 
 
 /^<7r ye have the poor always 7vith you ; but fne ye have not always. 
 — Matt. xxvi. ii. 
 
 " T^HE poor shall never cease out of the land." Opportu- 
 JL nities to relieve the needy will never be wanting ; 
 but the opportunity to anoint Christ for his burial came but 
 once in the history of the world. A few days later he was to 
 be nailed to the cross. The Christ as we have him on that 
 day in the house of Simon, under the shadow of Calvary, will 
 never in this way come precisely over this same path of 
 sorrow again. As he there is, he will not always be with 
 them. This sort of anointing was possible only then. It was 
 Mary's great opportunity, and with what an enthusiasm of 
 self-forgetting zeal did she seize upon and improve it ! The 
 poorest offerings of love, of grateful love, are well pleasing to 
 our Saviour. With our bodies no less than with our spirits, 
 with our mite no less than with our millions we can accept- 
 ably glorify him. 
 
 We belong to Christ. This is our only comfort, living and 
 dying. Ourselves we must consecrate to him as a living 
 sacrifice. But do not fail to break the alabaster box, else the 
 sweet-scented spikenard will not anoint his body, nor its 
 pleasant fragrance fill his house. 
 
 
 In them thou mayst be clothed and fed, 
 
 And visited and cheered, 
 And in their accents of distress, 
 
 Our Saviour's voice is heard. 
 
 Philip Doddridge. 
 
July 22. 
 
 (3oti, toljicl) alinags caitgetf) lis to triutnpfj in Christ. 
 2 Cor. ii. 14. 
 
 /« /"/^^ world ye shall have tribulation ; /^«/ ^^ of good cKeer ; I have 
 overcome the world. — John xvi. 33. 
 
 WITH what frankness Christ tells that the vessel of the 
 Church shall not move over smooth seas, with favor- 
 ing breezes filling her sails till she reaches the desired haven. 
 No, not thus, but on the contrary, wind and wave shall often 
 threaten shipwreck and disaster, though all shall be well at 
 last. Listen to these words of the Lord Jesus, you who, like 
 Baruch (Jer. xlv. 3), are moaning, " Woe is me now, for the 
 Lord hath added grief to my sorrow ! " Listen to the Lord's 
 words you who, like David (i Sam. xxvii. i), are saying, " I 
 shall one day perish by the hand of Saul ! " 
 
 Perhaps your desponding heart replies, " This is tantalizing 
 me, not helping. For he may well overcome, but that is not 
 the same as my overcoming ! " Is it not.'' Think again, — 
 think better of the Lord's most gracious words. Did he not 
 say (John xiv. 19), " Because I live, ye shall live also " ? Every 
 branch in the Vine is one with the Vine. Every believing 
 sinner is a branch in the Vine. You were united to Christ the 
 first moment you leaned on him. The Holy Spirit who led 
 you to Christ did also unite you to him ; and that union stands 
 fast, however great be your trials and tribulations. 
 
 It was in your feeble nature (" The flesh is weak ! " — Matt, 
 xxvi. 41) that he overcame tribulation, — tribulation ten thou- 
 sand times more terrible than yours, — and he is following up 
 his victory when from day to day the feeblest disciple, simply 
 leaning on him, is shown to be mightier than all hell, and 
 stronger than the world. He would lose his fame as con- 
 queror if you, a member of his body, were to fail. 
 
 Thou dost conduct thy people _ 
 Through torrents of temptation ; 
 
 Nor will we fear, while thou art near, 
 The fire of tribulation. c. wesley. 
 
July 23. 
 
 1 toill bless tjee . . . ttcause tfjott fjast ohmti mg bofcr. 
 
 Gen. xxii. 17, 18. 
 Stretch forth thine hand. — Matt. xii. 13. 
 
 PICTURE to yourself the scene at the moment when this 
 command broke forth from the lips of our Lord : there is 
 the hand, feeling, motion all gone, its executive power utterly 
 lost; there is Jesus, the divine healer, able to restore it whole 
 as the other. We see these ; but is that all ? Nay, but be- 
 tween these two figures — this divine Person and this' withered 
 hand — there is a channel through which the almighty energy 
 of the one flows with life-giving, curative virtue into the dry 
 and shrunken form of the other. What is that channel .? The 
 man believed Jesus could heal him. Was it that.'* In part, 
 but not all. When Jesus said, Stretch forth thine hand, the 
 man's faith prompted him to instant obedience ; although he 
 had tried to do this a thousand times before, and had not 
 been able, yet such was his belief in Jesus that without a 
 moment's hesitation he again makes the effort, and it was just 
 in the act of making this effort that he felt the healing vigor 
 given to him. What then is the lesson that this incident has 
 for us ? Surely this, — that when Abolition is wedded to Faith, 
 Omnipotence will bless the banns. Here lies the secret of all 
 strength. Apply it to whatever emergency or requirement, 
 and it will never fail. Are you enslaved to some habit which 
 Christ bids you put off .^ Look to him and make an effort at 
 freedom, and the bonds will be burst. Is a hard task imposed 
 upon you, and do you feel inadequate to it } Trust in him 
 and make the effort, and you will lind that what is impossible 
 with man is possible with God. 
 
 My highest hope to be where, Lord, thou art, 
 To lose myself in thee my richest gain ; 
 
 To do thv will the habit of my heart, 
 To grieve the Spirit my severest pain. 
 
 MO.NSELL. 
 
July 24. 
 
 5^10 oinn uirrartJ accortiing to ijis oinn labour. — i Cor. iii. 8. 
 
 For the Son of man shall come m the glory of his Father with 
 his angels ; and then he shall reward roery man according to his 
 works. — Matt. xvj. 27. 
 
 THESE words of our Saviour immediately follow the 
 announcement of his impending death in Jerusalem, 
 and the call to all his disciples to a life of self-sacrifice for 
 him. They present a powerful incentive to duty by showing 
 us that the rewards of the future will more than compensate 
 for all the trials of the present, however severe. 
 
 As our blessed Lord, in view of his baptism of suffering, in 
 the true spirit of trustful obedience nerved himself for the 
 dread conflict by looking forward to the "joy that was set be- 
 fore him," so he would stimulate our faith and courage by 
 directing our thoughts to that great day of assize when those 
 who have suffered with him shall also be glorified with him. 
 When he comes in the glory of his Father with his angels, 
 when the judgment is set and tlie race of man is judged by the 
 " Son of man," who will not rejoice to have lived for Christ, 
 like Christ, and if God has so ordered it, suffered for Christ.'' 
 
 oC. ,t„/^6;^5^/>2^k/ 
 
 Stand up ! stand up for Jesus ! 
 
 The strife will not be long; 
 This day, the noise of battle, 
 
 The next, the victor's song : 
 To him that overcometh, 
 
 A crown of life shall be ; 
 He with the King of glory 
 
 Shall reign eternally. 
 
 S. DUFFIELD. 
 
July 25, 
 
 %}t fenotoetl} tje inag tjat 5 take. — Job xxiii, 10. 
 
 / J^'ucnu thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot : I 7voidd 
 thou 7C'ert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and 
 neither cold nor hot, I will spie thee out of my jjiouth. — Rev. 
 iii. 15, 16. 
 
 HOW searching are the eyes of God, " discerning the 
 thoughts and intents of the heart " ! How naked our 
 souls " to him with whom we have to do " ! His vision is 
 both telescopic and microscopic, seeing us afar off and mag- 
 nifying our actions in their true light. Where art thou .'' he 
 asks us as he did Adam. What doest thou here ? he asks 
 as he did Elijah. We are to examine ourselves to see 
 whether we are in the faith or not. In the light of eternity 
 where do I stand.'' Am I a Laodicean, and lukewarm.? 
 Once my faith was bright and warm ; now but a few dying 
 embers left. Have I just enough religion to lull my con- 
 science into a false security? Lukewarm; he wants me to 
 be either cold or hot (boiling, fervent) rather than lukewarm; 
 yes, even cold (ice cold), rather than lukewarm. Does our 
 text mean he would rather have me no Christian than a 
 lukewarm professor .'' No, it does not question the state as 
 much as the tendency of my heart. Lukewarmness, if I am 
 going from cold to hot, is desirable ; but if I am passing 
 from hot to cold, it is worse than coldness. What says the 
 thermometer; which way points the barometer of my heart? 
 Am I inclining to evil or to good, — growing in grace or in 
 evil? Lord, help me to return to thee ! " The peaceful hours 
 I once enjoyed," may they return with richer, fuller peace ! 
 " Oh, for a closer walk with God ! " Take a coal from off 
 thine altar, dearest Lord, and warm my heart with holy fire. 
 
 Low at thy feet my soul would lie ; 
 
 Here safety dwells, and peace divine. 
 Still let me live beneath thine eye, 
 
 For life, eternal life is thine. 
 
 ANNE STEELE. 
 
July 26. 
 ^JiltJrm arc a Ijeritage of tje ILorti. — Psalm cxxvii. 3. 
 
 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth 
 me. — Mark ix. 37. 
 
 ^'^HIS is not a charter for an orphan asylum, but an 
 index to individual duty. Every home ought at some 
 time to have a child, and every child a home. If God de- 
 nies us the boon, there are forlorn hearts of other parentage, 
 and wistful faces in plenty that appeal for a father's love and 
 a mother's care. 
 
 But whether the children come to us by birth or by adop- 
 tion, we are to receive them in Jesus' name, — not merely for 
 the love they bring us, still less for any help they may give, 
 but for what we can do for them in the name of Christ. We 
 are to make our embrace like the very arms of Jesus, and 
 the putting forth of our hands a benediction on their lives; 
 and great shall be our reward. Christ says to us as did 
 Pharaoh's daughter to the mother of Moses, " Take this 
 child and nurse it for me and I will give thee thy wages." 
 Our wages are himself. In entertaining strangers we may 
 find an angel unawares. But in receiving and training a 
 child for Christ, Jesus is sure to be our guest. He has joint 
 interest with us in the work, and considers himself welcomed 
 in the welcome which we give his helpless wards. 
 
 Lord, we tremble, for we know 
 How the fierce malicious foe, 
 Wheeling round his watchful flight, 
 Keeps them ever in his sight ; 
 Spread thy pinions, King of kings, 
 Hide them safe beneath thy wings, 
 Lest the ravenous bird of prey 
 Stoop, and bear the brood away ! 
 
July 27. 
 iio^ to appear m t!jc ptfscncc of ©otj for us. — Heb. ix. 24. 
 
 Afid for their sakes I sanctify myself that they also might be 
 sanctified through the truth. — John xvii, 19. 
 
 JESUS lived and died for the benefit of others; he pleased 
 not himself, did nothing for himself. All was done to 
 honor God and to save mankind. About to go unto the 
 Father, he prays for his apostles. He had given them his 
 Father's words, and would, when just ready to ascend to 
 heaven, give them the gospel and his law of pardon for the 
 whole world. Anxious to have them filled with the spirit 
 of truth, and their entire energies devoted to the work of 
 making the truth known to others, he prays the Father to 
 set them apart, or "sanctify them through the truth," on the 
 plea that it was for their sakes and to this end he had given 
 up everything else and sanctified himself. 
 
 In this prayer Jesus includes with the apostles all who 
 believe on him through their luord, and all such can learn 
 from it how he intercedes for them in heaven. While pray- 
 ing to their Father to sanctify them through his Word, and 
 striving to follow Jesus, this text will assure them of a union 
 with him in action, in prayer, and in truth, — a union soon to 
 be consummated in eternal glory. 
 
 JQ—dn^Cijtc^ "^rzX/f.'t/T^W^ 
 
 Lord, in all thy power and glory, 
 
 Still thy thoughts and eyes are here, 
 Watching o'er thy ransomed people, 
 
 To thy gracious heart so dear. 
 Thou for us art interceding, 
 
 Everlasting is thy love, 
 And a blessed rest preparing 
 
 In our Father's house above. 
 
 J. g.deck. 
 
July 28. 
 
 Jot not tfje j^earerg of tjje lain are just before (^oti, 
 
 but t{)e tioers. — Romans ii. 13. 
 7a^^ //^<?^ therefore how ye hear. — Luke viii. 18. 
 
 THE gift of hearing is properly one of the valued endow- 
 ments of life. How intricate and delicate is the struc- 
 ture of the ear, and how great the loss when by disease, 
 accident, or advancing age our hearing is impaired or de- 
 stroyed ! This faculty is frequently mentioned in Scripture, 
 usually in connection with serious counsel or warning. 
 
 The free use of any favor always implies the possibility of 
 its abuse, and our Saviour evidently had an eye to this danger 
 when he said, " Take heed therefore how ye hear ! " In the 
 parable of the sower he has just said, " The seed is the Word 
 of God." This may fall upon the fickle heart, like the thin 
 soil on a ledge of barren rock, or upon the pathway of a 
 worldly life, to be snatched away by greedy fowl of adventure, 
 or where thorns of cares, riches, and pleasures of this life will 
 surely choke its growth. 
 
 The " therefore " is to be emphasized. There is danger 
 that our hearing of gospel truth will not be appreciative, re- 
 ceptive, and of the assimilating kind, not as good ground 
 bringing forth thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold (Matt. xiii. 
 8). Therefore take heed how ye hear / 
 
 My soul rejoices to pursue 
 
 The steps of him I love, 
 Till glory breaks upon my view 
 
 In brighter worlds above. 
 
 COWPBR. 
 
Jlly 29. 
 
 racimti£ti in tfje fjoiisc at mg fri£uti3. — Zech. xiii. 6. 
 
 Verily I sav iinto you, One of yoit which eateth with me shall he- 
 tray me. — Mark xiv- i8. 
 
 WE are appalled at the sin of Judas. Yet, as when 
 Jesus said this word the other disciples asked, " Lord, 
 is it I ? " we may well consider whether we ourselves are not 
 in danger of such sin. 
 
 It is not, indeed, wise to exaggerate our faults as though 
 every failure were a betrayal. Some who followed Jesus 
 after awhile " went back, and walked no more with him," 
 and some in his hour of trial '-forsook him and fled," and 
 Peter '• denied " him ; but only Judas betrayed him. 
 
 When one called a Christian lives in such open sin as to 
 bring dishonor upon Christ, so that " the name of God is blas- 
 phemed through" him, is it not betraying Christ.-^ Or if 
 one misleads and perverts those younger, "offending the little 
 ones which believe " in Jesus, of which sort of offenders our 
 Lord said, " It were better for him that a millstone were 
 hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea," is not 
 this to betray Christ ? 
 
 Seeing that such sins have not ceased, let us fear, and pray 
 that no temptation without, or weakness within, may make us 
 false to the Lord at whose table we have eaten. 
 
 /i^:^,^t^Cc£>c^ o^^n^z^^^z^^^"^-^^ 
 
 Oh, to grace how great a debtor 
 
 Daily I 'm constrained to be ! 
 Let thy goodness, like a fetter, 
 
 Bind my wandering heart to thee. 
 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, 
 
 Prone to leave the God I love. 
 Here 's my heart ; oh, take and seal it, 
 
 Seal it for thy courts above. 
 
 ROBERT ROBINSO.N. 
 
July 30. 
 
 ^ntj metcg rejoicetjj against jutisment. —James ii. 13. 
 
 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest 
 them which are sent icnto thee, hozu often zuould I have gathered thy 
 children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her 
 wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you. 
 desolate, — Matt, xxiii. t;], 38. 
 
 JESUS uttered this intense cry of love, grief, and warning 
 at sight of the doomed city. Jerusalem then represented 
 the Church and chosen nation; and in her external glory she 
 vied with the proudest cities of earth. But the Saviour be- 
 wailed her moral and spiritual decline, for it had filled the 
 measure of iniquity, and justice waited on mercy. The 
 people formed rival sects, persecuted God's messengers of 
 grace, and welcomed false prophets and false Christs. The 
 rulers believed not in Jesus, and " gathered together against 
 the Lord and against his Christ," purposing to kill him and 
 seize his inheritance. In them the Saviour saw sin in its 
 most damning features ; yet " straitened " to cleanse them by 
 his blood, he makes this melting appeal. Surely, " waters 
 cannot quench nor floods drown " the love of Jesus for per- 
 ishing sinners. But if we refuse him, nothing can " hide us 
 from the wrath of the Lamb." 
 
 Our Lord Jesus has "all power in heaven and in earth," 
 that he may save the lost. The Church is the recipient, 
 depositary, and dispenser of his saving grace. Does she 
 own her King.? Is she united in the love of truth ? Do her 
 ministry and members co-operate with him ? Let us beware 
 of the blood of precious souls. Join not in the prevalent cry, 
 " We will not have this man to reign over us." Be ready 
 and eager to " bring forth the royal diadem and crown him 
 Lord of all.' Jerusalem's desolations still speak to each one. 
 
 ^,4.^^.^^:^ 
 
 ^Z><>»>»# 
 
 Our day of grace is sunk in night; thy noon is in its prime. 
 Oh, turn and see thy Saviour's face in this accepted time ! 
 So, Gentile, may Jerusalem a lesson prove to thee, 
 And in the New Jerusalem thy home forever be. heber. 
 
July 31, 
 
 Pupare to meet ti^g (^oti. — Amos iv. 12. 
 
 They that tvere foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them ; 
 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their latnps. — Matt. xxv. 
 3.4. 
 
 LAMPS, but no oil ! There was preparation to meet the 
 bridegroom, and confidence, but a vain confidence, in 
 an insufficient preparation. When the bridegroom came, the 
 fooHsh virgins were left behind and the door was shut. We 
 who call ourselves Christians have made our preparation and 
 are waiting for Christ to come. We all have lamps, which 
 represent what is external in our Christianity, whether it be 
 rites, or creed, or works of charity, or morality, or zeal for our 
 church. But have we oil, that true spiritual consecration 
 of the soul which alone can fill outward acts with light and 
 life? 
 
 The lamps may be of various shapes and patterns, but the 
 oil must be the same in all. Whether, in burning, it shines 
 out as repentance or faith or good works or worship, its 
 essence is love, pure unselfish love to God and man. Where 
 this love is wanting, there is no true spiritual life and no suf- 
 ficient preparation to meet our Lord when he comes. 
 
 /^^^X, 
 
 ISeware, my soul, take thou good heed lest thou in slumber He, 
 And, like the five, remain without, and knock, and vainly cry ; 
 But watch, and bear thy lamp undimmed, and Christ shall gird 
 
 thee on 
 His own bright wedding-robe of light, the glory of the Son. 
 
 G. Moultrie. 
 
August i. 
 
 ^Tfjat also fie sjjoiilti gatjjcc togetfjer in one tjje cjtltircn 
 of (^Otl. — John xi. 52. 
 
 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I 
 must bring, and they shall hear my voice ,* and there shall be one fold, 
 a7id one shepherd. — John x. 16. 
 
 OUR blessed Master, looking around upon his followers, 
 looked also beyond the few who were before him, beyond 
 the walls of the sacred city, beyond the boundaries of the 
 Holy Land, to the whole world ; and among people of every 
 age, of every clime, he recognized his own and claimed them 
 as his. As Christ said '■ other sheep," he saw you and me ; 
 he saw his own, his chosen ones, among the rich and poor, 
 the abhorred and the despised, the savage Africans and hum- 
 ble Koreans asking to be taught, and even the gospel-hard- 
 ened of our own land turning a deaf ear to the divine call ; 
 and as he saw these "others," he said, "Them also I must 
 bring." They are his; he must bring them. And he has left 
 those who love him to take his place and " in his name " to 
 bring them. He knows tJiei?i and they will know ////;/ ; they 
 will heed God's call. 
 
 And all these shall be one. A sweet promise is ours, a 
 glorious fulfilment awaits us. There shall be one flock, one 
 shepherd. We shall all be "Hke him." We shall all be of 
 the Shepherd's heart and mind. No difference, — kings and 
 beggars, rich and poor, civilized and heathen, " barbarian, 
 Scythian, bond and free," all one in the full enjoyment of 
 the freedom, the wealth, the knowledge, and the kingship 
 that has come to us as joint-heirs with Christ ! 
 
 Then there will be no "other sheep," for all shall have 
 been made " perfect in one," — " one flock, one shepherd." 
 
 We all shall think and speak the same 
 
 Delightful lesson of thy grace, 
 One undivided Christ proclaim, 
 
 And jointly glory in thy praise. c. Wesley. 
 
August 2. 
 
 raj^osoebcr tioftlj not n'sfjtfoiisnESS is not of (^ob. 
 
 I John iii. lo. 
 
 That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of 
 the Spirit is spirit. — JOHN iii. 6. 
 
 " A GREAT and universal proposition, — that which is be- 
 iJL gotten carries within itself the nature of that which 
 begat it." Christ is teaching Nicodemus the necessity of the 
 new birth. He had been born of the liesh, physically and 
 intellectually developed, socially and even religiously culti- 
 vated ; but the life he now sought came from another and 
 higher germ. As we cannot cultivate the vegetable into ani- 
 mal, so the physical cannot grow into the spiritual. Each 
 has its own seed and fruit. Christ is the seed of the king- 
 dom. " In him was life; and the life was the light of men." 
 " He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the 
 Son of God hath not life." 
 
 True piety is more than sentiment or creed ; it is life. 
 " Christ in you the hope of glory." Reader, have you been 
 born of the Spirit.^ " Except a man be born again, he can- 
 not see the kingdom of God." 
 
 J'cu^^^cjU' ^<t:^^ 
 
 ■Cib ^C 
 
 Light immortal, Light divine, 
 Visit thou these hearts of thine, 
 
 And our inmost being fill. 
 If thou take thy grace away, 
 Nothing pure in man will stay, 
 
 All his good is turned to ill. 
 
 Caswall (translated). 
 
August 3. 
 
 Het tjc peace of (3oti rule in gout f) farts, — Col. iii. 15. 
 
 I^eace be tmto you. — John xx. 21. 
 
 MAN is naturally at war with himself and with his 
 Maker. Christ came to transform his heart, give 
 him peace of conscience, and reconcile him to God. This 
 he accomplished by submitting to death, through which he 
 became the herald and dispenser of peace ; and his parting 
 benediction, " Peace be unto you," becomes, therefore, effica- 
 cious to believers during all time. 
 
 This peace is not the work of man, but the gift of God 
 and the fruit of the Spirit, through " the truth as it is in 
 Jesus." In its source, nature, and blessedness, it is super- 
 natural, and transcends all human comprehension. It takes 
 away the sting of guilt, silences the alarm of conscience, 
 and gives assurance of pardon, reconciliation, and salvation. 
 In all these respects the peace of Christ differs from that of 
 this world, which can neither give nor take it away. It is 
 real and self-evidencing, abides and comforts in prosperity 
 and adversity, and Hfts the soul of the believer so far above 
 earth that he has his "conversation in heaven." And now, 
 reader, may the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ, "which pass- 
 eth all understanding," keep your heart and mind in the true 
 faith unto everlasting life ! 
 
 C^^ 
 
 Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin ? 
 The blood of Jesus whispers peace within. 
 Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed? 
 To do the will of Jesus, this is rest. 
 
 BICKERSTETH. 
 
August 4. 
 
 SorroiJJ not, tbtn ag otfjcrs infjicfj j)abc no f)ope» 
 
 I Thess. iv. 13. 
 
 Z^/ not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 
 — John xiv. i. 
 
 ALL Scripture is profitable, and given "that we through 
 comfort of the Scriptures might have hope ; " but 
 some texts are specially precious, short, easily understood 
 and remembered, full of meaning, of wide application, and 
 specifics in all circumstances. These words, breathing kind- 
 ness and comfort, were spoken by our Lord when his own 
 spirit was sorely troubled, the gloom of Gethsemane and the 
 shadow of the cross gathering thickly upon his soul; yet 
 unmindful of his own great sorrow, his tender sympathy 
 went out to his disconsolate and desponding disciples, who 
 were filled with perplexity, anxiety, fear, and grief. Heart- 
 trouble is an old, universal malady. How cheering to the 
 sons of sorrow and daughters of distress are these words of 
 the great Consoler! They are a sovereign balm for every 
 wounded heart and a perfect panacea for all earthly trouble. 
 Heard first in the upper room in Jerusalem, they have 
 echoed ever since in the chambers of suffering and in the 
 ears of the sorrowful. Faith in God as a living, loving 
 Father is an antidote to all troubles arising from without. 
 
 ^-TdT^jfEiU^^ 
 
 Trust in the Lord, forever trust, and banish all your fears; 
 Strength in the Lord Jehovah dwells, eternal as his years. 
 
 WATTS. 
 
August 5. 
 
 J^e tf)at IS spiritual jiitisctfj all t!)ing6.— i Cor. ii. 15. 
 
 Are ye also yet without tinder standing? — Matt. xv. i6. 
 
 THE question was asked his disciples by our Lord. Why 
 should he have occasion to ask it? They had the 
 sublimest and most comprehensive Teacher the world has 
 ever seen, — he who is the Light of the world and who is 
 made unto all his people wisdom as well as righteousness was 
 their instructor. And yet they were without understanding, 
 for the question implies the fact. Alas! it is equally true 
 of all souls without divine illumination. A man may " un- 
 derstand all mysteries " in relation to the material universe, 
 may weigh the gravity of the stars, tell their numbers, and 
 measure their distances, and yet in the high sense in which 
 the text suggests, may be without understanding. There 
 are men whose names have reached the utmost bounds of 
 civilization, who sit in the cabinets of princes and guide the 
 destiny of nations, " wise men," " learned men," " influ- 
 ential men," as they are called, and yet they are without 
 understanding, if they are without the indwelling and abid- 
 ing presence of the Holy Spirit. For " the fear of the 
 Lord is the beginning of wisdom : and the knowledge of the 
 Holy is understanding." 
 
 MSL 
 
 -^i**^**- 
 
 ^!!2^^fCt^z^^H^ 
 
 Come, Light serene and still, 
 Our inmost bosoms fill ! 
 
 Dwell in each breast ; 
 We know no dawn but thine. 
 Send forth thy beams divine, 
 On our dark souls to shine, 
 
 And make us blest. 
 
 Ray Palmer ( Translation ). 
 
August 6. 
 
 Mf)atsoeljn; ire asit, ine rcccibe of ijim.— i John iii. 22. 
 
 Receive thy sight : thy faith hath saved thee. — Luke xviii. 42. 
 
 IT was a blind man and a beggar to whom these gracious 
 words were spoken. Only one said anything so kind to 
 him. The multitude counted him a nuisance with his im- 
 portunity, and angrily told him to keep still. The disciples 
 gave him no encouragement. As in the case of the children 
 brought to Jesus, they were cold, while their Lord was ardent 
 with compassion. But the character of the " Son of David " 
 was exactly drawn in the Psalms of David : " He shall de- 
 liver the needy when he crieth ; the poor also, and him 
 that hath no helper " (Psalm Ixxii. 12). The more lonely, 
 wretched, needy, and friendless any man was, the more sure 
 was he of hearing and help from the great Deliverer. 
 
 The cry of need and of faith was the one thing the Master 
 could never resist. " O woman, great is thy faith ; be it unto 
 thee even as thou wilt." " If ye have faith as a grain of 
 mustard, . . . iiothiui^ shall be impossible to you." 
 
 Bartimasus went away with his eyes opened. That was 
 his petition and request. WHat is yours ? The Lord is just 
 the " same Jesus " that he was that day. " What wilt thou t " 
 " According to your faith be it unto you." 
 
 Look down in pity, Lord, we pray. 
 
 On eyes oppressed by moral night, 
 And touch the darkened lids, and say 
 
 The gracious words, " Receive thy sight 
 Then in clear daylight shall we see 
 
 Where walked the sinless Son of God, 
 And aided by new strength from thee, 
 
 Press onward in the path he trod 
 
 w. c. Bryant. 
 
August 7. 
 
 m Jaije 31 in fteaben hut tfjee? — Psalm ixxiii. 25. 
 
 Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ? — John 
 xxi. 15. 
 
 JESUS in tender compassion thus addressed Simon Peter, 
 who had thrice denied him, but who afterward "went 
 out and wept bitterly." The avenue by which he approached 
 him was love. " Lovest thou me ? " The probe was gently 
 inserted into the depths of his affections to prepare him for 
 the sweet assurance of pardon, and for a wider and higher 
 mission. The question was intensely personal, — " Lovest 
 ihou mef'' Thus did the Saviour draw the sinner to him- 
 self " with cords of a man, with bands of love." 
 
 " Lovest thou me more than these " — thy brethren — love 
 me ? Wilt thou again protest, " Though all men shall be 
 offended because of thee, yet will / never be offended " ? In 
 the school of experience he has learned so well the lessons 
 of humility and self-distrust that he now avows his love 
 most earnestly indeed, but without invidious and boastful 
 comparisons. 
 
 We, too, should love Jesus with all our heart, mind, soul, 
 and strength, — far more than we love our possessions, em- 
 ployments, friends, and relatives, yea, more than life itself 
 (Luke xiv. 26, 33). We should with holy emulation ever 
 strive to love him more than others love him, and to prove 
 our love by an earnest and consecrated service, in obedience 
 to the divine injunctions, — " Feed my lambs," " Feed my 
 sheep," and " If ye love me, keep .my commandments." 
 
 Thou art the sea of love, 
 
 Where all my pleasures roll ; 
 
 The circle where my passions move, 
 And centre of my soul. 
 
August 8. 
 
 Probe all tjinjgs. — i Thess. v. 21. 
 
 Take heed that 7io man deceive yoit. For f?iany shall come in my 
 name, saying, lam Christ ; and shall deceive viany. — Matt. xxiv. 
 4,5- 
 
 THE Christ sat within a circle of disciples. They had 
 just crossed "black Kidron." They had turned their 
 backs on the city doomed to be " left desolate." " Day was 
 dying in the west" as they ascended Olivet, and they found 
 themselves facing one of the grandest sights of earth, for 
 they were " over against the temple," the shadows of whose 
 massive proportions lay across the valley and on the moun- 
 tain side. No wonder that after gathering about their 
 Master, those disciples ventured to inquire the time set for 
 the destruction of such magnificence as well as for the time 
 of his advent. Remarkable is this reply, for it matched their 
 need, not their want. He gave them not information, but in- 
 struction. Better was it for them to be personally prepared 
 than prophetically expert. Their inquiry evidenced danger. 
 Their thinking was not clear. Confusion was imminent, and 
 care must be taken. Judaic false Christs were coming. They 
 did come ; fifteen of them, so it is said. But every age has 
 its false Messiahs and its fictitious religiousness. Believers, 
 beware of deceivers. 
 
 Enable with perpetual light 
 The dulness of our blinded sight ; 
 Anoint and cheer our soiled face 
 With the abundance of thy grace ; 
 Keep far our foes, give peace at home; 
 Where thou art guide, no ill can come. 
 
 Gregory tub Great (translated). 
 
August 9. 
 
 Kg not tjts tje Cfjrtst? — JoHNiv. 29. 
 
 6^<3 j^wr way, and tell Jolvi zuhat tilings ye have seen and heard. — 
 Luke vii. 22. 
 
 THESE words contain the answer of Jesus to the dis- 
 ciples of John, who came to inquire as to his Messiah- 
 ship. The Saviour says, " Go tell John what you have seen 
 and heard." And what had these disciples seen and heard in 
 the brief visit to Jesus ? They had seen the eyes of the blind 
 opened and the tongue of the dumb loosed ; they had seen 
 the lame, at his touch, walk forth with perfect soundness, and 
 the leper, by his word, return to his home and friends per- 
 fectly whole ; they had seen the dead rising from their graves 
 and going forth in the enjoyment of life. Yes, more, to the 
 poor, the despised, the outcast, a full, free salvation was 
 preached. Go tell John these wondrous things, and he will 
 see in them the fulfilment of the grand old prophecy of Isaiah 
 about the Messiah. 
 
 How precious the privilege, that we may take all our care 
 to Jesus ! Does Jesus rest his Messiahship upon his works '^. 
 Then let it be ours to show by our works that we have been 
 with Jesus and learned of him. May our works be such as 
 will open the eyes of those spiritually blind, to see this Jesus 
 as the one altogether lovely, and unstop the deaf ears that 
 they may hear the soul-saving strains of this gospel, and oc- 
 casion multitudes of dead souls to rise and stand forth to battle 
 for the cause of King Jesus ! 
 
 How beauteous were the marks divine, 
 
 That in thy meekness used to shine, 
 
 That ht thy lonely pathway, trod 
 
 In wondrous love, O Son of God ! bishop a. c. coxr. 
 
August io. 
 
 HamxQ up in store for t!}emsclbfs a rjooti fountiation 
 against tje time to come. — i Tim. vi. 19. 
 
 A fid I say unto yott, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon 
 of unrighteousness ; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into 
 everlasting habitations. — LuKE xvi. 9. 
 
 CHRIST here calls money by a hard name. Not that 
 money has any immoral quality in itself, but it gets its 
 stigma from its habitual application by men to selfish and 
 sordid ends. Yet Christ shows us another side, and tells us 
 that this much-abused thing may become a real power in 
 adjusting our relations to the kingdom of God. The selfish 
 lust for money breeds hatred ; yet money may be so used as 
 to make friends in heaven. 
 
 Christ draws his illustration from a low level. He shows 
 how an unfaithful steward turned his fraud to advantage 
 by making friends of his master's creditors. " Take a lesson 
 from this shrewd worldly policy," says Christ. " Every poor 
 and helpless brother whose load you lighten by your bene- 
 factions, is knit to you by grateful love. The poor and sick 
 and burdened shall greet you in heaven, saying, ' I was hun- 
 gry and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me 
 drink ; I was a stranger and ye took me in.' And the King 
 shall say, ' Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my 
 brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me.' " 
 
 But there are joys that cannot die, 
 
 With God laid up in store ; 
 Treasure beyond the changing sky, 
 
 Brighter than golden ore. 
 
 PHILIP DODDRIDGE. 
 
August ii. 
 
 ^\}t ilorti knotuctlj tl^em tjjat are \)i&, — 2 Tm. a. 19. 
 
 / know thy works, aiid where thou dwellest, even %vhere Satan'' s 
 seat is : and thou holdest fast my natne, and hast not denied my faith, 
 even in those days wherein Antipas was viy faithfnl martyr', who 
 was slain among yon, ivhere Satan diuelleth. But I have a frcu 
 things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine 
 of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the 
 children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed nnto idols, and to comtnit 
 /orfticaiiojt. — Rev. ii. 13, 14. 
 
 " T KNOW thy works," the Redeemer says to each of the 
 X seven angels and to us also. He knows our works 
 and " the thoughts and intents of the heart." He knows 
 that we dwell *' where Satan's seat is," in days in which his 
 faithful ones still suffer martyrdom. If by his grace we hold 
 fast his name and do not deny the faitli, he is the first to 
 know and to commend it. 
 
 " But I have a few things against thee." He is " of purer 
 eyes than to behold evil," and cannot " look on iniquity." 
 The angel and the church are rebuked on account of those 
 " that hold the doctrine of Balaam " and " the doctrine of 
 the Nicolaitanes," for evil teaching leads to evil living. Has 
 he " a few," or many " things " against us .? " Who can 
 understand his errors .? Cleanse thou me from secret faults ! " 
 But few or many, he calls on us to repent. 
 
 He knows us, and that we may know him and ourselves, 
 he has given us his Word, " for the word of God is quick 
 and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, pierc- 
 ing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of 
 the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and 
 intents of the heart." 
 
 Yet why, dear Lord, this tender care ? 
 Why doth thy hand so kindly rear 
 A useless cumberer of the ground, 
 On which so little fruit is found .? 
 
 J".. SCOTT. 
 
August 12. 
 
 2rj)e HortJ toill perfect tf)at infjicft conccrnctt me. 
 
 Psalm cxxxviii. 8. 
 
 A/id this is the Father^ s will which hath sent me, that of all that 
 which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up 
 again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent 7ne, that 
 every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have ever- 
 lasting life : and I xvill raise him up at the last day. — John vi. 
 39. 40. 
 
 HOW precious are these texts ! They point us to the 
 ineffable joys which the Father has in store for 
 "Christ's own." They twice make known to us "the will 
 of the Father " and so unmistakably that none can doubt 
 that God's thoughts toward us are "thoughts of peace." 
 They proclaim the great salvation to be open and free to 
 all men without exception, and its terms so easy that the 
 serpent-bitten need but " look and live." They banish 
 personal anxiety by demonstrating that they who are the 
 "given to Christ of the P^ather," are they who " come " to 
 him. In large capitals they set before us the certainty of 
 the final perseverance of the saints. The " wounded spirit," 
 wearied and oft borne back in the conflict, can rally under 
 such an inspiration, and gather fresh strength in the thought, 
 // is the will of the Father that I should not be lost! 
 
 God does no half-work. Not one of Christ's saints will 
 be found imperfect at the last day. They will all be abso- 
 lutely fitted for his service. Not one of them will be missing. 
 Nothing that belongs to them will be lost. 
 
 ^. ^z. /l^u^. 
 
 
 Trust in him, ye saints, forever; 
 He is faithful, changing never. 
 Neither force nor guile can sever 
 Those he loves from him. 
 
 Kelly. 
 
August 13. 
 
 5^e tf)at toucfjet}) ^on toiicljctf) tje apple of {its cgc. 
 
 Zech. ii. 8. 
 
 £ven so, it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that 
 one of these little ones should perish. — Matt, xviii. 14. 
 
 THE " little ones," whether little children or disciples of 
 childlike character, are very dear to the heavenly 
 Father. Their humility and gentleness may not seem admir- 
 able to the world, but in God's sight these qualities are better 
 than the strength, self-confidence, and pride of those accounted 
 great among men. 
 
 The good Shepherd, who has reclaimed these " little ones " 
 and brought them to a place of safety, will not cease to care 
 for them. The heavenly Father, who holds them in such es- 
 timation that they have guardians among those who ever 
 stand in his presence, will not lightly regard any injury done 
 to them. They who despise or put a stumbling-block before 
 any of these little ones will surely bring upon themselves a 
 terrible punishment; for these are kept by God as the apple 
 of the eye, and he thinks of them continually. Their very 
 helplessness endears them the more to him, and while all 
 human might shall be smitten to the earth, these weak but 
 trustful ones shall be eternally safe in the arms of his love. 
 
 /^^, 
 
 /U/^ui^ 
 
 Now, these little ones receiving, 
 
 Fold them in thy gracious arm ; 
 There, we know, thy Word believing, 
 
 Only there, secure from harm. 
 
 MUHLENBERG. 
 
August 14. 
 
 ILorti, 0f}cb lis tfje iFat^cr. — joHNxiv. 8- 
 
 He that believeth on me, bdieveth not on me, but on him that sent 
 me. And he that seeth me seeih him that sent me. — John xii. 44, 45. 
 
 " TESUS cried;" his voice then rang cL^arly through the 
 
 J temple's marble courts, as he uttered loudly this mys- 
 tery of truth. So Jesus cries down through the ages to our- 
 selves. The "cries" of Jesus, loud, loving, entreating, to 
 heedless, self-deafened men ! 
 
 " To believe, and to see." A few of those to whom he 
 then cried did believe on him, were ready to follow, obey, 
 that blessed voice. So, also, some of those to whom his cry 
 now comes. But the "believing" involves the "seeing" 
 Christ. As the heart yields to the cr}- of Jesus, in this belief 
 comes, sooner or later, a mental and spiritual " vision " of the 
 adorable One that floods the soul with joyous light. 
 
 To believe, and so to see, Christ is to do more, — it is to 
 know the Father too; it is to reach God, the infinite One, 
 and the glory unapproachable. Like Moses, trembling, we 
 too desire to see. Now the truth of Christ's divinity and the 
 mystery of the union of the Persons in the Godhead are here 
 involved; we behold "God in Christ, reconcihng the world 
 unto himself." In the rapturous vision of Christ we believe, 
 we see the Father himself; we behold, we reach unto God. 
 O blessed anticipation of heaven's privilege, even here on 
 earth ! Think of seeing God ! We do, in believing on 
 Christ. 
 
 Listen to this "cry" of Jesus ; beheve Christ, and you shall 
 see his beauty. In him you shall see the Father, and in time 
 the full glories of the home above. 
 
 Thou art the way ; to thee alone, 
 
 From sin and death we flee. 
 And he who would the Father seek, 
 
 Must seek him, Lord, by thee. 
 
 Bishop doane. 
 
August 15. 
 
 rajjat manner oi persons flugf)t ge to tie? — 2 peter iii. n. 
 
 Watch therefore : for ye know not what hour your Lord doth 
 come. But know this, that if the goodjfian of the house had known 
 ill what watch the thief would come, he would have 7vatched, and 
 would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye 
 also ready : for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man 
 cometh. — Matt. xxiv. 42-44. 
 
 OUR Lord assured his disciples that he would rise from 
 the dead, ascend to heaven, and when he had prepared 
 a place there, would return and receive them to himself. 
 After his ascension angels came down to repeat the prom- 
 ise. Peter preached it to the wondering Jews. Stephen saw 
 heaven opened and Jesus ready to descend. The Thessalo- 
 nians waited for the sublime event. Paul proclaimed it the 
 "blessed hope." The Epistles present their exhortations in 
 view of its near approach, — one book is devoted to its de- 
 tails, while the last message the ascended Lord sends down 
 to earth is, " Behold, I am coming quickly," and the recorded 
 prayer of the Church when truly listening is, " Even so come, 
 Lord Jesus." 
 
 He is coming, not when men think, nor in the seasons and 
 periods they have fixed, but unexpectedly. Therefore as a 
 Christian discharge your responsibility. See that you really 
 have life, for this sudden advent will break up the great house 
 of Christendom, reveal the emptiness of much profession and 
 the faithlessness of many stewards. 
 
 OmMe/t^^^^f^ 
 
 Be ye as they that wait 
 
 Always at the Bridegroom's gate ; 
 Even though he tarry late, 
 
 Watch, brethren, watch. 
 
August i6. 
 
 rajo, iDbm f)c ramr, antJ fjati seen tj^e grace of @otJ. 
 
 in as glati. — acts 
 
 XI. 2^ 
 
 Like^vise, I say imto yoti, there is joy in the presence of the angels 
 of God over one sinner that repenteth. 
 
 It was meet that lue should 7nake merry, and be glad : for this thy 
 brother tvas dead, and is alive again ; and was lost and is found. — 
 Luke xv. io, 32. 
 
 AMONG the angels, rather than by men. It is a divine 
 inspiration thus to express the love to which our fallen 
 nature wakes at last, and only after the bitter experiences of 
 life. On the one side we see the idea of the celestial mes- 
 sengers, who always do acceptable service in heaven as they, 
 taught by the '-ineffable vision," recognize the possibilities 
 of a new manhood in the faint sparks of genuine repentance, 
 and strike anew their harps in praise of the love which saves 
 that which is lost; on the other side, the father of a prodi- 
 gal son, who has wearied his heart with knowledge of many 
 sins- and ingratitude, and felt almost sick unto death with 
 hope deferred, then rushing forth to meet the lost one and 
 take him to his bosom, forgetting the sorrows, blotting out 
 the sins of the past, and lifting the ingrate as near as possi- 
 ble to his old place. Truly, the mind which had learned the 
 heavenly art to join these two thoughts in such harmony and 
 illustrated them in life was the Word of God, — the mind 
 of that which is nearest all that we call God, his only begot- 
 ten Son. 
 
 cu^ o^*/fe^- 
 
 Through all the courts the tidings flew, 
 And spread the joy around ; 
 
 The angels tuned their harps anew, — 
 The long-lost son is found. 
 
August 17. 
 
 Hz can ti0 all tjinjgs tijroiigl) Cljrist toljicl) strengtjenetlj 
 
 mz. — Phil. iv. 13. 
 
 Thej'efore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to 
 you, do ye even so to them. — Matt. vii. 12. 
 
 THIS command of our Lord was the Golden Rule of his 
 own life. His heart, given to us, won our hearts for 
 him. Love's conquest of self is its victory over others. 
 But how almost impossible to place others on the throne of 
 self ! Therefore Jesus joined the hard requirement of duty 
 with sweet words of promise : " If ye, being evil, know how 
 to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall 
 your Father, which is in heaven, give the Holy Spirit to 
 them that ask him." The promise fulfilled, the duty is easy. 
 
 Let us then to-day, communing first with God, go out into 
 the selfish world, hoping and striving to live unselfish lives. 
 If the how much more of our Fatlier's heavenly measure 
 shall gauge the power of his Spirit in our hearts, we will 
 indeed be able to "follow the steps" of him who "came not 
 to be ministered unto but to minister." And this measure 
 is to "them that ask." 
 
 They may keep the Golden Rule who trust the Golden 
 Promise. 
 
 Grant, then, this one request, 
 
 Whatever be denied, — 
 That love divine may rule my breast, 
 
 And all my actions guide. 
 
 S. STENNETT {altered). 
 
August i8. 
 
 Jar ta me to \ii3t ts Cfjn'st. — phil. i. 21. 
 
 //e that findeth his life shall lose it : and he that loseth his life for 
 my sake shall fiud it. — Matt. x. 39. 
 
 OUR present life is not an end, but a means to an end. 
 Childhood is but a preparation for manhood and 
 womanhood. If we set up an infantile standard of life, 
 and seek to bring all the years of childhood and youth into 
 subjection to it, we fail to reach the true life. Now, the whole 
 of our earthly existence is but the infancy, the dawn of a life 
 meant to expand and ripen into eternal blessedness. We are 
 here to be educated for eternal life. Whatever of present en- 
 joyment or advantage would interfere with our education for 
 heaven, must be surrendered; and whatever loss of friends 
 or fortune or earthly honor or pleasure may be necessary to 
 maintain our Christian integrity must be accepted. What 
 seems to be gain in the momentary advantages of wrong- 
 doing will prove an eternal loss ; and what seems to be loss 
 in adhering to the right will be an everlasting gain. 
 
 What is my being, but for thee, 
 
 Its sure support ? Its noblest end 
 Thine ever-smiling face to see, 
 
 And serve the cause of such a Friend. 
 
 PHILIP DODDRIDGE. 
 
August 19. 
 
 lafsist tj}£ Ithil, anti \jt inill flee from gou. 
 
 James iv. 7. 
 
 G^(?/ f^ee hence, Satan : for it is written, Thou shalt worship the 
 Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. — Matt. iv. 10. 
 
 EVERY temptation of Satan is an attempt on his part to 
 usurp what belongs to God. Christ could not worship 
 him, for worship belongs to God alone. To obey Satan's 
 least command is to disobey God. Whatsoever we give to 
 Satan in the way of worship or service we take from God. 
 
 Satan is insolently aggressive, and the more dangerous 
 because so. Look at his persistent assault on Christ. Our 
 Lord was angered by his persistency : it is too often success- 
 ful with us. Instead of growing friendlier with Satan's repe- 
 titions of temptation, let us consider each a greater insult than 
 the preceding. The presence of Satan is an abomination to 
 a pure one. He is the sum of evils. His smooth insinua- 
 tions should excite horror, instead of winning us. We should 
 be afraid to Hsten to his flattering promises. To effectually 
 rid ourselves of Satan we must peremptorily order him out of 
 our sight. He will blind and inveigle us if we permit him to 
 ply us, — for he can appear as an angel of light. One who 
 temporizes witli Satan voluntarily puts himself in his power. 
 
 
 Zx/^. 
 
 yiyUt^^t^ 
 
 Hence, Prince of darkness ! hence, my foe ! 
 
 Another Lord has purchased me : 
 My conscience tells of sin, yet know, 
 
 Baptized in Christ, I fear not thee. 
 
 J. J. rambach. 
 
August 20. 
 
 jjor all tf)in5S art for mm saius. — 2C0R. iv. 15. 
 
 Am^ all things, ivhatsoevcr ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye 
 shall receive. — Matt. xxi. 22. 
 
 " "r)RAYER is the cry of faith to the ear of mercy." Our 
 ]l text invites us to pray, encourages us to pray, and 
 promises us the largest and most blessed results, conditioned 
 only upon faith. " Unbelief, like the grub in the tap-root, 
 cuts off the fundamental sources of life." Sincere prayer is 
 altogether reasonable. " Will he who advises you to ask, re- 
 fuse afterward to give what you ask ? " Do not stagger at the 
 broadness of the promise, " all things." He is able ; and 
 what is needful, what is best for us, he will not deny. What 
 has not been granted in answer to the prayer of faith ! Saint 
 Chrysostom says : " The strength of fire lias been subdued ; 
 the rage of lions bridled ; anarchy hushed ; wars extinguished ; 
 the elements appeased ; demons expelled ; the chains of death 
 burst ; the gates of heaven opened ; diseases assuaged ; frauds 
 repelled ; cities rescued from destruction ; the sun stayed in its 
 course, — in a word, whatever is an enemy to man hath been 
 destroyed." and whatever is a blessing hath been granted. 
 But if we insist upon having *' all things " for ourselves let us 
 be careful how and what we ask, keeping in mind that God 
 knows best. 
 
 <=^rc4<^^^ 
 
 What a friend we liave in Jesus, 
 
 All our sins and griefs to bear ! 
 What a privilege to carry 
 
 Everything to God in prayer ! 
 Oh, wliat peace we often forfeit, 
 
 Oh, what needless pain we bear, 
 All because we do not carry 
 
 Everything to God in prayer. 
 
 Unknown. 
 
August 21. 
 
 ^Toucfteti ixiit\) t!j0 feeling of our tnfi'rmities. — Heb. iv. 15. 
 
 / t/ih-sf. — John xix. 28. 
 
 THESE words fulfilled Scripture, though not spoken simply 
 to fulfil it. They thus became one of the many fingers 
 with which prophecy pointed to Jesus as the one of whom 
 " jVIoses and the prophets did speak." Every incident of his 
 death was foretold, — the time, the gambling of the soldiers 
 for his coat, the mocking cry of the mob ; each act in the 
 mighty tragedy. " He died according to the Scriptures." 
 Thus these words helped to tell the world, even in his death, 
 that he was the Son of God. We rest then with glad confi- 
 dence on his finished work. "He is ad/e to save to the 
 uttermost." I/e is God. 
 
 Yet he was a real sufferer. Wounded soldiers make the 
 battle-field pitiful with their cries for " Water ! " Jesus felt 
 the thirst. His body was tortured. He knows how to sym- 
 pathize with us. He wept with Martha and Mary. He ever 
 sympathizes with his people. 
 
 We cannot hesitate to trust him. for he is God. We cannot 
 fear to draw nigh to him with confidence, for he is also a lov- 
 ing and tender man. 
 
 6<Le^S-^<:x 
 
 Touched with a sympathy within, 
 
 He knows our feeble frame. 
 
 He knows what sore temptations mean, 
 
 For he has felt the same. 
 
 Watts. 
 
August 22. 
 
 K oiJtaineti tiurcg, iecaiise E tiiti it isnorautlo. 
 
 I Tim. i. 13. 
 
 Father, forgive them ; for they knozu not what they do. — LUKE 
 xxiii. 34. " 
 
 IS this a prayer for my soul ? Yes, if I am still among the 
 enemies of the cross, and yet know not what I am doing. 
 It was answered in a few hours for one who railed on him, 
 and for another who was in command of his execution ; and 
 in a few days for thousands who were more guilty still. It 
 may be answered for my soul now, but it can be answered 
 in only one way, — by purging my conscience from its igno- 
 rance, by pricking me to the heart, and by giving me 
 repentance. 
 
 Perhaps the reader is now first enlightened, and made 
 partaker of the Holy Spirit, and tastes the good Word of 
 God, and thus knows for the first time that a sinful life is 
 crucifying the Son of God afresh, and putting him to an 
 open shame. Then this is the solemn hour to be renewed 
 unto repentance and forgiveness. 
 
 Still our Advocate in heaven, 
 Prays the prayer on earth begun : 
 
 " Father, show their sins forgiven ; 
 Father, glorify thy Son." 
 
August 23, 
 
 ISberg man ftat })ati) tjis j)ope in Jim purifieti) b^nself, 
 
 I John iii. 3. 
 Blessed are the pure in heart. — Matt. v. 8. 
 
 SWEETEST of beatitudes from the lips of the blessed 
 Jesus ! It suggests the parable of the leaven and those 
 kindred words, " Behold, the kingdom of God is within you." 
 Sinners are purchased and then purified, for purity is the 
 condition and the measure of true happiness, of fellowship 
 with God, of fitness for the society, pleasures, and employ- 
 ments of heaven. " That he might purify unto himself a 
 peculiar people," Christ gave himself for us, spake that word 
 through which we are sanctified, shed that precious blood 
 which cleanseth from all sin, and sent the Spirit of holiness, 
 purifying our hearts through faith. 
 
 Heart-purity secures purity of life and character, for "out 
 of the heart are the issues of life," and the fountain deter- 
 mines the stream. It secures transforming visions of God, 
 for we " beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are 
 changed into the same image from glory to glory." It is 
 the heavenly character whereby God is seen in his Word and 
 works, and shall be seen in all the splendors of his glory. 
 We know that " we shall be like him, for we shall see him 
 as he is." 
 
 " Create in me a clean heart, O God." 
 
 See, Lord, the travail of thy soul 
 Accomplished in the change of mine. 
 
 And plunge me, every whit made whole, 
 In all the depths of love divine. 
 
August 24. 
 
 ^fl gjalt t!}0U finti fabour. — Prov. iii. 4. 
 
 If ye keep ?ny commandments, ye shall abide in my love ; even as I 
 have kept my Father's com7nandments, and abide in his love. — JOHN 
 XV. 10. 
 
 KEEP my commands, abide in my love, — obedience the 
 condition of favor. Nature everywhere teaches and 
 enforces this same law. 
 
 All abiding art, all the triumphs of science and industry, 
 bear witness that success is attained only in strict conformity 
 to Nature's commands. Then even the lightning will become 
 a useful, peaceful partner. 
 
 God in Christ, the incarnation of the divine love, wisdom, 
 and power, woos the soul of man, offering forgiveness and 
 seeking to secure in us a voluntary, loving obedience to the 
 unchangeable truth of the universe, — the commands of God. 
 All blessings follow if we " abide in his love." 
 
 There is no possible prosperity for the soul of man save 
 in this obedience of faith. The abiding oneness of the 
 Father and the Son, the glory of that loving communion, 
 stands over against the perfected obedience of the Son of 
 God. '• My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and 
 to finish his work." 
 
 " If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them," 
 
 Teach me to do the thing that pleaseth thee ; 
 
 Thou art my God, in thee I live and move. 
 Oh, let thy loving Spirit lead me forth 
 
 Into the land of righteousness and love ! 
 
 MONSELL. 
 
August 25. 
 
 for tje txumQxtmon ai tug people toas Jje gtrickm. 
 
 Isaiah liii. 8, 
 Father^ into thy hands I commend my spirit. — LuKE xxiii. 46. 
 
 THIS last cry of our Lord on the cross betokens perfect 
 poise of spirit, perfect trust in his Father, and perfect 
 confidence in the all-sufficiency of his atoning sacrifice. It 
 is true that he had suffered extreme anguish of soul on ac- 
 count of the hiding of his Father's face. For on the cross 
 he " bare our sins in his own body." There it " pleased the 
 Lord to bruise him." " For he was wounded for our trans- 
 gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastise- 
 ment of our peace was laid on him." It was then that the 
 Father hid his face from the " Son of his love." It was then 
 that Jesus cried out : " My God, my God, why hast thou 
 forsaken me?" It was then that the sun grew black and 
 the rocks rent, and the veil of the temple was rent in the 
 midst. But now all is calm in the heart of our adorable 
 Redeemer, and he says, " Father, into thy hands I commend 
 [commit] my spirit." The great atoning work was accom- 
 plished, so far as it could be on the earth. It is true that as 
 our great High-Priest Christ must appear in the presence of 
 the Father for us, when risen from the dead. But on the 
 cross Jesus cried, "' It is finished." Redemption is wrought, 
 and every one that believes may be saved. O blessed and 
 glorious fact ! Who can sufficiently adore its divine author ? 
 
 M ^. 
 
 A holy quiet reigns around, — 
 A calm which life nor death destroys; 
 
 And nought disturbs that peace profound 
 Which his unfettered soul enjoys. 
 
August 26. 
 
 if 00 be tfjat Inc suffer initi^ jjim, tl^at irie mag be also 
 
 glorifietJ tOQCtJer. — Romans viii. 17. 
 
 Blessed arc ye, when men shall revile yon, and persecute you, and 
 shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, 
 and be exceeding glad : for great is your reward in. heaven : for so per- 
 secuted they the prophets which were before you. — Matt. v. i i, 12. 
 
 GOD'S blessings are so much greater than any possible 
 human afflictions that any man receiving the first is 
 pronounced " blessed," no matter what he may have of the 
 second. Has man ecstasy of agony ? God can reverse it all 
 into ecstasy of pleasure. Between two notes in jarring dis- 
 cord he can put a third that shall make all into delicious har- 
 mony. Martyrs have moved aloft their blazing fingers like 
 torches, and shouted for the joy of victory, notwithstanding the 
 fire. Bodies have writhed in pain that spectators could hardly 
 endure to see, but the soul has gloried in the rapture of God's 
 visitations. John Huss kneeling beside the fagot-piled stake 
 poured out his soul in prayer, using the words of the Thirty- 
 first Psalm, and closed with its grand psean, " Blessed be the 
 Lord : for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a 
 strong city. O love the Lord, all ye his saints. Be of good 
 courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope 
 in the Lord." 
 
 John says of Christ, " Having loved his own he loved them 
 unto the end." The uttermost of God for good is far beyond 
 the uttermost of man for evil. God commands us to rejoice 
 and be exceeding glad. That command is not grievous. It 
 brings one into the goodly fellowship of prophets and martyrs. 
 Is there any other way of attaining to that lofty companion- 
 ship ? Paul even coveted a fellowship of Christ's sufferings. 
 
 Finding, following, keeping, struggling, Is he sure to bless? 
 Saints, apostles, prophets, martyrs, answer, Yes. 
 
 J. NEALE (Trattslatton). 
 
August 2^. 
 
 Eorti, increase our fait|). — LukexvU. 5. 
 
 Verily I say tint o you, If ye have faith as a graiii of mustard seed^ 
 ye shall say tinto this nioiintain. Remove hence to yonder place ; and it 
 shall remove ; and nothiiig shall be impossible tinto yon. Howbeit this 
 ki7id goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. — Matt. xvii. 20, 21. 
 
 CHRIST was away from his disciples for a little. By 
 even that brief absence they lost their power. They 
 could not cast the evil spirit out of the possessed child. 
 When Christ had performed the miracle, they asked why they 
 had failed. He tells them it was because of unbelief. A liv- 
 ing faith will work the impossible. A mustard seed being 
 alive can be matched against the inert mass of a mountain. 
 Science tells us that the weakest life is too much for the 
 largest mass of mere matter. The smallest stream will draw 
 down the mountain. Faith in Christ is a living force. It is 
 not hyperbole to say it can move mountains. Besides this, 
 Christ says such an extreme case required special effort. 
 Some victories are easily won ; some devils easily cast out. 
 But this was a violent case and of long standing. It needed 
 prayer and fasting, — that is, reliance on God and self-disci- 
 pline. When our work fails, like the disciples we should 
 seek the reason. That is the first condition of doing better ; 
 and the Master tells us we will find the reason either in a 
 lack of faith that takes hold on God, or a lack of self-renun- 
 ciation. The child's definition of faith covered these two 
 points when she said in a child's simplicity and a saint's 
 knowledge, " Faith is letting go of everything else and taking 
 hold of God." 
 
 I am trusting thee for power, 
 
 Thine can never fail ; 
 Words which thou thyself shalt give me 
 
 Must prevail. 
 
 F. R. havergal. 
 
August 28. 
 
 Perfect tjrcugfj sufferings. — Heb. ii. 10. 
 
 Get thee behind me, Satan^ thou art an offence 7into me : for thou 
 savoiirest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men. — 
 Matt. xvi. 23. 
 
 THIS is our Lord's answer to Peter at Caesarea Philippi. 
 It is the same as his answer to the Devil in the wilder- 
 ness. The temptations were the same; namely, to gain the 
 blessings of the kingdom without the cross. It is a tempta- 
 tion that comes to us as followers of Jesus. Our answer must 
 be the same. In this world of sin salvation can only be gained 
 by sacrifice. In Jesus' case it was absolutely necessary for 
 him to suffer in order to save men ; so sacrifice is necessary 
 for us. We must take up our cross and follow Jesus. What 
 that cross shall be he only can determine. He alone knows 
 our characters ; he would perfect them. He alone knows our 
 destiny; he would educate and fit us for it. He alone knows 
 how we can best glorify our Father, and so gives us the oppor- 
 tunity. When, then, his loving heart has prepared, and his 
 hand has brought some cross for us to bear, let us know that 
 all temptation to complain and resist is satanic, and let us 
 bear it with patient cheerfulness, knowing that "-all things 
 work together for good " to his people. 
 
 &. w. ^ 
 
 Must Jesus bear the cross alone, 
 And all the world go free? 
 
 No, there 's a cross for every one, 
 And there 's a cross for me. 
 
 That consecrated cross I '11 bear 
 
 Till Christ shall set me free ; 
 And then go home, my crown to wear, 
 
 For there 's a crown for me. 
 
 Thomas Shepherd (al'eved). 
 
August 29. 
 
 ^irnon Peter anstoereti antJ saiti, ^T^ou art tfje Cfjrist, 
 ti^e ^ort of ti^e litiriQ (goti. — Matt. xvi. 16. 
 
 TAi's IS the work of God, that ye believe on him whofji he hath sent. 
 — John vi. 29. 
 
 THUS our blessed Lord answered the people's eager 
 question, " What shall we do, that we might work the 
 works of God ? " Eternal life, then, cannot be obtained, as 
 the people supposed, by " works," at all ; but only by faith. 
 To " believe on him whom he hath sent " is our one primary 
 work, and without it no other work can be acceptable to him. 
 A tireless following of Christ for loaves and fishes is not " the 
 work of God," nor a wondering admiration of his peerless 
 character and life, nor yet, even, a fervent prophesying in 
 his name and a working again of his greatest miracles. We 
 must begin with, " I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son 
 of God, which should come into the world." The sole object 
 of our faith, Jesus must also be all to our faith, — our "wis- 
 dom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." 
 But "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." As 
 the body needs the spirit, and trees need foliage and fruit to 
 proclaim life, so the Christian must justify his faith to others 
 by bringing forth the "things that accompany salvation." 
 Indeed, where there is a true saving faith, its "works" will 
 be as spontaneous as the clear streams which flow softly from 
 a living fountain. 
 
 =: ^ 
 
 My faith looks up to thee, 
 Thou Lamb of Calvary, 
 
 Saviour divine ! 
 Now hear me while I pray ; 
 Take all my guilt away. 
 Oh, let me from this day 
 
 Be wholly thine. ray palmer. 
 
August 30. 
 
 iFor nont oi m libet!) to |}im0elf. — Romans xiv. 7. 
 
 IVoe unto the world because of offences ! for it must needs be that 
 offences come ; but woe to that man by 7uhom the offence cometh ! 
 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast 
 them from thee : it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, 
 rather thatt having two hands or tzuo feet to be cast into everlasting fire. 
 — Matt, xviii. 7, 8. 
 
 OUR Lord means by offences stumbling-blocks, which 
 cause men to fall into sin, and are therefore a fruitful 
 source of evil in the world. So long as sin and Satan have 
 power over men there will be such stumbling-blocks; and 
 although it is the Evil One who thus seeks to bring dishonor 
 on Christ and his cause, yet those through whom he acts as 
 agents will be held to a strict account for resulting evil. 
 
 It is a comforting thought, however, that God can and does 
 often overrule such offences for good. They may serve to 
 strengthen Christian character, and show who can be de- 
 pended on ; and yet no true believer should knowingly or 
 willingly become a tool of Satan to injure Christ's cause. He 
 should be ready promptly to give up any course, practice, 
 employment, or indulgence, however he may value it, which 
 is a stone of stumbling to himself or others, and leads to sin. 
 
 Let us, then, never persist in what is plainly misleading to 
 persons of weak faith, and causes them to fall, even though 
 it may not be in itself sinful. Let us abandon everything 
 that is injurious to our spiritual life, exposes us to overpower- 
 ing temptation, and is a serious drawback to our progress 
 and usefulness as Christians. 
 
 I must the fair example set ; 
 
 From those that on my pleasure wait 
 
 The stumbling-block remove ; 
 Their duty by my life explain, 
 And still in all my works maintain 
 
 'I'he dignity of love. c. wesley. 
 
August 31, 
 
 tH^t ILorti ftnoinetfj i]jz fcoag of tlje ticjftteou^. 
 Psalm i. 6. 
 
 I kno7U thy works, and thy labour^ and thy patience, and ho7u thou 
 canst not bear them zuhich are evil : and thou hast tried thet7i which 
 say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars : 
 
 Nevertheless I have somewhat a<^ainst thee, because thou hast left 
 thy first love. Remember therefore f7-om whence thou art fallen, and 
 repent, and do the first luorks ; or else I zuill come unto thee quickly, 
 and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. 
 — Rev. ii. 2, 4, 5. 
 
 THIS declaration of God's omniscience is to impress us 
 with the fact that God looks beyond the professions, 
 resolutions, and desires of his people. Many of these are 
 fair and earnest, but buds and blossoms must bring fruit, or 
 they live and die to no purpose. The Master, as he walks in 
 the midst of his Church, discovers everything. He looks at 
 the internal as well as the external. It is zuork which devel- 
 ops the character. Labor in the Christian life is not pas- 
 time ; to do the work required of us must be unto weariness. 
 The sweat of the face is the result of the labor which brings 
 bread to the hungry; so the sweat of the heart is found in 
 the labor unto weariness of the Christian. Nothing marks 
 the persevering, successful endurance of the Christian like the 
 patience with which he does and suffers for his Lord. 
 
 Our Lord's tenderness prompts him first to commend every 
 good act of theirs, and then, as a warning, to condemn what 
 he cannot approve. 
 
 Should we wander from thy fold, 
 And our love to thee grow cold, 
 With a pitying eye behold. 
 Lord, forgive and save. 
 
September 
 
 Z\)t frimti of tjje {jritifgroflm . . . rejoiceti) grcatlg he-- 
 cause of t^e ijriticsroom's iioice, — jonNiii. 29. 
 
 Ve are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command yoii. ^- John 
 XV. 14. 
 
 EVERY man needs a friend. No one can live alone. He 
 must have companionship, or life would be a dreary 
 solitude. But it must be a true friend; a false friend is 
 worse than none. The flatterer, who tells pleasant false- 
 hoods to deceive, can work more mischief than the worst 
 enemy. The true friend is one who sees things as they are, 
 who perceives the weaknesses of his most intimate compan- 
 ion, but who bears with his infirmities for the sake of all in 
 him that is good. 
 
 The divine Friend may be ours if we but return his affec- 
 tion. We can obtain his friendship by giving him our own; 
 and this we are to prove by simple trust and obedience. 
 This giving up of ourselves to him is not an abdication of 
 our personality, an adoption of the Jesuit rule that a man 
 must become a cadaver to be vitalized and animated by an- 
 other intelligence and will than his own. Our Master asks 
 not for the dead body, but for the living soul ; and a man is 
 never so full of life, so "vital in every part," with all his 
 faculties strung to their utmost intensity, as when he gives 
 himself up to the control of him whose service is perfect 
 freedom. Once enter into this new life, and we shall find 
 it blessed indeed. 
 
 ^s'^^^lfc^ .^. <^^^zL^ 
 
 Hail, Prince of life, forever hail f 
 
 Redeemer, Brother, Friend ! 
 Though earth and time and life shall fail, 
 
 Thy praise shall never end. 
 
 SAMUEL MEDLEY. 
 
September 2. 
 
 |^£ tjjat cornet]^ to (^oti must Mkht, — heb. xi. 6- 
 
 If thoic canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. — 
 Mark ix. 23. 
 
 WHAT inexhaustible possibilities lie in faith ! God him- 
 self is the unseen author of the visible universe, and 
 it was by faith that the worlds were framed, so that things 
 that are seen were not made of things that do appear. 
 
 In the sublime galaxy woven with divine hand all in and 
 through the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the light that 
 shines from every star is faith. 
 
 It was this that carried Noah across the flood. It was 
 this that gave strength to Moses to deliver the people of 
 God from Egypt, to train them in the wilderness, and to 
 transfer them to the Promised Land. It was this that ena- 
 bled Israel to hold to the hope of the promise until Jesus 
 came. This animated the feeble few of Galilee to carry the 
 gospel to the perishing world. This is the power by which 
 every sainted Christian has triumphed in life and in death 
 and entered home at last. Our blessed Saviour is himself 
 the author and the finisher of faith. 
 
 "If thoii canst believe, all things are possible to him that 
 believeth." 
 
 Lord, I believe ; but oft I know 
 
 My faith is cold and weak. 
 My weakness strengthen, and bestow 
 
 The confidence I seek. 
 
 J. R. wreford. 
 
September 3. 
 
 3So lobe Htxhz one another. — Gal. v. 13. 
 
 Ve call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. 
 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed yotir feet, ye also 
 ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, 
 that ye should do as I have done to you. — John xiii. 13-15. 
 
 AN Oriental custom is made to teach an important lesson, 
 as one of the lowliest offices in a servant's work is 
 performed by the world's great Teacher. By a reverse of 
 the ordinary method the Master turns servant and minister, 
 and washes the feet of his disciples and puts upon them the 
 obligation to do for each other as equals the service he had 
 done them as their Lord. Feet-washing as a rite of hospi- 
 tality is no longer practised, owing to the changed conditions 
 of life and society ; but the example of love and humble 
 ministration to our fellow-beings stands for our perpetual 
 imitation. 
 
 With such an example we need not deem any service for 
 humanity too lowly. The Master has ennobled it by his 
 divine hand, and our highest dignity in spiritual manhood 
 is attained, when like him, we humble ourselves to do a 
 generous act to some fellow-man. The mission of the Lord's 
 disciples is to carry the means for mental renovation and 
 moral purification to all who need it. 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^^-1^<UV. 
 
 Kind deeds of peace and love betray 
 Where'er the stream has found its way ; 
 But where these spring not rich and fair 
 The stream has never wandered there. 
 
 DRUMMO.ND. 
 
September 4. 
 
 I^e leatietj) me htQitiz tfte still Inaterg. — psalm xxiii. 2. 
 
 //" (t;/^ vm/t thirst, let him come unto vie^ and drink. He that 
 believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall floxv 
 rivers of living water. — JoHlM vii. 37, 38. 
 
 STRONGER symbol of intense unrest it would be difficult 
 to find. The shipwrecked sailor, wave-tossed, under 
 the burning heat of tropical sun, knows its full meaning. 
 F'evered blood, throbbing temples, parched lips, burning 
 throat, swollen tongue, — these combine to produce a climax 
 of agony. Than extreme thirst, there is no worse physical 
 torment. It wrings from the divine One the only expression 
 of bodily anguish as he hangs upon the cross. " I thirst ! " 
 This is the viaterial culmination. Dives looking up out of 
 his place of torment and seeing Lazarus at rest in Abraham's 
 bosom, begs for a drop of water to cool his thirsting tongue. 
 Thirst, thirst ! Fit symbol is it of the fevered unrest of 
 a sin-driven soul. But what if a bubbling fountain has been 
 opened beside the way .-^ Surely thirsty men will halt and 
 drink. What ecstasy as they quaff the crystal liquid and 
 lave their dusty hands and bathe their weary brows ! But 
 Christ is such a fountain providentially opened beside life's 
 tortuous way for thirsting souls. He is not some desert 
 mirage, but a " well of living water." They who drink of 
 this water shall cease thirsting. Art thou thirsty ? Hark ! 
 The mighty Christ tenderly calleth, " Come unto me and 
 drink ! " 
 
 '^-hTVUL^ 
 
 Come, then, with all your wants and wounds, 
 
 Your every burden brine. 
 Here love, unchanging love abounds, 
 
 A deep, celestial spring. samuel medlev (aittrtd). 
 
September 5, 
 
 ?i|cal me, <3 3Lorti, anti 31 sijall be f)caleti.— Jer. xvii. 14. 
 
 IVi/i thoii he made whole ? — John v. 6. 
 
 OUR text presents unto us another one of those incidents 
 which showeth the mercy and goodness of God, and 
 how anxious Christ as the great Physician was to do good, 
 — the care of the Shepherd for the sheep, the Redeemer for 
 the redeemed. 
 
 The great drawback to the world is that it fails to devise 
 methods to fully enhance its glory; we fail to find out in 
 the years we have to spend upon 'the earth all which a cu- 
 rious mind imagines. If anything has baffled science, it 
 is that scientists have failed to discover and devise methods 
 to enable them to master her fully; if anything has created 
 uneasiness among those of the medical world, it is that which 
 has hindered a successful treatment of patients. But dis- 
 similar to all of these, Christ, the healer divine, walks into 
 the midst of many maladies, — the halt, the blind, and those 
 afflicted for many years, — saying. Wilt thou be made whole? 
 And, behold, him who accepted his overtures of mercy and 
 love is made whole from that hour. The length of time he 
 was sick, and the completeness in the cure, all but increases 
 our faith in him whose very words make one wise unto sal- 
 vation, and showeth that he is the sinner's friend, and would 
 that all would turn unto God and live. 
 
 Q,a^ ^^o>^<^ 
 
 The great Physician now is near, 
 
 The sympathizing Jesus ; 
 He speaks, the drooping heart to cheer, 
 
 Oh, hear the voice of Jesus I 
 
September 6. 
 
 3If mir fteart conti£mn us not tfjen ftabe inc confitiena 
 
 totoartl (§fltJ. — I John iii. 21. 
 
 7/" //5^7^ (5r/V/cr thy gift to the altar, and the7-e rememberest that thy 
 brother hath ought against thee ; leave there thy gift before the altar 
 and go thy way ; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and 
 offer thy gift. — Matt. v. 23, 24. 
 
 THE enthusiasm of love is the soul of devotion. The rap- 
 ture of heart to heart communion with God comes only 
 to souls fully '• reconciled by the blood of the cross." We 
 can never hope to have God at peace with us if we are not at 
 peace with our brother. The richest gifts and sacrifices will 
 lie like Cain's rotting fruits and wilted flowers upon the altar, 
 unaccepted, if we are conscious of being unreconciled to our 
 brother. Holy affections must conquer all personal antipa- 
 thies. The injured one can most readily and easily take the 
 first steps toward reconciliation. Jesus was made a sacrifice, 
 and his last words upon the " off ering up of himself " were 
 in prayer pleading with the Father for his enemies. When 
 our religion becomes impassioned with Christ's love, like a 
 fire fusing and refining the gold from the dross, we will waive 
 aside weak formalities and travel a long distance to conquer 
 the heart of our brother. When reconciled, our offerings 
 and gifts on the altar will become " a sweet-smelling savor" 
 like Abel's, and we shall hold the inward testimony of the 
 Holy Spirit that we " please God." 
 
 ^^^'^% 
 
 >a,* 
 
 Kindle thou the sacrifice 
 
 That upon my lips is lying ; 
 Clear the shadows from mine eyes, 
 
 That, from every error flying, 
 No strange fire may in me glow 
 That thine altar doth not know. 
 
 From the German. 
 
September 7. 
 
 jFrom Jesus Cfjrist . . . tjjc faitjful iuitnegs. — Rev. i. 5. 
 
 / yestis have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the 
 churches. I atn the root and the offspring of David, the bright and 
 morning star. — Rev. xxii, i6. 
 
 THE Patmos revelations are unique. There is nothing like 
 them in the literature of the world. Some are so weird 
 and wild as to seem incredible, — the fancies of an opium- 
 eater rather than sober and stable facts. But the glorified 
 Saviour attests their truth by assuming all responsibility for 
 them, — "I Jesus." 
 
 Not only does he certify this apocalypse, he also certifies 
 himself to be eminently trustworthy. " The sure mercies of 
 David " was a covenant phrase in the early times, and verily 
 the author of these mercies, as well as their splendid product, 
 could not deceive his people by playing with their fears or 
 exaggerating their hopes. Therefore, my soul, do not dis- 
 dain his teachings in the Church and in thyself. Heed his 
 warnings, and exult in his promises. Keep on trusting him ; 
 what thou knowest not now thou shalt know hereafter. 
 Earthly life may be lonelier than this island of exile in the 
 yCgean, — the raptures few and the sobs many; but if Jesus 
 shines upon thee all will be well. 
 
 We love sweet voices, and God makes them mute ; 
 
 We hold no treasure sure to last a day ; 
 We fill our hearts with flowers that have no root; 
 
 We build snow huts that summer melts away; 
 Yet never need our weak lives hopeless roam, 
 
 For One, descended from a brighter land, 
 Who came to save, will guide his children home, 
 
 And keep secure all trusted to his hand. 
 
September 8. 
 
 ^z forgettetl) not tfje erg of tf)e {)umble- — Psalm ix. 12. 
 
 S/ia// not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night iinto 
 him, though he bear long with them ? — Luke xviii. 7. 
 
 SUCH is Christ's application of his story of the unjust 
 judge. An officer of the law, set to do justice, is deaf 
 to the appeals of a poor widow, until, wearied by her impor- 
 tunity, he hears and heeds to be rid of the matter. If such 
 be the conduct of an iniquitous magistrate, how certainly 
 shall our compassionate Father, who loves every member of 
 the household of faith, his purpose of discipline being accom- 
 plished, open both ear and hand in response to his outcrying 
 children. 
 
 Our enemies are many. The world storms upon us. The 
 flesh tempts us. Satan is inquisitive and ubiquitous. Sor- 
 row sits, an unbidden guest, at the hearthstone. Death, with 
 hour-glass and scythe, strides across the threshold. Feeble, 
 affrighted, dazed, where shall we look 1 What shall we do ? 
 Look up ! Cry out ! Keep looking up ! Keep crying out ! 
 It is only a question of time. God will surely appear to vin- 
 dicate our faith and deliver our soul. 
 
 He bows his gracious ear, 
 
 We never plead in vain; 
 Then let us wait till he appear. 
 
 And pray, and pray again. 
 
 John Newton. 
 
September 9. 
 
 raf)at must 3: tjo ta hz sabctj? — acts xvi. 30. 
 
 Co ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 
 He that believeth and is baptized shall he saved ; but lie that believeth 
 not shall be davuied. — Mark xvi. 15, 16. 
 
 DUTY, destiny, are the impressive words suggested and 
 held before the mind with growing clearness and 
 power by this, our Lord's last command. 
 
 The duty is every Christian's, and is urged by the alter- 
 native eternal destiny of every unsaved soul, — a duty whose 
 obligation will not be lessened until every creature in all the 
 world has heard the gospel, and either accepted or rejected 
 the salvation it offers ; whose discharge means the telling 
 simply and lovingly to the guilty, of a pitying Saviour ; to 
 the penitent, of a pardoning Saviour; to the troubled, of 
 a peace-giving Saviour; to the sorrowing, of a sympathizing 
 Saviour ; to the helpless, of an almighty Saviour; to all who 
 will come unto God by him, of a welcoming and sufficient 
 Saviour. And when these receive and trust the good news 
 and believe on Jesus, they shall be saved and not damned. 
 
 How startling and wonderful that the eternal destiny of 
 souls already condemned should turn upon the faithfulness 
 to duty of those who are saved ! How stimulating and glo- 
 rious the results and rewards of patient and persevering 
 obedience to our Saviour's parting request, souls saved 
 from death, and they by whom they were turned unto right- 
 eousness shining as the stars forever and ever! 
 
 Whosoever heareth. shout, shout the sound I 
 Send the blessed tidings all the world around ! 
 Spread the joyful news wherever man is found, 
 " Whosoever will, may come." 
 
 p. p. Buss. 
 
September io. 
 
 Wi}t ineapong of our Warfare are not carnaL 
 
 2 Cor. X. 4. 
 
 /'/// 7// t/iy sword into the sheath ; the nip which my Father hath 
 given me, shall I not drink it? — John xviii. 11. 
 
 THE servant is to be as his master. That kingdom which 
 is "righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost" 
 has no need of carnal weapons. How evidently out of place 
 for Peter to draw his sword in defence of one at the mere 
 recognition of whom his enemies had already fallen to the 
 ground ! The condition of both safety and power is obe- 
 dience to God's perfect will. We have reason to fear self- 
 injury far more than injury from our foes. He who was 
 ready to drink the cup could have had for the asking " more 
 than twelve legions of angels." 
 
 Let us adoringly remember that the cup which the Saviour 
 was to drink was the full cup of atoning anguish. Yet the 
 fact that it was presented by the Father's hand gave absolute 
 assurance it was to become the cup of blessing ! God never 
 lets the final victory go against either himself or his. We 
 miss triumphs for both the kingdom and ourselves because 
 we are not willing to endure suffering. Redeemed by love's 
 agony, we yet shrink from whatever will cost us pain. Saving 
 our life, we lose it ! 
 
 If thou the cup of pain 
 
 Givest to drink, 
 Let not the trembling lip 
 
 From the draught shrink ; 
 So by our woes to be 
 Nearer, O God, to thee. 
 
 Nearer to thee I 
 
 w. w. 
 
September ii. 
 
 ^nt0 pu it 10 gite , . . to suffer for \}ie safee. 
 Phil. i. 29. 
 
 T/iese things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is 
 alive ; I kncnu thy zuorks, and trilndation, and poverty {but thou art 
 rich). . . . Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer : . . . 
 be thou faithful tcnto death, ami I will give thee a crown of life. 
 — Rev. ii. 8, 9, 10. 
 
 NOT one of the " seven churches in Asia " received so 
 high a commendation from " the faithful and true 
 witness" as that in Smyrna; yet in outward condition hers 
 was the severest lot. Hers to suffer rather than to serve; 
 to endure rather than to conquer; to have "tribulations" 
 rather than triumphs. Again and again was she swept over 
 by the fires of persecution, yet they did not consume her. 
 
 How full of strength and cheer these words to such a 
 church ! The assurance of a reignmg Lord, having all 
 power over death and hell., " the first and the last," " that 
 was dead and is alive again." " No weapon that is formed 
 against her shall prosper." After trial she shall come forth 
 victorious. Her light shines to-day! Are you called, dear 
 child of God, to trial, to disappointment, to sorrow, to see 
 others reaping while you are laid aside .'' Remember, " they 
 also serve who only stand and wait," that the highest praise 
 fell to Smyrna, and through tribulations patiently endured. 
 
 ^I^JT.J'^ni 
 
 Never flinched they from the flame, 
 
 From the torture never; 
 Vain the foeman's sharpest aim, 
 
 Satan's best endeavor. 
 For by faith they saw the land 
 
 Decked in all its glory, 
 Where triumphant now they stand, 
 
 With the victor's story. 
 
 J. NEALE {Translatiou). 
 
September 12. 
 
 ge \}KiiZ purifiEtJ goiiv gotils in ofecgmQ t])e trtiti}. 
 
 I Peter i. 22. 
 
 Sanctify them through thy truth : thy word is truth. — John 
 xvii. 17. 
 
 AS our blessed Lord was himself " set apart and sent into 
 the world " on a special divine mission, it is not 
 strange that he should pray for his apostles that they might 
 be sanctified, — set apart by God the Father to their divine 
 work. They were to possess and proclaim the gospel in its 
 fulness. Neither doctrinal nor preceptive truths must be 
 overlooked ; they must be impressed with the authority of 
 their calling and the sublimity of their work. 
 
 All sincere believers are called to a divine service. Our 
 Lord's prayer includes them. Every Christian should be 
 a living gospel and the propagator of spiritual truth. The 
 growth of spiritual life and the steady increase of spiritual 
 power depend upon our belief in and appropriation of the 
 Word of God. We are sanctified by the Holy Spirit through 
 belief of and obedience to the truth. Our sanctification 
 must mean both purity of character and enlightened devotion 
 to Christ's work. Our blessed Lord must be our ideal as to 
 the one and our example as to the other. Rightly appre- 
 hending the " truth as it is in Jesus," we must cheerfully 
 make it known to others. Let the warm, vital life of godli- 
 ness be manifest in our conduct. While in thought we 
 mount heavenward, in deed we should go about in angelic 
 labors. 
 
 (l^^ J^. ^fC^^^ce^uz:^. 
 
 I need a cleansing change within, 
 
 My life must once again begin. 
 
 New hope I need, and youth renewed, 
 
 And more than human fortitude ; 
 
 New faith, new love, and strength to cast 
 
 Away the fetters of the the past. 
 
 HARTLY COLERIDCIi. 
 
September 13. 
 
 gour gootinegs is as a marnins clout(. — Rosea vi. 4. 
 
 Btit he that rcceiveth the seed into sto7ty places, the same is he that 
 heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it ; yet hath he not 
 root in himself, but dureth for a tvhile : for ivhen tribulation or 
 persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 
 — Matt. xiii. 20, 21. 
 
 IN religion, as in agriculture, everything depends upon 
 the thoroughness with which initial processes are con- 
 ducted. In opening the way for the reception of the gospel, 
 the ploughshare of the Spirit must be permitted to go deep 
 enough not only to stir the thin soil of emotion which lies 
 upon the surface of the "evil heart of unbelief" that is by 
 nature in us all, but to upturn and remove the underlying 
 rock itself. Only thus will the good seed of the kingdom 
 find its way into that deep subsoil where the conditions of 
 permanent vitality and fruitful development can be found. 
 No mere surface-work will do here; nothing but such a 
 radical regeneration as shall " take away the heart of stone 
 out of the flesh," — such as shall make old things to pass 
 away and all things to become new. Emotions are transient; 
 only principles abide. A religion that flourishes in times of 
 revival in the Church, and withers as soon as they are gone, 
 is a miserable cheat. The sooner it is detected and re- 
 nounced, the better for the soul. 
 
 Dear Lord, and shall we ever live 
 
 At this poor dying rate, 
 Our love so faint, so cold to thee, 
 
 And thine to us so great .^ 
 
 Watts. 
 
September 14. 
 
 J^e tjjat fjatf} pitg upon tf)c poor Untjetf) unto tjje 3LottJ, 
 
 Prov. xix. 17. 
 
 Verily I say mi to you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the 
 least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto vie. — Matt. xxv. 40. 
 
 HOW little we know of what we are and have and do ! 
 Faith itself does not remove all blindness to the re- 
 alities of God's kingdom. Burning though be our zeal, and 
 unremitting our work, the veil is still before our eyes, and 
 we cannot conceive of the glory of our calling. Prompted 
 by the love of Christ, we seek to remove misery, but with 
 our Bibles in our hands and hearts, in which these words are 
 so clearly written, forget that all the time it is really the 
 Lord, and not merely suffering men, whom we have cherished 
 and comforted. 
 
 How constant, too, the opportunity for such service! "The 
 least of these my brethren ; " that is, the very lowest in knowl- 
 edge, honor, influence, holiness of life. Though full of faults, 
 he is still a brother in whom Christ dwells, and through 
 whom Christ comes. 
 
 Homer tells of Ulysses dwelling for a time unknown in 
 his Ithaca, a beggar, abused, insulted, struck by some of 
 his people but kindly treated by others, until the hour when 
 all had been tested came, and the dishonored beggar was 
 found to be the absent lord. The King is here, and this 
 very day he walks our streets and enters our homes. Happy 
 they who even though they do not recognize him, give him 
 the sympathy of their hearts, and freely administer of what- 
 ever they have. 
 
 Oh, may our sympathizing breasts 
 
 The generous pleasure know 
 
 Kindly to share in others' joy, 
 
 And weep for others' woe ! 
 
 PHILIP Doddridge. 
 
September 15. 
 
 Bci)oltJ, to oljeg 12 better tj^an sacrifice. — i Sam. xv. 22. 
 
 My meat is to do the will of him that sent me^ and to finish his 
 7uork. — John iv. 34. 
 
 HUNGRY, thirsty, and weary, Jesus comes at noon-day 
 to the well of Samaria. He finds rest in labor, drink 
 in holy converse, and food in bringing a lost soul to God. 
 
 Not only do physical conditions affect the spiritual life, 
 but in a larger degree than we are wont to imagine, spiritual 
 conditions affect the physical life. Bodily ailments depress 
 the spirit; spiritual exercise invigorates the body. The 
 entire man, body and soul, feels the refreshing and stimu- 
 lating influence of close companionship with God in will and 
 work. The servant of God forgets his bodily wants in the 
 joy of becoming the channel through which God flows into 
 other lives. 
 
 These words are not spoken concerning a purely personal, 
 unrelated experience. Jesus does not find his food, in this 
 instance at least, in contemplation or self-inspection. He 
 does God's will and accomplishes God's work, with a sinful 
 woman as the object in which his activity centres. It is not 
 enough that we know God's will. The blessed truths of reve- 
 lation will not be food to us except as we assimilate those 
 truths by our activity. The soul has its laws of develop- 
 ment and growth. One of the chief of these laws, the law 
 of labor, is given divine emphasis in the words before us. 
 
 Help us through good report and ill 
 
 Our daily cross to bear, 
 Like thee to do our Father's will, 
 
 Our brother's grief to share. 
 
 John H. Gurney. 
 
September i6. 
 
 2r|}er£fore sjjall tfjeg cat of tfje fruit of tjjeir oiun loag. 
 
 Prov. i. 31. 
 
 / am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me 
 should not abide in darkness. And if any 7nan hear ?ny words, and 
 believe not, I judge him not : for I catne not to judge the world, but to 
 save the world. — John xii. 46, 47. 
 
 DARKNESS is just the word for both the present and 
 the future without Christ. Light is the word to de- 
 scribe what he does for us when we come to him. " He is 
 the true light which Hghteth every man that cometh into the 
 world." He lights up life's path with an example of what 
 man should be and do. His is the hght which reveals the way 
 of salvation. Till we come to him, we see our sins as scar- 
 let and as crimson; when we have come to him they become 
 white as snow, for " the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans- 
 eth us from all sin." He lights up heaven, and tells us that 
 there God shall wipe away all tears. He lights up earth by 
 telling us that all power is given him in heaven and on earth, 
 and that he will be with us to the end. Are trials many and 
 severe.'' Do not forget the light which comes from Geth- 
 semane, the judgment hall, the cross. He not only taught 
 patience and forgiveness, he was patient, he forgave. Re- 
 member that he came not to judge, but to save. It is not his 
 wrath, but our unbelief, which condemns us. 
 
 S/ X^-^^L^CiA^, 
 
 Jesus, my hope, my rock, my shield. 
 
 Whose precious blood was shed for me ! 
 
 Into thy hands my soul I yield ; 
 I come to thee. 
 
 CHARLOITE ELLIOTT. 
 
September 17. 
 
 3L£t lis not lobe in toartj, neiti^cr in tongue; but in 
 tecti ant) m trutfj. — i John iii. i& 
 
 Giz't' me to drink. — John iv. 7. 
 
 IT is Jesus who asks this. It was asked of one who could 
 supply the physical need. It was comparatively a little 
 thing for which he asked, but the woman of Samaria found 
 that he who thus asked could give the water of life, which 
 would quench the thirst of the soul. 
 
 Jesus asks still, " Give me to drink," and though we may 
 not be able to quench the physical thirst of the Son of man, 
 we may minister to him by ministering in his name to others, 
 for we have his own word, " Inasmuch as ye did it unto one 
 of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me." 
 
 The request is one to which every one can accede. Not 
 in the largeness of the gift lies its value, but in the spirit 
 which prompts it. The cup of water only, if given for 
 Christ's sake and for very love to him, he will always regard 
 as for himself. 
 
 There are wearied, burdened, bruised, and sorrowing ones 
 of earth to whom we can minister, there are thirsting ones to 
 whom we can bring the " cup of salvation ; " and they who 
 thus give Jesus to drink shall from him receive the "gift of 
 God," even the " living water which springeth up into ever- 
 lasting life." 
 
 y^yi^AA^Oi^ ^ 
 
 May each child of thine be willing, 
 Willing both in hand and heart, 
 
 Every law of love fulfilling, 
 Every comfort to impart ! 
 
 Godfrey Turing. 
 
September i8. 
 
 genti out ttg Itg^t anti tf)g trutij : let tjem leati me. 
 
 Psalm xliii. 3. 
 
 T/ih is the coitdejnuation, that light is come into the worlds and 
 men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. — 
 John iii. 19. 
 
 CHRIST, who is at once the Son of God and the Son of 
 man, uttered a truth whose subHmity stands without a 
 parallel, when he said, " I am the light of the world." Light 
 and life, like grace and truth, came by Jesus Christ, the true 
 light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 
 " All other lights lead but to bewilder and dazzle but to blind." 
 But in his light we see light revealing at once the exceed- 
 ing sinfulness of sin and the infinite beauty of holiness, the 
 deepening darkness of the path that leads away from God, 
 and the growing brightness of the way that brings us back to 
 our Father's house. The mischief and the misery of unbe- 
 lief is that in its love of darkness and its hatred of light, in 
 its rejection of Christ and its retention of sin, the soul is led 
 to refuse that which above all else it needs the most, and to 
 cling to that which multiplies its sorrows and hastens its 
 ruin. With a yearning tenderness like unto that with which 
 a grieved yet loving father laments the folly of a wayward 
 child, the dear Lord addresses the sons and daughters of un- 
 belief, whose unwise choice is the fruitage of their evil deeds, 
 and tells them that impenitence writes its own condemnation, 
 invites its own sentence, and aggravates its own eternal 
 doom. 
 
 ^^ 
 
 ^'^'^ ^K^ 
 
 Lord, I believe ; thy power I own, 
 Thy word I would obey. 
 
 I wander comfortless and lone, 
 When from thy truth I stray. 
 
 J. R. WRUrORD. 
 
September 19. 
 
 5^farkm tiiligmtlu unto tnc, anti rat 2^ tj}at iiif)icf) 10 
 
 QOOtl. — Isaiah Iv. i. 
 
 Verily^ verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread frofn 
 heaven ; Init viy Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For 
 the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven^ and giveth 
 life unto the world. — JOHN vi. 32, 33. 
 
 THERE is a difference in the gifts from heaven. Some 
 obtain physical blessings and seek no more. " Your 
 fathers did eat manna and are dead." Some seek the hidden 
 manna, and receiving the true " gift of God " never die, for 
 they feed on Christ. 
 
 " Moses gave not, no man gives, the bread from heaven." 
 Praise not men because they are God's agents, but give God 
 the glory. Seek not inspiration from man, but drink from the 
 fountain-head. Moses, David, Paul, the noblest men dead or 
 Jiving, are as nothing to the Bread, the Word, which came 
 down from heaven. Go to Christ, follow, lean upon him ; let 
 no mail come between you and your Master. 
 
 " The Father giveth you." Does he ? He stands offer- 
 ing; have you accepted the food.? His hand is stretched 
 out ; have you grasped it .-* 
 
 / C^-c4si^^<.AJty^ /jey 
 
 Very bread, good Shepherd, tend us ; 
 Jesus, of thy love befriend us ; 
 Thou refresh us, thou defend us, 
 Thine eternal goodness send us 
 In the land of life to see. 
 Thou, who all things canst and knowest, 
 Who on earth such food bestowest, 
 Grant us with thy saints, though lowest, 
 Where the heavenly feast thou showest, 
 Fellow heirs and guests to be. 
 
 H. W. Bakkr. 
 
September 20. 
 
 en 3tQm tarn glorificti, tfjm rEmembercti ti^eg. 
 John xii. i6. 
 
 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will 
 send ift my natne, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things 
 to your remembrance, tvhatsoever I have said unto you. — John 
 xiv. 26. 
 
 HOW imperfect is our apprehension of things heavenly, 
 and how defective our recollection of them ! Poor 
 scholars are we in God's school, with our slow learning and 
 quick forgetting, if left to ourselves. Most precious then is 
 our Lord's assurance of the help of the Holy Spirit, so that 
 we shall not fail to attain and retain that knowledge of his 
 teachings which is vital to the welfare and peace of our souls, 
 and which enthrones him in our hearts. 
 
 How cheering also the thought of the completeness of the 
 Spirit's teaching, — covering the " all things " of Christ, as 
 twice declared in this one verse. So large is his love for us 
 that he can never be content with anything small in his treat- 
 ment of us. Thus taught by the Holy Ghost, we shall choose 
 truth rather than error, and ever delight therein. Having 
 clearly and constantly in mind our loving Saviour, we shall 
 learn consolation in sorrow, patience under suffering, courage 
 amid conflict, and fidelity in love and service, even unto 
 death. And so shall this adorable Holy One be unto us in- 
 deed " the Comforter." 
 
 Remember that a world unseen 
 Is round thee everywhere ; 
 
 That he alone is truly blest 
 Whom God hath in his care ; 
 
 Whom his good Spirit, by his might, 
 
 Is leading in a pathway bright. 
 
 BRAMELD. 
 
September 21. 
 
 lEberg one of us sfjall giije account of ftimgelf to (ioti. 
 Romans xiv. 12. 
 
 /4;/(/ cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there 
 shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. — Matt. xxv. 30. 
 
 THE "unprofitable servant" did not meet his fearful 
 doom through accident, sudden temptation, necessity, 
 or lack of knowledge. He admits he knew the character 
 of his lord and what would be the natural result of his own 
 negligence. And now our loving Master holds this picture 
 before our eyes that we may escape that servant's doom. 
 This closing sentence is one of the beacon lights kindled by 
 the hand of love, to warn men against the infatuation of sin 
 that pushes them on to ruin. Love divine stands before 
 men to-day who '' k7ww their Lord's will and do it not," 
 seeking their salvation. It will woo or warn, draw or drive, 
 inspire hope or waken dread, promise peace to the troubled 
 or sting a torpid conscience into life, speak in " the still 
 small voice " or thunder in the storm, and while pointing 
 the weary to the rest in heaven, it will dare to tell the care- 
 less of the horrors of hell. 
 
 See the Judge, our nature wearing, 
 
 Clothed in majesty divine ! 
 You who long for his appearing, 
 
 Then shall say, "This God is mine ! " 
 
 Gracious Saviour, 
 Own me in that day for thine ! 
 
 Jon>j Newton. 
 
September 22. 
 
 Before jonour 10 l)umilitjj. — Prov. xv. 33. 
 
 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased ; and he that 
 shall humble himself shall be exalted. — Matt, xxiii. 12. 
 
 THIS is one of the favorite sayings of our blessed Lord. 
 It teaches that exaltation through humility is the law 
 of spiritual life. The Hfe of Christ is an exemplification of 
 this great principle. Saint Paul writes, " He humbled him- 
 self and became obedient unto death, even the death of the 
 cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given 
 him a name which is above every name." Humility is the 
 right estimate of ourselves; it is the ascendency of truth in 
 the soul. Consequently, all spiritual life must have its be- 
 ginnings in humility. 
 
 Though the believer may be almost overwhelmed on 
 account of his littleness and unworthiness standing in 
 the searching sight of the eternal Light, yet humility is 
 consistent with the loftiest aspirations and the highest 
 achievements. 
 
 The humble find forgiveness and peace through the cross, 
 and discover surpassing sources of life and exaltation in 
 the fatherhood of God, in the brotherhood of Jesus, in the 
 indwelling of the Holy Ghost. Through humility the soul 
 is emptied of self and filled with the divine fulness, and so 
 he that humbleth himself is exalted. 
 
 Thy home is with the humble, Lord ! 
 
 The simple are the blest. 
 Thy lodging is in childHke hearts, 
 
 Thou makest there thy rest. 
 
 Dear Comforter ! eternal Dove ! 
 
 If thou wilt stay with me, 
 Of lowly thoughts and simple ways 
 
 I '11 build a house for thee. 
 
September 23. 
 
 2rje ILorti f)at6 anomteti me ... 10 proclaim libcrtg ta 
 tf)e raptities. — Isaiah Ixi. i. 
 
 ^«</ ought fiot this zuottian, being a daughter of Abraham, whom 
 Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteeJi years, be loosed from this bond 
 on the sabbath day f — LuKE xiii. i6. 
 
 CHRIST healed this woman on the Sabbath day and in 
 the synagogue. The ruler of the synagogue became 
 indignant, as if Christ had committed some heinous sin. The 
 miracle of Christ and his mercy to this poor woman were 
 nothing to this Pharisee compared to a custom or ordinance. 
 Christ appeals to a custom or common practice among the 
 Jews, of watering their catde upon the Sabbath day, and 
 applies this act of mercy to the greater need of this woman. 
 
 She was "a daughter of Abraham," their sister, — a rela- 
 tion which they should recognize as not belonging to the 
 cattle. Why not be as merciful to her as to a beast.'* It is 
 so to-day. Cattle can rest on the Sabbath, but servants 
 must work. 
 
 She was "bound by Satan; " hence this miracle was more 
 than an act of mercy to the woman. It was piety toward 
 God, as it broke the power of Satan. She had been in this 
 deplorable condition for eighteen years ; why delay a single 
 day longer, and add to her misery ? Now is the great 
 opportunity. 
 
 Christ spent his Sabbaths in the synagogues, and thus gave 
 his testimony to the duty and importance of public worship ; 
 and he healed on the Sabbath day, teaching us that acts of 
 mercy and charity belong to the Sabbath and to the true 
 worshipper. 
 
 And didst thou pity mortal woe, 
 And sight and health restore } 
 
 Then pity, Lord, and save my soul 
 Which needs thy pity more 
 
 Mrs. Amelia avakeford. 
 
September 24. 
 
 ^0 our 3lort) Jfsus Cfjrigt !jatf) sfjeiricti me. 
 
 2 Peter i. 14. 
 
 Whither I go, thou canst notfolloiv 7ne now ; but thou shalt follow 
 me afterwards. — John xiii. 36. 
 
 THE Master was ending his mission and passing to the 
 grave. The disciple could not foresee the path through 
 suffering and death to glory, and asking " whither " his Lord 
 was going, desired to follow. The nature and extent of fol- 
 lowing Christ require tuition and experience, which alone 
 fortify us with grace and strength to follow him closely in 
 the full spirit and conditions of his life. Peter thought he 
 was ready to do this at once ; the Lord said, " Not now, but 
 afterwards." Dearly, richly learned he what that meant, 
 when he wrote, " Christ suffered for us, leaving an example 
 that we should follow his steps; that we being dead to sin, 
 should live unto righteousness." 
 
 ''Not now;" the path of vicarious suffering Christ must 
 tread alone. We cannot follow him there. 
 
 " Afterwards ; " since his bleeding, blessed feet have 
 passed up to the crown heights of God, we may and must 
 follow, not asking "whither," or halting before the presence 
 of suffering, or blanched by fear of enemies, but counting it 
 joy to suffer in his behalf; through good or through evil re- 
 port, to plant our feet in his own footprints, let them lead 
 us where they will. 
 
 Once his disciple, ever "afterwards" follow in life, in 
 death ; then " afterwards " in the paths of glory, you shall 
 "follow the Lamb whithersoever he leads." 
 
 Thy way, not mine, O Lord, 
 However dark it be I 
 
 Lead me by thine own hand ; 
 Choose out the path for me. 
 
September 25. 
 
 Btjolti, tbc ilorti (3ot3 inill come: , , , ]}i& reinarti is 
 toltf) Jim. — Isaiah xl. lo. 
 
 Blessed ai'e those servants, 7vhom the lord when he cometh shall 
 find luatching: verily I say imto yon, that he shall gird himself, and 
 make them to sit do7vn to meat, andzvill come forth and serve them. — 
 Luke xii. yj. 
 
 OUR Lord here emphasizes the importance of an un- 
 broken, progressive life of obedience to the end. He 
 gives notice that such h'fe is the true and decisive test of 
 loyalty to him. He impliedly says to all his servants, Hav- 
 ing engaged with me, I assign you to life service. I make 
 no provision for leave of absence, I grant no vacations; 
 but I give assurance of profits to all who serve faithfully, — 
 profits more than equivalent for the service rendered. 
 
 Absent for an indefinite period, the Lord puts his servants 
 in charge of his house with instructions to continue the work 
 commenced and guard circumspectly all his interests till he 
 return. 
 
 The day of his return he does not reveal, but his servants 
 are assured that he will come ; that when he comes their 
 service shall end and their profits be realized. Then to each 
 servant whom he finds "watching'' — with house in order, 
 with lamp burning, and with hand on the door ready to open 
 to him — he will say, "Well done, good and faithful ser- 
 vant;" go now to my table and I will serve you; "enter" 
 now " into the joy of thy Lord." 
 
 We long to hear thy voice, 
 To see thee face to face; 
 
 To share thy crown and glory then, 
 As now we share thy grace. 
 
September 26. 
 
 .Smitten of (^otj, anti afiOlicteti. — Isaiah liii. 4. 
 
 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? — Matt, xxvii. 46. 
 
 STRANGEST as well as saddest words ever uttered. 
 The spotless Son of God passing into the hidings of 
 his Father's face, experiencing that sickening sense of utter 
 desolation, forsaken of God and man ; and this that he 
 might know sin's utmost ruin, that man might know love's 
 utmost salvation. Herein is love, not that we loved him, 
 but that he loved us and gave himself for us. He took 
 upon his broad sympathies the burden of a fallen world's 
 sins and sorrows, hiding his Father's face, darkening the 
 heavens, and rolled it off with a bloody sweat and an ex- 
 piring groan, that guilty man might be saved both the one 
 and the other. He took man's place in the darkness of sin 
 and death that man might take his place in the light of holi- 
 ness and life. He was abandoned of God that man might 
 be accepted. He went down to hell that man might ascend 
 to heaven. The philosophy is hidden, the fact is revealed. 
 And thank God the fact is all we need to know for cur 
 present peace or future welfare. Let us, therefore, grate- 
 fully accept the fact that "Him who knew no sin he made 
 to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteous- 
 ness of God in him." 
 
 Weary sinner, keep thine eyes 
 
 On the atoning sacrifice. 
 
 There the incarnate Deity 
 
 Numbered with transgressors see; 
 
 There his Father's absence mourns, 
 
 Nailed, and bruised, and crowned with thorns. 
 
 TOPLADY. 
 
September 27. 
 
 3^e gj^all i^abc jutigmcnt toiti^out mrrcg, tftat jatfj gj^einetj 
 
 no mcrcg. —James ii. 13. 
 
 And his lord taas wroth, and delivered him to the torf/ientors, till 
 he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my 
 heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive 7iot 
 every one his brother their trespasses. — Matt, xviii. 34, 35. 
 
 THE merciful man shows mercy, not in the hope of receiv- 
 ing mercy, but because mercy is an element inwrought 
 into the fibres of his moral being. The gospel regards the 
 acts of the life as evidential of the state of the heart. The 
 unmerciful servant was " delivered to the tormentors until he 
 should pay all that was due," not simply on account of a 
 single heartless act, but because that act was the evidence of 
 his possession of an unmerciful disposition. With the infallible 
 Judge it is the state of the heart which secures acquittal or 
 condemnation. Disciples of Christ therefore need to ex- 
 amine their hearts to know of what spirit they are. Further, 
 their lives should clearly show that they have practically 
 learned the lessons taught them in the application of this 
 parable. These are, — that the mercy sinners receive from 
 God should evidence itself in acts of mercy toward their 
 fellow-creatures ; that a life lacking in mercy is proof of the 
 falsity of a profession of religion ; that they who seek for- 
 giveness from God must be willing to forgive men ; and that 
 the prayer of the unmerciful is vanity and their condemnation 
 a certainty. The gospel requires not only that men "do 
 justly," but also that they "love mercy." .. 
 
 Oh, give us hearts to love like thee ! 
 
 Like thee, O Lord, to grieve 
 Far more for others' sins, than all 
 
 The wrongs that we receive. sir e. denny. 
 
September 28. 
 
 jFoUotocrs of @0tJ, as tear cftilbrm. — Eph. v. i. 
 
 Ajid whefi ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any : 
 that your Father also which is iji heaven may forgive yon yonr tres- 
 passes. But if ye do not forgive, tieither will yoiir Father ivhich is in 
 heaven forgive your trespasses. — Mark xi. 25, 26. 
 
 IT is easy to forgive, when we know ourselves forgiven for 
 Jesus' sake. Whatever our posture in prayer, we must 
 confess that we owe our Lord more than ten thousand talents, 
 and have nothing to pay. Freely forgiven, because of the 
 divine compassion, and the redemption purchased by Christ 
 applied to us by his Holy Spirit, we have neither hand nor 
 heart to take by the throat our fellow-servant, who owes us 
 an hundred pence. 
 
 And yet we are not forgiven because we forgive those who 
 trespass against us. We are taught to pray, " Forgive us our 
 debts as we forgive our debtors." But the rule of forgiving 
 and being forgiven is in these words of the Holy Spirit: " Be 
 ye kind one to another, forgiving one another, even as God, 
 for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you " (Eph. iv. 32). 
 
 Is there a hmit to forgiveness t Yes, even to God's (Mark 
 iii. 29). 
 
 And to ours.'' Yes, again (Matt, xviii. 15-17, 21, 22, and 
 Luke xvii. 3, 4). 
 
 Yet we are to love our enemies, who will not let us forgive 
 them (Matt. v. 44, 45). 
 
 Think gently of the erring one ! 
 
 And let us not forget, 
 However darkly stained by sin, 
 
 He is our brother yet. 
 
September 29. 
 
 E\}z onlg begotten SSon . . . fje ftati) tJeclaretJ tint. 
 
 John i. i8. 
 
 A// things are delivered to me of my Father : and no man knoweth 
 who the Son is, hit the Father ; attd who the Father is, but the Son, 
 and he to whom the Son will reveal him. — LuKE x. 22. 
 
 WHO is the Father? We know not. He is the focus 
 of all that is high and good. 
 
 Who is the Son? We know not; the focus of all that is 
 divine in human history and in the history of each of us. 
 
 What is the relation of the Father and the Son ? Open, 
 each to each. 
 
 What is the knowledge here spoken of, — a thing of defi- 
 nitions ? No, of consciousness. It is a fellowship with the 
 Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Through it the love 
 wherewith the Father loves the Son is in us, and he is in us. 
 It is life eternal. It comes to us through God's command- 
 ments, given in love and accepted in simplicity. 
 
 And what is the face which God through the Son turns to 
 us ? Sympathy with childlike men ; willingness to declare 
 his blessed name ; promise of an infinitude of experience. 
 
 But what to those who find ? ah, this 
 
 Nor tongue nor pen can show ; 
 The love of Jesus, what it is. 
 
 None but his loved ones know. 
 
 BER.VARD of CLAIRVAUX (translated by Edward Casvjall). 
 
September 30. 
 
 ilorti, tbmnore Qitz us t]^is buati. — John vi. 34. 
 
 / am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the zvil- 
 dernessy and are dead. — JOHN vi. 48, 49. 
 
 A THOUSAND desires may be refused us, but bread we 
 must have. We can do without a thousand things 
 which we regard as necessities, and yet live; but deny us 
 bread and we die. The need is universal and universally 
 confessed, and to supply it the world has become a very 
 bee-hive for industry. But Jesus here reminds us that there 
 is a bread which we need more than this, — namely, the 
 " Bread of life," — which will sustain us when we have done 
 eating the bread of earth. Bread sustains and strengthens 
 the body ; but Christ sustains and strengthens the soul. Who 
 but Christ can sustain us when temptations strong beset us? 
 W'.o but Christ can strengthen us when trials and misfor- 
 tunes befall us? These are the experiences which make us 
 cry out, " Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words 
 of eternal life." Besides, bread is good ; manna must have 
 been better, for it fell from heaven ; but Jesus is the best 
 bread. Even those who ate manna died; but he who eats 
 the bread which Jesus gives shall never die. " Lord, ever- 
 more give us this bread." 
 
 O Bread to pilgrims given, 
 
 O Food that angels eat, 
 O Manna sent from heaven, 
 
 For heaven-born natures meet, 
 Give us, for thee long pining, 
 
 To eat till richly filled, 
 Till, earth's delights resigning, 
 
 Our every wish is stilled. 
 
 Thomas Aquinas (translated hy Ray Palmer). 
 
October i. 
 
 n MiQ\\i to tJ0 tjg ^lU, (3 mg ®oti. — Psalm xi. 8. 
 
 JV^cno IS 7ny soul troubled ; and ivhat shall I say ? Father, save me 
 frorn this hour: but for this cause came I tinto this hour. Father, 
 glorify thy name. — John xii. 27, 28. 
 
 THE shadow of the agony in the garden is already falling 
 on the spirit of the Son of man. " Son of man " we 
 must know him to be, no less than Son of God, or there 
 would be no mediation, no at-one-ment, and we should have 
 but half a gospel. " This hour " signifies the consummation 
 of the infinite sacrifice, both at Gethsemane and Calvary. 
 Nowhere is the interior struggle of the cross laid so plainly 
 open. The great Sufferer marks and reveals the successive 
 steps in the secret working of his sacrificial submission. 
 There are two possible prayers. The terrible alternative 
 is distinctly before him; he can ask for rescue, exemption, 
 comfort, an easy lot. How many of us, in a weaker faith, 
 with a feebler vision, do ask these for ourselves, for those 
 we love ! That would be the surrender of the Saviour's 
 mission for mankind to self; that is in its degree our con- 
 stant temptation. No. " For this cause came I unto this 
 hour." Self must be surrendered to God for redemption's 
 sake, for man's sake. Two precious lights, then, shine out 
 of the text, — the glory of self-sacrifice and the intense hu- 
 manity of our Lord. 
 
 -i^^ /^^^ 
 
 I know, " is all the Sufferer saith, — 
 
 Knowledge by suffering entereth, 
 
 And life is perfected by death." mrs. browning. 
 
October 2. 
 
 3Let not tjme j^eart ht tastjj to utter ang tbmjg before 
 
 (^fltJ. — ECCL. V. 2. 
 
 ^z^/ ///^/^, w//^;z //^i??/ prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thon 
 hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father 'cvhich is iii secret ; and thy 
 Father which secth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye 
 pray, nse not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that 
 they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye the7'efore like 
 unto them : for your Father knoiveth what things ye have need of, 
 before ye ask him. — Matt. vi. 6, 7, 8. 
 
 PRAYER enters into the very idea of religion. Genuine 
 prayer is at once most simple and most difficult. To 
 have ease and joy in it is a mark of spiritual soundness and 
 growth ; to neglect it is a sure symptom of decline. Prayer 
 has two aspects, worship and petition. In the one it termi- 
 nates on God, in the other on man. In this passage our 
 Lord treats of it in relation to God. Among the religion- 
 ists of that day the prevailing motive was the love of man's 
 applause rather than the desire of God's approval. Alms 
 must be done where men can see, fasting paraded before 
 the public gaze, and prayer offered loud and long in the 
 synagogues and at the crossings of the streets, where men 
 "most do congregate." Against this vice in prayer Jesus 
 warns us. Have a place where you may be alone with God, a 
 time when you have an engagement to meet him, and in this 
 privacy, " where none but God can hear," let the soul pour 
 itself out in praise and penitence and petition. 
 
 O thou by whom we come to God, 
 
 The life, the truth, the way, 
 
 The path of prayer thyself hast trod ! 
 
 Lord, teach us how to pray ! 
 
 J. Montgomery. 
 
October 3. 
 
 ILoije IS tje fulfilling oi i^e lato. — Romans xiii. 10. 
 
 Ou these two commandments hang all the laxv and the prophets. — 
 Matt. xxii. 40. 
 
 IN this wonderful statement our Lord declares a great prin- 
 ciple, — namely, " that love is the basis of all duty," — the 
 first and great commandment being, " thou shalt love," and 
 the second being like unto it, " thou shalt love." And as in 
 the Sinaitic tables the first commands relate to God and the 
 rest to mutual duties among men, so here the first is " thou 
 shalt love God,'' the second "' thou shalt love meny All duty 
 to God and man is thus brought into proper relations. Duty 
 has thus twofold development. First, it regards God, who as 
 supreme is entitled to pre-eminent consideration; our relations 
 to him as our Creator, Preserver, Redeemer, involve certain 
 corresponding duties of obedience, gratitude, love. These are 
 our highest obligations; they must be first in our thoughts as 
 controlling all our conduct. Secondly, duty has its develop- 
 ment toward men, — we must love our neighbor as ourselves ; 
 that is, as we would have him love us, and as by the teaching 
 of the parable of the good Samaritan he makes every man 
 our neighbor who needs our help, he gives a practical rule 
 as well as a precept for our conduct. We thus have practical 
 tests for the interpretation of our religious experiences. '■ By 
 this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye love " 
 (John xiii. 35). 
 
 That blessed law of thine, 
 Jesus, to me impart ; 
 
 The Spirit's law of life divine, 
 Oh, write it on my heart ! 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
October 4. 
 
 ^ toor iiias opcneti unto nu of t|)c iLorti. — 2 Cor. ii. 12. 
 
 / /^«<?7c ///)/ works : behold, I have set before thee an open door, 
 and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast 
 kept my word, and hast not denied my name. — Rev. iii. 8. 
 
 THE church in Philadelphia, the pearl among the seven 
 churches, receives the unmixed praise of him who is 
 holy and true and powerful. He knows her works as well 
 as her words. She is orthodox in conduct as well as in 
 creed. She observes both tables of the law, loves God, and 
 lets brotherly love continue. Her deeds evidence her faith. 
 
 To such a church the door is always open, — the door of 
 gracious opportunity, of blessed usefulness, of ceaseless ac- 
 tivity ; and no power can shut it. He who unlocks it with 
 the key of David will keep it open. The church enjoys this 
 sublime privilege just because she has a little strength. Being 
 consciously weak she supplies the condition of power. The 
 law of God's kingdom is that humiliation shall precede ex- 
 altation, disintegration fruitfulness, oblivion advancement; 
 and then God employs the weak things of this world with 
 which to confound the mighty. The door stood open because 
 she had been obedient and had kept his word, and had not 
 denied his name. Fidelity to Christ in word and work is 
 the test of loyalty and the condition of blessing. 
 
 Come, labor on ! 
 Away with gloomy doubts and faithless fear ! 
 No arm so weak but may do service here ; 
 By feeblest agents can our Lord fulfil 
 
 His righteous will. 
 
 HVMNS FROM THE LAND OF LUTHER. 
 
October 5. 
 
 E\)£n\ also infjtrfj sleep in Jesus inill (5otJ king toii]) 
 
 \)im, — I Thess. iv. 14. 
 
 / am the resurrection, and the life : he that believeth in me, though 
 he were dead, yet shall he live : and ivhosoez'cr liveth and believeth 
 in me shall never die. Believest thou this ? — John xi. 25, 26. 
 
 B 
 
 Y one man sin entered into the world, and death by 
 sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all 
 have sinned." " Jesus Christ hath abolished death, and hath 
 brought life and incorruption to light through the gospel." 
 " He that hath the Son hath life " and can triumphantly say, 
 " O grave, where is thy victory ? O death, where is thy 
 sting"? " The Psalmist said, "Though I walk through the 
 valley of the shadow of death." A shadow is not substance; 
 that shadow indicates light beyond. Dean Alford wrote the 
 epitaph upon his tomb in Old Canterbury. It reads thus: 
 " The inn of a traveller, on his way to the New Jerusalem." 
 
 God has said, " If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus 
 from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the 
 dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies." His Spirit is 
 the earnest, confirming his word of promise : '• That by two 
 immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we 
 might have strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay 
 hold upon the hope set before us." And thus we know that 
 "when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we 
 also appear with him in glory." 
 
 %7bJILoAAjjcuo. 
 
 And he, dear Lord, that with thee dies, 
 And fleshly passions crucifies, 
 In body, like to thine, shall rise : 
 Hallelujah ! 
 
 W. Cooke (Translation). 
 
October 6. 
 
 STjje root o! tje xis^itam gidtJEtj) fruit. — peov. xii. 12. 
 
 Jlr that received seed into the good grotdnd is he that heareth the 
 word, and tmderstandeth it ; which cilso beareth fruity and bj'ingeth 
 forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. — Matt. xiii. 23. 
 
 " T TEREIN is my Father glorified, that ye bear much 
 L~± fruit," said Jesus. What a possibiUty, what an in- 
 spiration, that we can enhance the glory of " our Father " ! 
 Our hearts leap at the thought. How can this be done? 
 By bearing " leaves," — a profession of love for him ? No. 
 By bearing j-^;;/^ fruit? No. "That ye bear much fruit." 
 In the abundance of the yield is the joy, the glory, of the 
 husbandman. We should therefore aim to be extraordinary, 
 " hundredfold " Christians, satisfied with none but the largest 
 yield. Our hves should be packed with good deeds. Then 
 at harvest-time we can say, " Father, I have glorified thee 
 on the earth." This fruitfulness depends upon the condition 
 of the heart to receive the seed, the way in which we hear 
 the Word. Combining the three versions of this parable, 
 we find that the characteristics of a good hearer are, — he 
 understandeth the Word ; he receiveth it ; he keepeth it. 
 Apprehension of the Word, faith in the Word, obedience 
 to the Word, — these three are indispensable to fruitfulness. 
 " Take heed, therefore, how ye hear." Meditate, believe, 
 obey, " that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the 
 knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 Cd, /S.^^uaacj^. 
 
 Then let our hearts obey 
 
 The gospel's glorious sound ; 
 And all its fruits from day to day, 
 
 Be in us and abound. 
 
 J. Montgomery. 
 
October 7. 
 
 E\)z angel of tijz 3LortJ cncampetf) rounti about tjem tfjat 
 fear J)im. — Psalm xxxiv. 7. 
 
 Ta/ce heed that ye despise not one of these little ones ; for I say unto 
 you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my 
 Father which is in heaven. — MatT. xviii. lo. 
 
 LITTLE ones," — the children of God; the saved; the 
 heirs of salvation. " In heaven their angels always be- 
 hold the face," — here an allusion is had to Oriental monarchs, 
 who in their accustomed seclusion received into their pres- 
 ence only the favored courtiers of their realm. The seven 
 princes of the court of Ahasuerus are said in the Book of 
 Esther " to behold the king's face." But the New Testament 
 contains a revelation of the kingdom of God on earth, as 
 set up by our blessed Lord, and accordingly sets forth the 
 agencies by which its affairs are administered and its sub- 
 jects are protected. Hence, angels are represented as " min- 
 istering spirits sent forth " to each individual member of 
 this spiritual kingdom for his guidance, comfort, and aid 
 (Heb. ii. 14). 
 
 I think Christ meant to confirm that vague conception of 
 the many of almost every age and clime, that " in heaven," 
 the angelic host have an abiding interest in the welfare of 
 each child of God on earth, and minister to their wants. 
 
 While Christ's "little ones," in their earth-hfe, cannot 
 approach the celestial throne, their angels do; therefore 
 already they have an interest in heaven. 
 
 The hosts of God encamp around 
 The dwellings of the just ; 
 
 Deliverance he affords to all 
 Who on his succor trust. 
 
 Tate. 
 
October 8. 
 
 2rf)£ oil of jog for motirninig. — Isaiah Ixi. 3. 
 Weep not. — LuKE vii. 13. 
 
 THE words were not spoken out of impatience nor with 
 any tone of rebuke. Jesus knew the depth of her 
 anguish, and in anticipation of what he would do for her he 
 says, " Weep not." It was a promise of comfort, Hke that 
 given of old: "Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine 
 eyes from tears, for they shall come again from the land of 
 the enemy." The watcher on the mountain sees the gleam 
 of the coming day, while there is only darkness upon those 
 in the valley ; and when in disappointment or affliction or 
 pain, we hearken to the word of the Lord, we will find in 
 it a message of hope and a reason to wait patiently until the 
 end of his work shall appear. It was little the bereaved 
 mother knew of the purpose of Jesus when he uttered his 
 tender appeal ; little did Martha of Bethany know of the 
 glory to be revealed because of her sorrow ; and how little 
 we know of what Jesus is able to do for us, when we are 
 brought to the point where all human helpers are vain ! He 
 is pitiful toward us and able to make all our troubles and 
 sorrows and sins, opportunities of his grace, as our helper 
 and Saviour ; and they who trust in him and wait shall be 
 satisfied with his work. Their sorrow shall be turned into 
 joy and their lament into the thankful confession, " Thou 
 hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness." 
 
 C- mP t /3/uci€f/>n 
 
 a/K 
 
 O my soul, what means this sadness ? 
 
 Wherefore art thou thus cast down ? 
 Let thy griefs be turned to gladness, 
 
 Bid thy restless fears be gone. 
 Look to Jesus, 
 
 And rejoice in his dear name. 
 
 John Fawcett. 
 
October 9. 
 
 ^ntJ became obebient unto tieat^. — phil ii. 8. 
 
 O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me : neverthe- 
 less, not as I will, but as thou wilt. 
 
 O my Father, if this cup may not pass away froi7i me, except I 
 drink it, thy will be done. — Matt. xxvi. 39, 42. 
 
 THESE words, noblest of all words in the gospel of love, 
 reveal to us the secret of Christ's endurance and sub- 
 lime heroism. When the suffering Son of man in the crisis 
 of his agony amid the shadows of Gethsemane finds God, 
 he is his Father still. For all the night was growing colder, 
 darker, and more desolate, and his soul was sinking beneath 
 the pressure of an unutterable grief, God was his Father 
 still! "O my Father!" — the infinitely wise, the infinitely 
 holy, the infinitely loving and tender, — the cup which he 
 hath given me shall I not drink it? Surely he will send no 
 needless sorrow, and he will make every agony the birth- 
 pang of an ineffable joy. It must needs be that afflictions 
 come, but it is the will of the Father that they shall work 
 out for us the far more exceeding and eternal weight of 
 glory ; and we shall be satisfied when at last we see of the 
 travail of our soul. Oh, then, " sweet will of God," be done ! 
 Friend, hast thou been in the garden with Jesus, and hast 
 thou discerned that the rolling clouds which overshadowed 
 thee with darkness were but the dust of thy Father's feet.'' 
 If thou hast, then the cup of sorrow has been to thee a 
 cup of blessing ; and with the growing conviction of God's 
 fatherhood, strength has poured in upon thy soul, till when 
 Christ has bidden thee rise, thou hast gone forth with solemn 
 gladness in the Master's fellowship, to duty or sacrifice. 
 
 ^' OC^ /^^^^j^T^^c^;-^ 
 
 My Jesus, as thou wilt ! Through sorrow, or through joy, 
 
 Oh, may thy will be mine ! Conduct me as thine own, 
 
 Into thy hands of love And help me still to say, 
 
 I would my all resign ; My Lord, thy will be done ! 
 
 Miss J. BORTHWICK (TranslaHon). 
 
October io. 
 
 ©eclaring Ijjfjat . . . #oti jati Siirciusf}t among t\)t 
 Gentiles fcg tj)em. — Actsxv. 12. 
 
 As thou hast sent me into the luorld, even so have I also sent them 
 into the world. — John xvii. i8. 
 
 THE Christian is not then an anchorite. By his high 
 calling in Christ Jesus he is not withdrawn from the 
 world, he is sent into the world. And it may startle him a 
 little to hear his Master saying that the errand of the disciple 
 in this world is the same as that of the Master. But the 
 statement could not be stronger; "as," " even so," — the 
 parallel is as perfect as language can make it. 
 
 Jesus Christ never forgot that he was one sent. " I came 
 not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." 
 " My meat is to do the will of him that sent me." He says 
 the same thing over and over; and he never forgot the nature 
 of his errand. 
 
 He came to learn : from the beginning he " increased in 
 wisdom " as well as in stature. "Though he was a Son, yet 
 learned he obedience by the things which he suffered." 
 
 He came to work : " My Father worketh hitherto, and I 
 work." 
 
 He came to suffer : "Ought not Christ to have suffered?" 
 he asked the bewildered pair on the road to Emmaus. 
 
 He came to save : " The Son of man is come to seek and 
 to save that which was lost; " " I, if I be lifted up, will draw 
 all men unto me." 
 
 The servant bears the same commission. " Even so " is 
 he sent to learn, to labor, to suffer, to save. 
 
 O Lord and Master of us all, 
 
 Whate'er our name or sign, 
 We own thy sway, we hear thy call, 
 
 We test our lives by thine ! john g. whittier. 
 
October ii 
 
 332 toJJOtn 3lS0 toe Jabe access. — Romans v. 2. 
 
 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. . . . I 
 am the door : by me if any vian ettter in, he shall be saved, and shall 
 go in and out, and find pasture. — JOHN x. 7, 9. 
 
 A FOLD has but one door; so with the kingdom of 
 heaven. The earthly shepherd controls the door; the 
 heavenly Shepherd is the door. The earthly shepherd ad- 
 mits whom he pleases ; the heavenly Shepherd, — " whoso- 
 ever cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out." But he 
 must come while the door is open, for when once the master 
 of the house has risen up and has shut to the door, it is too 
 late. Even a sheep cannot get in when the door is shut. 
 There is no side door, back door, nor little door; there is 
 one door only, and that door is Christ. The door is never 
 ajar ; it is either open or shut. 
 
 Those that enter the door are safe. They are safe be- 
 cause the door is shut. No use to have a door if you never 
 shut it. When the morning comes, the door is open ; no 
 danger now. The sheep are free to go forth and enjoy the 
 green pastures, or lie down beside the still waters. So with 
 the believer. This life is the time of danger. He must 
 come into the fold, and must come through the door. He 
 must come in, — no compulsion about it. Once in, the door 
 stands between him and danger. When the morning cometh, 
 all danger is forever past. Henceforth the door " shall not 
 be shut at all by day, for there is no night there." Then the 
 "redeemed shall come forth with songs and everlasting joy," 
 and the " Lamb that is in the midst of the throne shall feed 
 them, and shall lead them to living fountains of waters." 
 
 The door stands invitingly open ; let us go in. 
 
 Yes ; thou art still the Life, thou art the Way 
 
 The holiest know, — Light, Life, and Way of heaven; 
 
 And they who dearest hope, and deepest pray, 
 
 Toil by the light, life, way, which thou hast given. . 
 
 Theodore Parker. 
 
October 12. 
 
 (3oti jatj reijealeti tftnn tinto us bg tiis %irit. 
 
 I Cor. ii. lo. 
 
 If any man ivill do his will, he shall knozu of the doctrine, 
 7uhether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself — John vii. 17. 
 
 JESUS here reveals the secret of heavenly wisdom. My 
 doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. My Father 
 is my teacher. My method of learning is by rendering to him 
 a life of perfect obedience. If you also would learn of him, 
 then follow my example. Do his will, prove it by experience, 
 and then you will know of the doctrine, whether it be of God 
 or not. 
 
 The principle contained herein is one of widest application. 
 Our best strength and knowledge come from practice. The 
 more we investigate and prove by experience, the more in- 
 timate and useful becomes our understanding of them. We 
 know the fragrance of a flower by the sense of smelling. 
 We know the flavor of a fruit by the sense of tasting. We 
 know the faithfulness of earthly friendship by trusting it in 
 some emergency. In like manner, if we enter heartily upon 
 the doing of God's will, we shall find that as we are exercised 
 in it the divinity of its origin will more clearly appear. 
 
 Thus the door of heavenly wisdom is opened in the gospel 
 to the humblest as well as the highest. AH may attend this 
 school. Not a great mind nor the wisdom of this world is 
 required. The promise is, — the meek will he guide in 
 judgment and teach his way. Let us come then with ready 
 mind and contrite heart, to Jesus, who is meek and lowly, and 
 he will teach us by his Spirit that we may "stand complete in 
 all the will of God." 
 
 Some secret truths, from learned pride concealed, 
 To maids alone and children are revealed ; 
 What though no credit doubting wits may give, 
 The fair and innocent shall still believe. 
 
 POPE. 
 
October 13. 
 
 STfjen 0f)aU I knoto tben as also 31 am fenolun. 
 I Cor. xiii. 12. 
 
 What I do thou knowest not nozv ; but thou shalt knorv hereafter. 
 — John xiii. 7. 
 
 CHRISTIANS should yield implicit obedience and ready 
 submission to the will of Christ. God's ways are not 
 our ways, but they are the best ways. By faith Abraham 
 went out, not knowing whither he went ; but God led him to 
 Canaan. Human nature finds it hard to trust. God's provi- 
 dences are intricate. The web seems tangled, the pattern 
 confused ; we see as yet only the wrong side, and the stitches 
 seem set at cross purposes. By and by we shall look at it 
 from the right side and shall know that every stitch was 
 ordered by infinite wisdom controlled by boundless love. 
 When we review the experiences of life in the luminous 
 brightness of the great hereafter, we shall see that where the 
 way seemed darkest, even there God was guiding us most 
 tenderly. The reason of every providence will be revealed in 
 heaven. Until then we walk by faith, seeing only one step at 
 a time, but not in darkness, for Christ always gives light for 
 one step. A lantern illumines the whole journey, though it 
 shines only a few feet in advance. A familiar hymn says, — 
 
 " It will be all right in the morning." 
 
 The Christian adds, " Yes, and it is all right now." 
 
 / 
 
 C^^-iL^ajt^ 
 
 7^ T^^^-f/^^^ 
 
 In vain the ways of Providence 
 With anxious gaze I scan; 
 
 To find out God by human sense 
 It is not given to man. 
 
 THOMAS MACKELLAR. 
 
October 14. 
 
 Winto @otJ i\)t 3LortJ belong tj^e mum from tjcatf). 
 
 Psalm Ixviii. 20. 
 Give place : for the maid is jtot dead, but sleepeth. — Matt. ix. 24. 
 
 THREE times during his earth-life Jesus invades death, 
 and calls the loved ones back. First it is the only son 
 of a widow ; then the only daughter of bereaved parents ; and 
 again the only brother of two sisters. What a comment on 
 the heart of Christ! We are never so bewildered in sorrow 
 that he will not come to us. None but Jesus can speak com- 
 fort to a bereaved heart. His tenderness and love and hope 
 are a balm on the wounded spirit. His truth crowns the 
 shadow of death with light. There is no deeper sorrow in a 
 home than when an only daughter lies dead, — so young, so 
 tender, so sweet ; and death so cruel ! Jesus once in the home 
 of sorrow, all is changed; dead to us, but to him she "sleep- 
 eth." There is calm repose, peaceful slumber, sweet rest, 
 certain waking. Where the loving and mighty Christ comes, 
 all sorrow must "give place." Cold philosophy, mournful 
 crying, old death must stand aside. Jesus has conquered 
 death. He gives us again our loved ones in a higher, holier, 
 sweeter, and endless life. His words, " The maid is not dead 
 but sleepeth," in the sorrowing heart commingle ever with 
 the sweet assurance from Bethany, " I am the resurrection 
 and the life." And this is our hope for ourselves, and for 
 those we need so much, and love so well. 
 
 Though we may mourn 
 
 Those in life the dearest, 
 They shall return, 
 
 Christ, when thou appearest ! 
 Soon shall thy voice 
 
 Comfort those now weeping, 
 Bidding rejoice 
 
 All in Jesus sleeping. dayman. 
 
October 15. 
 
 ILcst ... 31 mgsclf sf)oultj hz a castainag. 
 
 I Cor. ix. 27. 
 
 // a matt abide not in me, he is cast forth as a h-anch, and is 
 withered ; and men gather them, and cast them into the /ire, and 
 they are bur?ted. — John xv. 6. 
 
 HOW striking is this figure of the vine and its branches ! 
 How expressive of that secret but vital union which 
 exists betwixt Christ and his people ! — a union as real and 
 essential as that between the vine and its branches. 
 
 United to Christ, the believer partakes of the nature, power, 
 and life of Christ. From him we derive our spiritual life and 
 fruitfulness. The Christian graces which adorn and beautify 
 our life and character are the fruits of the Christ-life in us, and 
 by which the " Father is glorified " and men recognize that we 
 are disciples. '• Abiding " in Christ, holiness — " the beauty 
 of the Lord our God " — will remain " upon us," and we shall 
 " still bring forth fruit even in old age." But what a fearful 
 doom awaits the unbeliever, the hypocrite, and the apostate ! 
 
 A branch " apart " from the vine, by an inflexible law of 
 nature, " withers," is fit only to be '• cast forth," "gathered," 
 "cast into the fire," and " burned." Such in the very nature 
 of things must be the inevitable result of the soul's sepa- 
 ration from Christ, who is the source and fountain of all 
 spiritual life. In him is life eternal. Apai't from him is 
 death everlasting. Beloved reader, seek union with Christ, 
 abide in Christ. 
 
 Abide in thee, in that deep love of thine, 
 My Jesus, Lord, thou Lamb of God divine ; 
 Down, closely down, as living branch with tree, 
 I would abide, my Lord, my Christ, in thee. 
 
October i6. 
 
 3Loflk . . . alg0 on tfte tfjinp of others. — Phil. ii. 4- 
 
 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him 
 that fell among the thieves ? . . . Go, and do thou likewise. — LuKE 
 
 THOUGH apart from his original design, yet our Lord 
 gives us an apt illustration in this narrative of the help- 
 less and wretched condition of all men in their natural state, 
 and also of his own gracious interposition in their behalf. 
 We have all of us been badly handled by the great adver- 
 sary of God and man. We have not only been robbed and 
 stripped and wounded and left more than half dead, but we 
 have been left altogether " dead in trespasses and sins." 
 
 Our blessed Lord, he in whom dwelt all the fulness of the 
 Godhead, not by chance, but " according to his eternal pur- 
 pose," has been pleased to pass this way; and looking upon 
 us in our undone state, and knowing that we were entirely 
 " without strength," he had compassion upon us and gra- 
 ciously interposed between us and eternal death. " He gave 
 himself to redeem us from all our iniquity," bound up our 
 broken hearts, poured his healing balm into our bleeding 
 wounds, and promised " never to leave nor forsake us," until 
 he had brought us to the house of many mansions. 
 
 In view of what Christ has done for us when we were yet 
 enemies and rebels against him, we should be constrained to 
 "go and do likewise," even to our bitterest enemy, for Christ's 
 sake. So far from confining our compassions and our contri- 
 butions, we should ever bear in mind that Christian benevo- 
 lence takes in an indefinitely wide sphere. 
 
 Thy neighbor .J* It is he whom thou 
 
 Hast power to aid and bless. william cutter. 
 
October 17. 
 
 TOJen \)t is ixitti, f)e 01)311 receibe tje cxoixin of lite. 
 
 James i. 12. 
 
 Every branch hi me that beareth not frtcit he taketh away : and 
 every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth 
 more friiit. — John xv. 2. 
 
 THE fruits of the Spirit are the only evidence of a man's 
 being a true Christian. Where there is no fruit there 
 is no vital union to Christ. A person may be a Christian in 
 name and have a nominal union to Christ, but there will be 
 no fruit. Fruit must be seen in holiness of life and char- 
 acter. He that is destitute of these is " dead while he 
 liveth." 
 
 There are different degrees spoken of, — " fruit," " more 
 fruit," and "much fruit." If the Christian only bear "fruit," 
 Christ is pleased ; but he desires " more fruit " and " much 
 fruit," and hence he often uses the pruning-knife of trial and 
 affliction that he may make his children more holy. God 
 never intends to do us harm by trial or to make us suffer for 
 the sake of suffering, but " for our profit, that we may be 
 partakers of his holiness." Am I united to Christ as the 
 branch to the vine by a living faith.'' Then let me endure 
 with patience any pruning, that I may not only bear " more 
 fruit " but " much fruit ; " for " herein is my Father glorified, 
 that ye bear much fruit." 
 
 Then let me never more repine 
 
 Beneath the chastening stroke, 
 And be the willing spirit mine 
 
 To wear the Saviour's yoke. 
 
 Thomas MacKellar. 
 
October i8. 
 
 31 seek not gaur's, hit pou. — 2 Cor. xii. 14. 
 
 Folloxv me, and I will make you fishers of men. — Matt. iv. 19. 
 
 WHENEVER Christ says, "Follow me," he has in 
 view the highest good of men. The call in this 
 verse is more than a call to personal discipleship. It meant 
 in the case of Andrew and Simon their work for others as 
 well as their own personal surrender to him. To follow 
 him would inspire them with a new love for men ; to fol- 
 low him would make them know something of the divine 
 yearning to save men. Theirs would be an intense desire 
 to " catch men " for the kingdom of God. One of the re- 
 wards of following Christ is the enlargement or exaltation of 
 our aim in life. \Ve need not minutely or elaborately define 
 the figure which our Lord here uses. The simple truth is 
 that the following of him is the condition of our highest 
 usefulness. Discipleship makes a man a positive bless- 
 ing to the world ; it fills his soul with a grand evangelistic 
 purpose. The final commission interprets the first call to 
 Simon and Andrew. They were made disciples in order 
 that they might go into the world to "make disciples." 
 
 If we would be "fishers of men" we must "follow him" 
 in his methods ; and thus both to obtain and to become a 
 blessing men must heed the same gracious call, still made 
 by the same Lord, — " Follow me." 
 
 A glorious band the chosen few, 
 
 On whom the Spirit came. 
 Twelve valiant spirits, their hope they knew, 
 
 And mocked the cross and flame. 
 They climbed the dizzy steep to heaven 
 
 Through peril, toil, and pain : 
 O God ! to us may grace be given 
 
 To follow in their train ! heber. 
 
OCTOEER 19. 
 
 'Not i\)ai im lobcti (goti, but t{)at \)c lobcti us. 
 
 I John iv. 10. 
 Ve have 7iot chosen me, but I have chosen you. — John xv. 16. 
 
 CUSTOM, which is higher than law, makes it impossible 
 for a true woman to clioose her husband. She must be 
 chosen by him. If a king should say to his peasant-bride, 
 " You did not choose me, but I chose you," he would pay a 
 high tribute to her worth and modesty. He would also del- 
 icately suggest the fervor and depth of his own affection. 
 
 The disciples could not have chosen Jesus. They were 
 sinners : he was holy. They were weak; he was almighty. 
 They were ignorant ; he was omniscient. They were mor- 
 tal ; he was eternal. They were human; he was divine. 
 His choice was a tribute to their worth ; true love can 
 never choose the unworthy. His choice was the evidence 
 of infinite love. True love delights in lavishing liberal gifts 
 upon its object ; he gave himself. His choice was their 
 exaltation, but his own humiliation ; it was their salvation, 
 but his own crucifixion. To die for love's sake is the climax 
 of sacrifice. He who dares to die for the friends he has 
 chosen, can fitly say to them, " Love one another as I have 
 loved you." 
 
 *T is done, the great transaction 's done ; 
 
 I am my Lord's, and he is mine. 
 He drew me, and I followed on, 
 
 Charmed to confess the voice divine. 
 
 PHILIP Doddridge. 
 
October 20. 
 
 rajosoeber iielieijctj tjjat 3t&m fs t!je CJtist is born cf 
 
 I. — I John v. i. 
 
 £>osf thou believe on the Son of God? — John ix. 35. 
 
 ALL men believe. Faith is an instinct of human nature, 
 a necessity in human life. Therefore the question is 
 not, " Dost thou believe ? " but " Dost thou believe on the 
 Son of God ? " — " Dost thou acknowledge him as thy Lord, 
 and trust him as thy Saviour ? " 
 
 Momentous question, indeed, as addressed to any human 
 soul ! — for everything of value turns upon its answer. None 
 but this Son of God can solve for any man the mystery of 
 his being, or make sure to him his highest destiny. Only to 
 the soul that trusts him can he become " wisdom from God, 
 and righteousness and sanctification and redemption." 
 
 There are those in whose loving faith he is enthroned; 
 who know his power to save and sanctify ; who rejoice in 
 the certainty, the comfort, the beauty, of their Christian 
 faith ; to whom, both for service and suffering, it is a regen- 
 erating force, a steadfast hope, a heavenly inspiration; in 
 whom it is the source of such purity of character and peace 
 of spirit as are even now the beginning of heaven within 
 them. 
 
 Can I say to Jesus Christ to-day, '.' Lord, I believe " ? 
 Is my worship of him a proof of my faith ? 
 
 Jesus, I hang upon thy word ; 
 
 I steadfastly believe 
 Thou wilt return and claim me, llord, 
 
 And to thyself receive. 
 
October 21. 
 
 Against ti)Cf, tfjee oulu, {)abc E sinnctj. — Psalm h. 4. 
 
 And the publican, standing afar off, woitld not lift up so much as 
 his eyes utito heaven, but smote upoti his breast, saying, God be mer- 
 ciful to me a sinner. — LUKE xviii. 13. 
 
 THIS publican, despised and hated of men, now spirit- 
 ually convicted, knows, and therefore condemns and 
 hates himself. Utterly humbled, he dares only to step over 
 the threshold of the temple, because there dwells God, against 
 whom he has sinned. He does not presume to look up to 
 heaven, because God is there. In agony he smites upon 
 his now broken heart, out of which so much sin has come. 
 His sense of utmost need no longer lets him be silent. 
 Deeply penitent he cries, not for liis fancied rights, not 
 for some earned reward, but for mercy, unmerited for- 
 giveness. Earnestly he cries to God, that God against 
 whom he has sinned. He feels that no other can reach his 
 desperate case. Twin-born with his penitence is faith, 
 appropriating belief in God's ability and willingness to 
 save even him. 
 
 " To me, the sinner." He no more mistakes his condition 
 than its cause, sin. Not " to me " as a publican, as one 
 unfortunate, an unwilling victim of others, but " to me, the 
 sinner r This prayer of humble faith earnestly offered by 
 a self-condemning, penitent, believing sinner, always has 
 been, always will be heard. " He went down to his house, 
 justified." 
 
 Behold, we fall before thy face ; 
 Our only refuge is thy grace. 
 No outward forms can make us clean ; 
 The leprosy lies deep within. 
 
 Watts. 
 
October 22. 
 
 hi tjjc ijjiltjcrnegg gfjall fajaterg kcak out. 
 
 Isaiah xxxv. 6. 
 
 / ^i-^w Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Twill give 
 unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. — 
 Rev. xxi. 6. 
 
 WE have here a statement, " I will give," etc.; a fact, 
 " it is done." The speaker is (verse 5) " he that 
 sat upon the throne," the Omnipotent; here he is "Alpha 
 and Omega, the beginning and the end," the eternal. 
 
 This is therefore a fundamental, spiritual law on the au- 
 thority of the Omnipotent and with the witness of the Eter- 
 nal. Material laws exist in and with matter as essentials. 
 This is an essential law of the spirit universe. Nature, 
 with forces always omnipotent in their realm, abhors and 
 fills a vacuum. Omnipotence and eternity make a spiritual 
 vacuum forever impossible. The soul thirsts; it is satisfied. 
 It cries out for God; God is its possession; the want is the 
 realization. 
 
 The measure is, " freely ; " the quantity, what Omnipo- 
 tence can give; the continuance, while eternity endures. 
 
 When the sinner, like the prodigal, " comes to himself," 
 he has fact, not promise only. Jesus says, " Come, for all 
 things are ready.'''' In Jesus Christ "the Almighty," " the 
 same yesterday, to-day, and forever," the soul, thirsting, is 
 forever satisfied ; and whosoever drinks has in him " a 
 well of water springing up into everlasting life." 
 
 Here see the bread of life ; see waters flowing 
 Forth from the throne of God, pure from above. 
 
 Come to the feast of love ; come ever knowing 
 Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove. 
 
 Thomas Moore (altered). 
 
October 23. 
 
 J^e shall Miiitx tlje ncctig iiii)fn l)c crictl). 
 Psalm Ixxii. 12. 
 
 Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 
 — Luke xxiii. 43. 
 
 THUS began the fulfilment of the Saviour's prophecy, 
 " I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men 
 unto me." Christ crucified was the object upon which the 
 malefactor's faith rested. It is an affecting thought that 
 the penitent thief was probably at that hour the only human 
 being who unwaveringly believed in the power and coming 
 of Jesus. Never had his claims and promises seemed so 
 preposterous ; never had his cause looked so dark. But 
 though all men had forsaken him, this dying sinner antici- 
 pated the glorious advent of the dying Saviour and made 
 his petition, " Lord, remember me." 
 
 One might almost think that he would want to forget him- 
 self and drop from the remembrance of the just and the 
 pure. But faith in Christ enables the sinner to forgive 
 himself and to say of the man that he was, " It is no longer 
 I." The new man within him does not think of hiding 
 from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, but asks as 
 his greatest boon to be held in the memory of a pitiful Lord. 
 
 How kingly is the Saviour's response ! How far it ex- 
 ceeds the breadth of the petition ! The mercy of Christ 
 can reach to the vilest sinner. It can save him in his 
 greatest extremity. It can save him completely. From the 
 place of his penitence it is not even a day's journey to the 
 Paradise of God. 
 
 ^'^^^xry^ v/^^<^^*.c^«^l2^ 
 
 The dying thief rejoiced to see 
 That fountain in his day ; 
 
 And there may I, though vile as he, 
 Wash all my sins away. 
 
October 24. 
 
 Jesus (!L\)xi&i &cii)o is i\)t faitfjM Witness.— Rev. i. 5. 
 
 TAozi hast said: nevertheless I say unto y on, Hereafter shall ye see 
 the Soil of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in 
 the clouds of heaven. — Matt. xxvi. 64. 
 
 CHRIST spoke the truth with respect to his Messiahship 
 and his divine sonship. The apostle Paul calls this 
 "witnessing a good confession." He came into the world to 
 bear witness to this truth. In his life also he was the Truth. 
 His life manifests the eternal realities of the spiritual uni- 
 verse, and so he is essentially the king of men. As Christ's 
 earthly life manifested God, so will every true, loving dis- 
 ciple of Christ manifest the same life, and so be a witness 
 for Christ. As a new incarnation, Christ's life is to become 
 the life of the world. 
 
 Besides his rule and kingship among men, he will be seen 
 hereafter on the right hand of power, exalted in the heavens, 
 as the judge of all men. He is now judged by a human tri- 
 bunal ; hereafter he will sit in judgment. In these perils 
 and indignities of his trial and condemnation, Christ's con- 
 sciousness of his own essential glory kept him true to his 
 divine purpose. 
 
 After this divine pattern, every true, faithful life will be 
 a perpetual witness to the truth, — serene and patient in the 
 presence of perils ; counting the sufferings of the present 
 not worthy to be compared with the glory that will be 
 revealed in us. 
 
 /^<^iyjy7<> 
 
 We shall see him in our nature 
 
 Seated on his lofty throne ; 
 Loved, adored, by every creature, 
 
 Owned as God, and God alone ! 
 There the hosts of shininp; spirits 
 
 Strike their harps and loudly sing 
 To the praise of Jesus' merits, 
 
 To the glory of their King. m. pyper. 
 
October 25. 
 
 raiasoeber sfjall call tipon tfje name of tfje %oxtj 
 Si^all ht SabctJ. — Romans x. 13. 
 
 Verily I say imto you. That the publicans and the harlots go ijito 
 the kingdotn of God before yon. — Matt. xxi. 31. 
 
 IN this parable our Lord points out two classes of men, — 
 manifest sinners and hypocrites. In the first class we 
 have the general reply of the unsaved, " I will not." In 
 the second class we have the declaration of hypocrites, who 
 promise much and do but little. Better not promise at all 
 than to promise and not fulfil. All who openly profess the 
 religion of Christ, say by that act, " I go." I accept of 
 Christ and his religion'for all there is in it and all there is 
 of it, — soul, body, and spirit. — all for Christ. But alas, 
 how few comparatively do this ! They say, " I go," but go 
 not. Publicans and harlots, the worst of sinners, who have 
 all along said, " I will not," will go into the kingdom of God 
 before such hypocritical professors. A mere profession of 
 Christ's religion will not suffice ; there must be an inward 
 conformity to the divine will, and a consecration of the 
 whole being to God. " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God 
 with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
 mind." It requires all this to be a true follower of Christ. 
 All this is implied in the words, "I go, sir." Our Lord 
 throws a ray of light upon the pathway of the unsaved. 
 Although they have often said, " I will not," yet if they 
 turn to God with an honest, sincere heart and say, " I go," 
 they will find the door into the kingdom of God wide open. 
 " Whosoever will " may enter in. 
 
 ed"- >. 
 
 Long from thee my footsteps straying, 
 
 Thorny proved the way I trod ; 
 Weary come I now, and praying, 
 
 Take me to thy love, my God! ray palmer. 
 
October 26. 
 
 CJe greatest of tl^ese 10 cfjaritg. — i Cor. xiii. 13. 
 
 If ye lai'e me, keep my commandjuents. — John xiv. 15. 
 
 GREAT is faith and great is hope, but greater than these 
 is love. Faith is mighty even to the moving of moun- 
 tains ; it sails the wildest seas ; it can open blind eyes, 
 can do many a miracle ; it justifies the soul and anticipates 
 heaven. Great is faith ; but love is greater. Faith tires 
 betimes ; love is unwearied. Faith is not always welcome ; 
 love is at home everywhere and travels all the world with- 
 out a passport. Faith is now and again a day late. Love 
 stayed last at the cross and came first to the sepulchre. 
 Faith and hope long for heaven. Love is heaven ; for God 
 is love, and when we love we are in heaven. 
 
 Would you get out of a man the best that is in him, the 
 appeal must be to love. One may learn geometry, yet may 
 not know nor have even so much as heard of Euclid. But 
 we cannot rightly accept " these sayings of mine " without 
 taking to our hearts him who said them. We cannot sepa- 
 rate Christ's precept from Christ's person. " Never man 
 spake like this man." As he continues to speak, follow 
 him up and presently you will cry, " My Lord and my God ! 
 Thou alone hast the words of eternal life ; to whom else 
 can we go?" " Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." " If 
 ye love me, keep my commandments," — do my will; "Be 
 doers of the word and not hearers only." Let your deeds 
 be your eulogists. More eloquent than words, more effec- 
 tive than self-assertion, is the doing of the Master's will, 
 prompted out of a heart full of love for the Master and 
 deeply imbued with his truth. 
 
 Speak to me by name, O Master ! 
 
 Let me know it is to me ; 
 Speak, that I may follow faster 
 
 With a step more firm and free, 
 Where the Shepherd leads the flock 
 
 In the shadow of the rock. f. r. havergal. 
 
October 27. 
 
 J^e broiigl}t me to tf}e banqiietmg^fjouse, antJ fjis banner 
 oticr me inas lobe. — Song of Solomon ii. 4. 
 
 IF/t/i desire I have desired to eat this passover with you be/ore I 
 suffer. — Luke xxii. 15. 
 
 WHAT a wealth of love these words reveal ' How they 
 discover also the reality and intimacy of our Lord's 
 union with his chosen ones ! His love, in this pathetic re- 
 newal of tender regard, seems literally to close them in in its 
 marvellous fulness. Truly in this last passover they and he 
 are one. The intensity of our Lord's desire is seen in the 
 scrupulous care he had taken to secure its quiet and uninter- 
 rupted enjoyment. Why was this desire to eat with them so 
 great? Partly because in the heaviness of his sorrow now 
 he yearned for the solace of the disciples' sympathy and com- 
 munion of love, just as he did later amid the agonies of Geth- 
 semane. He loved his own, and rejoiced in their love for 
 him. Partly, also, because he was glad to give these loyal 
 ones an unmistakable exhibition of his relation to them as 
 their Saviour. He had sadly felt their slowness to under- 
 stand his mission in its spiritual meaning. Now he so uses 
 the passover memorial, whose significance they know, though 
 it will cease with his own death, that they cannot fail to see 
 the true meaning of his work ; and the symbolism is so clear 
 that they can never forget him. Thus he makes the feast 
 the fellowship of intelligent love with his sufferings for 
 sinners. 
 
 Let us come to his table with like desire for him, and not 
 grieve him by any heartless formality or chilling indifference. 
 Let us make it the communion of reciprocal yearning. 
 
 This is the hour of banquet and of song ; 
 
 This is the heavenly table spread for me. 
 Here let me feast, and feasting still prolong 
 
 The brief, bright hour of fellowship with thee. 
 
October 28. 
 
 E\)t unftg 0f tl^e gpirit. — Eph. iv. 3. 
 
 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall 
 believe on me through their 7vord ; that they all may be one; as 
 thou. Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in 
 us : that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. — JoHN xvii. 
 20, 21. 
 
 THE eye of the Saviour runs forward through time to the 
 end of the world. It embraces all the Christians of all 
 the ages in a single glance. What a foresight ! 
 
 He prays for their unity. It is to be like the oneness of 
 the Father and the Son. Christians should be united in 
 love, in purpose, and in endeavor. God in redemption is 
 the centre of Christian unity, " one in us." " God was in 
 Christ reconciling the world unto himself." Christians come 
 to unity as they become more and more absorbed in entreat- 
 ing men, " Be ye reconciled to God." Christian missions 
 are the path to Christian union. Differences otherwise mag- 
 nified vanish before pagans in foreign lands or in the pres- 
 ence of degraded classes within Christendom. It must be so 
 if the world is to believe that God in infinite love sent his 
 Son for its salvation. 
 
 It is within my power to fulfil in a measure the prayer of 
 my dying Saviour. I can abolish all spirit of party or sect 
 in myself. I can make myself one with all Christians of 
 whatever name or nation. Let me not fail to offer to Christ 
 that desire of his heart. 
 
 f.t:i 
 
 ^UX^-d^i^^^ 
 
 Bind thy people, Lord, in union, 
 
 With the sevenfold cord of love ; 
 Breathe a spirit of communion 
 
 With the glorious hosts above. 
 Let thy work be seen progressing ; 
 
 Bow each heart and bend each knee, 
 Till the world, thy truth possessing, 
 
 Celebrates its jubilee. 
 
October 29. 
 
 2rfte Utter kilktf), but tf)c spirit gibetfj life. — 2 Cor. iii. 6. 
 
 It is the spirit that qiiickeueth ; the flesh profiteth nothittg: the 
 words that I speak unto yon, they are spirit, and they are life. — 
 John vi. 63. 
 
 THIS passage suggests such important distinctions as let- 
 ter and spirit, form and power, ordinance and grace 
 conveyed. As the soul to the body of Adam, the spirit is to 
 the letter, the power to the form, and the grace to the ordi- 
 nance. Without an appropriating faith in Jesus, the bread 
 of God, no good could come of a literal eating of his flesh or 
 drinking of his blood. Adam's body was but fashioned clay 
 until the Creator breathed upon it. The breathing made 
 the moving, living soul, invested with rule among the crea- 
 tures. Empty formalism receives rebuke in these w^ords. 
 The Church may not usurp the prerogatives of her founder 
 and substitute connection with herself for union with her liv- 
 ing Head. The spiritual discernment of Christ in his sacra- 
 ments makes them means of replenishing to the soul. Apart 
 from the washing of regeneration, baptism may signify, but 
 it will not convey cleansing to the heart. Void of gracious 
 sustenance the supper becomes, where the Lord's body is not 
 discerned. In the knowledge of God and his Son Jesus 
 Christ standeth our eternal life; but the condition of that 
 saving knowledge is supplied in the Spirit's twofold work of 
 revelation and ilhiini?iation. The lack of the latter leaves 
 the wondrous things in the law unseen, and the Bible forever 
 a sealed book. '• For we are the circumcision which wor- 
 ship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have 
 no confidence in the flesh" (Phil. iii. 3). 
 
 God through himself we then shall know, 
 
 If thou within us shine, 
 And sound, with all thy saints below, 
 
 The depths of love divine. 
 
October 30. 
 
 ^11 tf)e cutis of Hk rnrtii sliall scf t|)c salbation of ouv 
 
 VfPoti. — Isaiah Hi. lo. 
 
 All pirica- is given imto tut' in Inunwn and in earth. Go ye there- 
 fore^ and teach all nations, ha/^tizing them in the name of the Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to ol'sen'e all 
 things whatsoez'er I have commanded yon : and, lo, I am with yon 
 ahuay, even unto the end of the 7vorld. — Mati". xxviii. 18-20. 
 
 THESE words become his lips who spake them, and his 
 alone. They are the climax to which all that went be- 
 fore led up. They ii;ive to the i^ospel story its deepest mean- 
 ing. They crown it w*th its highest glory. They declare 
 Jesus in power and purpose vSaviour of mankind. They con- 
 stitute his imperative, perpetual commission to his disciples. 
 
 How comprehensive their content ! — " all powxM*," sulTi- 
 cient for all undertakings, oppositions, difficulties, delays, and 
 triumphs; "all nations," — not one to be left undiscipled ; 
 the entire race, redeemed by his blood, to be discipled and 
 made one in him; "all the days," — each day and all day, 
 till time shall end. 
 
 How vital their connection, — the foundation fact his uni- 
 versal power ; on this fact, the preceft^ " Go ! " to this pre- 
 cept joined, the promise^ " Lo, I am with you ! " I'ower, 
 precept, promise, all so joined that they cannot be dis- 
 severed. No power? then no obedience. No obedience? 
 then no presence. No presence ? then no power. 
 
 Lord, by thy power make thy people willing, and by thy 
 presence give them power to obey thy precept, that so thy 
 glory may soon fill the earth ! 
 
 -/Ac^^Jr 
 
 Baptize the nations ; far and nigh 
 
 'rhc triumphs of the cross record ; 
 The name of Jesus glorify, 
 
 Tin every kindred call him Lord. j. mcintgomi rv. 
 
October 31, 
 
 Befjolti, \)z pragett) ! — Acis ix, u. 
 
 / ^/lanJ^ thee, O luUher, Lord of heaven and earth, hecaiise thou 
 hast hid these thbi^s from the wise and prudent, atid hast revealed 
 them unto hahes. Even so, Father : for so it ieemed ^ood in thy sight. 
 — Ma'IT. xi. 25, 26. 
 
 WHAT a graceful yet sublime veil of mystery envel- 
 ops like a glistering robe the person of the praying 
 Saviour ! These communings of the incarnate Son with the 
 eternal Father must in some aspects remain inexplicable to 
 finite minds. They constitute a part of that central mysterv 
 of the Trinity which it is not given to man to comprehend, 
 (jod hides even while he reveals. 
 
 And yet how precious are the records of the praying as 
 well as the teaching, the acting, the suffering Christ. Four 
 times in his intercessions we hear from his lips that tender 
 word, feather ! In this instance it stands in what strange 
 contrast with the judicial utterance just preceding ! Here also 
 the prayer changes into an outburst of thanksgiving such as 
 never before or since ascended to the throne where in august 
 .sovereignty the Father is seated. 
 
 Oh, the .sad estate of those from whose eyes the things of 
 God, the precious verities of grace, are hidden ! wise and 
 prudent in earthly things, they fail to .see heavenly things, and 
 their loss is utter and everla.sting. Oh, the blessedness of 
 those who in the simplicity of childhood hear and believe what 
 Christ has spoken ! Though babes in the earthly sense, they 
 are the true children of the Father and heirs through Christ 
 of all the promises. 
 
 Glorified apostles raise, 
 Night and day, c»jntinual praise. 
 Hast thou not a mission too 
 For thy children here to do ? 
 With the proi)hets' goodly line 
 We in mystic bond combine, — 
 For thou hast to babes revealed 
 Things that to the wise were sealed. 
 
 ^ Mll.l,ARD (Translation). 
 
November 
 
 (^oti . . ♦ noiit commanti£tt all men cbcrg ta})txt to repent. 
 
 Acts xvii. 30. 
 
 Go out into the higJnvays and hedges, and compel them to come in, 
 that my house may be filled. — Luke xiv. 23. 
 
 THE disciple must go to those who need him ; they will 
 not come to him. Earth's highways and byways are 
 alike filled with the neglected and perishing, and the disciple, 
 like his Master, has a special mission to them. " As the 
 Father hath sent me into the world, even so send I you." 
 Like our blessed Saviour, we too must seek and save the lost. 
 We are ever prone to turn to those who have not gone astray, 
 but such was not the spirit of the Master. God has in these 
 latter days brought all the ends of the earth together, and 
 now the earnest worker can go to almost any part of the globe 
 without difficulty, and bring in the wanderer and the outcast 
 to the royal feast of heaven. With hands of holy violence 
 and yet with the voice of love and the touch of gentleness 
 we should go after the most needy and neglected ones of earth 
 in the assured confidence that God's blessing will follow us, 
 and that our labors shall not be in vain. In the great banquet- 
 ing house of heaven may it be ours to see some among the 
 happy guests who shall have been gathered in by our faithful 
 obedience to this command ! 
 
 Whoever will — O gracious word ! — 
 
 May of this stream partake ; 
 Come, thirsty souls, and bless the Lord, 
 
 And drink for Jesus' sake ! 
 
 Samuel MRDI,EY [altered] 
 
November 2. 
 
 IE Mk^z tjat Jesus Christ 10 tje ^on of (3o^. 
 
 Acts viii. 37. 
 
 Blessed art thoii, Siviofi Bar-jona : for flesh and blood hath not 
 revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say 
 also tmio thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build 
 my church ; and the gates of hell shall not prr<.<ail against it. — 
 Matt. xvi. 17, 18. 
 
 IN these words Christ inaugurates his church and unfolds 
 its constitution and destiny. His church is to be hence- 
 forth the organized and visible form of God's kingdom in 
 the world. Men enter it through a faith and confession 
 wrought in them by the Holy Spirit. Simon Bar-Jona is 
 " blessed," and made " Peter " (a rock) by this spiritually 
 inwrought faith and confession. 
 
 When he through the Holy Spirit received and confessed 
 Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, he laid the 
 first stone in that building in which as living stones are 
 builded all who, taught by the Spirit, possess the same faith 
 and make the same confession. When therefore Christ 
 says " On this rock I will build my church " he says his 
 church shall be built on this pelrijie quality, be built on, and 
 out of Peters, — on and out of characters and lives such as 
 are produced by acceptance and confession of Christ under 
 the teaching of the Holy Ghost, of which Peter is a type. 
 Thus builded, it will endure unshaken every assault and con- 
 quer every foe. " The gates of Hades," or all the powers of 
 evil, of darkness, and of death, shall not prevail against it. 
 
 Crowns and thrones may perish, Gates of hell can never 
 
 Kinn;donis rise and wane, 'Gainst that church prevail ; 
 
 Kut the church of Jesus We have Christ's own promise, 
 
 Constant will remain. And that cannot fail. 
 
 Baring-Gould. 
 
November 3. 
 
 (JTijcrc tons giticn fjim ... a hingtiam, tijat all . . . 
 0{)Oiilti scrbc fihn: . . . autJ fjis iu'ntjtiom . . . sljall 
 not he tifStroucti. — Daniel vii. 14. 
 
 Jl/y kins;dom is not of this 7vorld : if my kingdom iverc of this 
 world, then ivoiild my set-zuints fight, that I should not be delivered to 
 the fcws : but uo7v is my kingdom not from hence. — John xviii. 36. 
 
 JESUS was charged with the assumption of an earthly 
 kingsliip by the Jews. On this false accusation he was 
 delivered unto Tilatc. Pilate said unto him, "Art thou the 
 King of the Jews?" Jesus made no denial, but explained 
 in the words of this passage the true nature of his kingdom, 
 — a hidden spiritual kingdom. He said, "If my kingdom 
 were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I 
 should not be delivered to the Jews, but now is my king- 
 dom not from hence." He aspired to no earthly regal 
 power and glory. All he asks is to be enthroned in the 
 hearts and lives of men, — to rule their wills, affections, pas- 
 sions, motives, and acts. These are his subjects, and with 
 these under his guidance and control, ho rules the world. 
 With these at his command every individual soul becomes a 
 glorious habitation, and ev.ery life pure and beautiful to 
 behold. 
 
 Dear reader, have you this divine kingdom set up in your 
 heart 1 If not, then please do now open the door that " the 
 King of glory may come in." 
 
 TIasten, Lord, the glorious time 
 
 When, beneath Messiah's sway, 
 Every nation, every clime, 
 
 Shall the gospel call obey! 
 Then shall wars and tuniuhs cease; 
 
 'I'hcn lie banished grief antl pain ; 
 Righteousness and joy and peace, 
 
 Undisturbed, shall ever reign. Harriet auher, 
 
November 4. 
 
 CTi}at time 3: am afraiti E iui'U trust in t^ee.— Psalm ivi. 3. 
 
 // is I ; be not afraid. — JoHN vi. 20. 
 
 HOW human for the disciples with minds somewhat 
 tinged with the superstitions of their age to be afraid 
 of sucii a marvellous manifestation ! True, Christ was all 
 the while surprising them with some new phase of his divin- 
 ity and love. Nevertheless, they were fearful, requiring 
 frequently some gentle rebuke, — "Fear not," "Why are 
 ye fearful ? " 
 
 Our blessed Lord was more apt and ready to deliver the 
 disciples from the perils of their fears than they were to re- 
 cognize the form so clear and visible in the dark, as their 
 Lord walking upon the boisterous and turbulent waters. 
 
 Fear and doubt cramp the action and chill the life of our 
 faith, clouding our sight of Jesus. Thus was it that he was 
 so prompt to assure them that what they beheld was not a 
 vision of fright and evil, but that it was their best friend. 
 " It is I ; be not afraid." 
 
 Fear is a treacherous foe of faith. It alarms and weakens 
 its subject, making it a more possible prey for the enemy 
 without. Jesus would have us to be Christian heroes, 
 never surrender to our fears. Certainly he knows how 
 hard we toil to make a headway against the resistless forces 
 of life. His ever active sympathy and tender love bring 
 him to our rescue in the hour of danger. 
 
 If we would realize the more that Jesus is always with us 
 in our trials, not only may we hear his still and inspiring 
 voice, but also obtain the needed help that makes our bur- 
 dens light. In the midst of the tempests of life, Jesus 
 comes to fellowship with us. 
 
 Thou who in darkness walking didst appear 
 Upon the waves and thy disciples cheer, 
 When all is dark may we behold thee nigh, 
 And hear thy voice, " Fear not, for it is I " ! 
 
 C. WOKDSWORTII. 
 
November 5. 
 
 J^aste i\}£t, escape tljitj^er. — Gen. xix. 22. 
 
 Enter ye in at the strait gate. — Matt. vii. 13. 
 
 THIS thought should be an incentive to earnest action 
 in this probationary life, that it may issue in a joyful 
 eternity. The man at the railway-gate sees pleasure beck- 
 oning him within as he journeys to his family, and pain 
 mocking him without, if like the foolish virgins he hears 
 the saddest of words, " too late." The gate is a definite, 
 plain entrance, and is shown in mercy by him who said, " I 
 am the door." It implies action, for he who would enter 
 must move and not debate. He must not be overladen, 
 for the young man loved by Christ could not get his large 
 burden of worldly goods through the strait passage. The 
 narrow defile introduces to the beautiful valley, and the ce- 
 lestial city shines before the Christian traveller. The strait 
 gate of repentance leads to the wide gate of Paradise. As 
 Saint Chrysostom teaches, though the gate is strait, the 
 heavenly city is wide. It contains "a great multitude, 
 which no man could number " (Rev. vii. 9). Let us with 
 Saint Ignatius not desire "even to breathe apart from" 
 Christ in self-denial and devotion and holy sacrament, that 
 the " gate of death " may bring us to the gate of resurrec- 
 tion, to eternal life, and we " may enter in through the gates 
 into the city" (Rev. xxii. 14). 
 
 I see not the way before, 
 
 Rut I go at thy command, 
 Entering gladly duty's door. 
 
 Led by thy directing hand. 
 
 THOMAS MACKELLAR. 
 
November 6. 
 
 ILrt fbcrg man tai>c fjccti f)oijj jje biiiltict]^. — i Cor. iii. lo. 
 
 And ez'ery one that hcareth these sayings of mine, and doeth thevi 
 not, shall be likened nnto a foolish 7nan, which built his house upon 
 the sand : and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the 
 winds blero, and beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was 
 the fall of it. — Matt. vii. 26, 27. 
 
 AN inverted pyramid is an impossibility. A ship must 
 have ballast. A balloon must have a car. In air, on 
 water, on land, a good foundation is the most important thing. 
 
 In religion there is but one foundation. "Other founda- 
 tion can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 
 All others are sand. The silica may sparkle in them, but 
 they are sand. Without Christ, God's mercy is sand ; the 
 cement of grace is lacking. Without Christ, man's excel- 
 lence is sand ; the cement of faith is lacking. 
 
 Every man's foundation will be tested, thoroughly tested. 
 "The rain descended'' It will be tested by God and by 
 the Devil. "The floods came " from the deep. It will be 
 tested by men and circumstances. "The winds blew" from 
 all quarters, and these all beat upon the house. Whoso 
 has built on sand must fall. Is it harsh to call such an one 
 foolish ? 
 
 Yes, great will be the fall ! Not a leaning tower of Pisa 
 has fallen, but a man ! Fallen ! — not prone upon the earth, 
 but down, down, down into outer darkness. Fallen ! A 
 building, every stone and timber and fresco of which was 
 instinct with life, is in ruins, yet still lives. 
 
 These verses close the Sermon on the Mount. God grant 
 they may not portray the close of your life ! 
 
 My gracious Lord, I own thy right 
 
 To every service I can pay ; 
 And call it my supreme delight 
 
 To hear thy dictates and obey. 
 
 PHILIP DODDRIDGE. 
 
November 7. 
 
 (!rf)i3 13 life rternni, tfjat tijeo mitji^t itnoto Ifjce tijc onlu 
 true (Soti, anti Jesus (iTjjrist, \xi\)om t|)ou Ijast sent.— 
 
 John xvii. 3. 
 
 //^v /i(7(f kncnun me, ye shojild have kncnun my Father also: and 
 from henceforth ye kfioio him, and have seeti him. — John xiv. 7. 
 
 BY the examination of the context of this passage it is 
 apparent that these disciples knew many things con- 
 cerning Christ ; that is, they knew him so far as faith en- 
 abled them to know him to be the Son of God, the true 
 Messiah, and the Saviour of the world. But this is a tacit 
 reproof because they did not know him more fully and 
 perfectly as one with the Father, similar in meaning to 
 John viii. 19, where in answer to the question, "Where 
 is thy Father?" Jesus answered, "Ye neither know me nor 
 my Father : if ye had known me, ye should have known 
 my Father also." 
 
 flLAk^,ia/m^ 
 
 The Father is in God the Son, 
 And with the Father he is one ; 
 In both the Spirit doth abide, 
 And with them both is glorified. 
 
 O Father, thou most holy One ! 
 O Son of God, eternal Son ! 
 O Holy Ghost, thou Love divine. 
 To join them both is ever thine ! 
 
 Eternal Father, thee we praise ! 
 To thee, O Son, our hymns we raise ! 
 O Holy Ghost, we thee adore, 
 One mighty God forevermore 1 
 
 H. W. BAKER. 
 
November 8. 
 
 rafjatgoeber f}c saitlj unto gou, tio it. —John ii. 5. 
 
 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least comvumdvients, 
 and shall teach vien so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom 
 of heavett : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be 
 called great ijt the kingdom of heaven. — Matt. v. 19. 
 
 WHATEVER we do is a lesson. The breaking or 
 teaching of a commandment is always a teaching 
 of the same. The most trifling and concealed transgres- 
 sion declares itself in an evil influence upon others. The 
 most insignificant and modest act of obedience instructs 
 all and is an impulse to goodness. 
 
 Least and greatest in the kingdom ! How shall we avoid 
 falling so low, and how succeed in rising so high } (jive 
 heed to the little things. To be unfaithful in the least sinks 
 us in spiritual degradation ; to be faithful in the least lifts 
 us to crowned eminence before Cod. 
 
 Oh, these conclusive little things ! We step over them in 
 our daily path and drop them on either side, — too trivial 
 for notice. Yet they determine character and influence, 
 acceptance and rank before C^od. 
 
 Each command gives opportunity to gain or lose position. 
 Where shall be our place, — low down or high up } That 
 depends upon the day's, yea, the moment's, obedience. 
 What shall be the reach of our influence, — narrow or wide .-^ 
 That depends upon immediate and constant example. Even 
 a little faithfulness wins a large acknowledgment. 
 
 <oh^ 
 
 ^/^^l^^^T^^-o 
 
 Give me to know thy will, O God ! 
 
 And may I see to-day 
 A light from heaven upon my road 
 
 To clearly point the way ! 
 That I may know just what to do 
 
 And what to leave undone, 
 And be unto thy service true 
 
 From dawn to setting sun. 
 
 Thomas MacKellar. 
 
November 9. 
 
 ©iirccome ebil initfj gootl. — Romans xii. 21. 
 
 Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that 
 hate you, and pray for them ivhich despiteful ly tise you, and persecute 
 vou ; that ye may be the childreji of your Father which is in heaven : 
 for he maketh his stin to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth 
 rain on the just and on the unjust. — Matt. v. 44, 45. 
 
 JEWISH rabbi and heathen sage had taught alike the 
 maxims of lov^e for friends and hatred for enemies. 
 But here is a new departure in the field of ethics, — an an- 
 nouncement that must have strangely startled the hearers 
 of Jesus. How should they, indeed, love an enemy, reward 
 bitterness and hate with blessing, or make intercession for 
 the defamer and persecutor? But Jesus followed quickly 
 with a reason for his tenet, a consideration the highest that 
 could be conceived of. They who do these things shall be 
 called the children of God. There is no higher character 
 ascribed to God than that in which he appears as offering 
 forgiveness to offenders. They, then, who cherish this per- 
 fect spirit of forgiveness are in the highest and best sense 
 like God, and accounted worthy to be named his children. 
 To acquire this spirit, to attain this divine likeness and this 
 exalted recognition, should demand our best ambition and 
 noblest strife. Blessed Saviour, thou Prince among teach- 
 ers, may we sit humbly at thy feet until thou dost teach us 
 perfectly this lesson, and dost put into our hearts the spirit 
 which enabled thee to pray, *' Father, forgive them, for they 
 know not what they do ! " 
 
 ^^^^rViu^ 
 
 7^ 
 
 Thy foes might hate, despise, revile. 
 Thy friends unfaithful prove ; 
 
 Unwearied in forgiveness still, 
 Thy heart could only love. 
 
 SIR E. DENNY. 
 
November io. 
 
 Partafects of €f)rist, if toe Tjolti tfjc beginning of our 
 confiticncc stctifast xmto tijc cntJ. — Heh. iii. 14. 
 
 ^«/ //^ ///^^ j-/^^i/7 eiidiire unto the end, the same shall be saved. — 
 Matt. xxiv. 13. 
 
 A WARNING note the Master sounds as he "sits upon 
 the Mount of Olives." The love of the majority shall 
 cool, therefore "endure." To begin is not to tinish ; profes- 
 sion is not possession, neither is confession conquest. Ad- 
 miration for the character of Christ is far different from 
 submitting to the will of Christ. " He endured the cross." 
 " And from that time many of his disciples went back and 
 walked no more with him." The multitudes who shouted, 
 " Hosanna," cried also, " Crucify." The disciple who said, 
 " Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee," 
 likewise declared, "I do not know the man;" and it was 
 "one of the twelve who betrayed him." "Blessed is the 
 man that endureth temptation," trial, tribulation, who has 
 patience to submit to the command of his Lord, and who 
 has perseverance to press forward in the face of difficulty 
 and in spite of all opposition. " They starve well," was the 
 comment of an old commander on his patient troops. " They 
 charge well," was the encomium which a veteran general gave 
 to his leal-hearted warriors. To starve, to charge, to be 
 patient, to persevere, " to hold fast that which thou hast, 
 that no man take thy crown," and " to press toward the 
 mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ 
 Jesus," — this is to endure; "and he that endureth to the 
 end, the same shall be saved." 
 
 ^.iC<-%cJU^ 
 
 Ne'er think the victory won, 
 
 Nor lay thine armor down ; 
 Thine arduous work will not be done 
 
 Till thou obtain the crown. 
 
 Heath. 
 
-e/ 
 
 November ii. 
 
 Ef any man's inork abitJe , , .\z sfjall receive a relajarti. 
 
 I Cor. iii. 14. 
 
 Behold, I come quickly ; and my reivard is with me, to give eiiery 
 man according as his work shall be. — Rev. xxii. 12. 
 
 THE disciples came to Jesus and asked, " What shall be 
 the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? " 
 He replied. Many deceivers and many false prophets shall 
 arise, iniquity shall abound, and the love of many wax cold 
 before the end comes. And this gospel of the kingdom shall 
 be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the 
 nations; and then shall the end come. This will be the pre- 
 lude to the judgment. Then shall appear the sign of the Son 
 of man in heaven. No one will be able to anticipate the time 
 of these events, and the appearing of the Lord will be with 
 the suddenness and vividness of lightning ; and he will have 
 " wages " with him to give to each as his labor merits. It 
 will be a day of vengeance to the wicked, but a day of reward 
 to the righteous. Note the contrast: "Depart from me, ye 
 cursed," and " Enter into the joy of thy Lord." The com- 
 ing of the Lord Jesus will be the occasion of the greatest joy 
 to his saints. They will behold him coming to be glorified 
 in his saints ; they will greet him with unending praises. 
 What manner of persons ought we to be in all holy living, 
 looking for the coming of the day of God 1 Shall we not wait 
 with holy longing, ready at any moment when we shall hear 
 his voice anew — " Yea, I come quickly " — to cry out, 
 " Amen ; come, Lord Jesus " ? 
 
 Haste the day of thy returning 
 
 With thy ransomed church to reign ; 
 
 Then shall end our days of mourning, 
 We shall sing with rapture then, 
 
 Thou art worthy I 
 Come, Lord Jesus, come ; Amen! 
 
 J. G. Dfxk. 
 
November 12, 
 
 (3itt mc tfjis toater, tfjat 3: tijirst not. — John iv. 15. 
 
 / am the bread of life : he that cotneth to me shall never hunger ; 
 and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. — John vi. 35. 
 
 THI^ is one of the " I ams " of Christ, and one which is 
 very precious to the believer. Clirist is the source and 
 support of spiritual life. As bread is necessary to the body, so 
 is Christ essential to the soul. As the grain has to be crushed 
 in order to become bread, so Christ's body had to be broken 
 and his blood shed on the cross, that he might become the 
 bread of life. 
 
 Unless bread is eaten it is useless. In like manner Jesus 
 Christ must be partaken of by faith. He who uses this bread 
 of life shall never hunger and never thirst. He shall never 
 again hunger for this world, as formerly. He has found the 
 grand elixir of life, so that even though he passes through 
 the valley of Baca, he can make in it a well. He shall not 
 hunger and thirst always, but can look forward to a glorious 
 time when he shall join the throng "who shall hunger no 
 more, neither thirst any more ... for the Lamb, which is in 
 the midst of the throne, shall feed them and shall lead them 
 to living fountains of waters." 
 
 Thou, Saviour, art the living bread ; 
 
 Thou wilt my every want supply. 
 By thee sustained and cheered and led, 
 
 I '11 press through dangers to the sky. 
 
 Kay PAL.MER. 
 
November 13. 
 
 TOitJ i\jz mout]^ confession is ntatie unto galliatton. 
 
 Romans x. io. 
 
 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, hvn will I also 
 confess before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall 
 deny jne before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is 
 in heaven. — Matt. x. 32, 33. 
 
 T 
 
 O confess Christ before men is to make a public ac- 
 knowledgment of him as the Saviour of the race, but 
 especially to express one's acceptance of him as his personal 
 Saviour, to espouse actively his cause, to ally one's self with 
 the disciples of Christ. He that announces his trust in Jesus 
 for forgiveness, who is truly baptized into the name of Christ, 
 and partakes of the Lord's Supper, who unites with the Church 
 and labors for the upbuilding of Christ's kingdom, in all these 
 ways confesses Christ. So also a life of obedience, humility, 
 piety, godly zeal, which is Christ-hke, is a witness for Christ 
 and a testimony to his transforming power. Such an one 
 will Christ not only formally acknowledge before the Father, 
 but give him a glorious share in his heavenly honor. 
 
 To deny Christ is to do the opposite of the above. To do 
 this it is not necessary publicly and formally to declare one's 
 renunciation of Christ as an infidel might do, but simply 
 neglect to confess him in the ways above indicated. If we in 
 any such way disown Christ, we are none of his, and it cannot 
 but be that he must disown us. 
 
 Let us, then, accept and confess Christ as our Lord and 
 Saviour. 
 
 I 'm not ashamed to own my Lord, 
 
 Or to defend his cause ; 
 Maintain the honor of his Word, 
 
 The glory of his cross. 
 
November 14. 
 
 raj)0 ftatl^ tjf0pisctj i\)C tjau of small tfjings ? 
 
 Zech. iv. 10. 
 
 Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. — John 
 vi. 12. 
 
 THIS utterance of our Lord is one of the many side-lights 
 to be found in the gospel narratives. It ushers us 
 into the realm of purely temporal things and is nothing more 
 than a commonplace order such as any one might find in 
 the mouth of an average housewife. This homely injunction 
 not to waste even the remains of a dinner is severely prac- 
 tical, and forms a sharp contrast to the sublime spiritual 
 truths which our Saviour had so recently given his disciples 
 on the mountain-top. A great descent, we exclaim, and yet 
 what a testimony to the completeness of Christ's character ! 
 Unlike the majority of men, our Lord was many-sided. 
 He was not so lost in contemplation as to be unmindful 
 of the wants of the body. He who discoursed so eloquently 
 upon the glories of God's kingdom was not above practising 
 the little economies of life and inculcating the importance 
 of frugality. Both by precept and example Christ taught 
 that wastefulness is sin. Saving may be one of the minor 
 virtues perhaps, still, let us remember that the command to 
 " gather up the fragments " came from him who w^as able 
 to feed five thousand. The liberal Christian is usually the 
 man who has learned this lesson of economy. It is not 
 given us to multiply loaves of bread; but where is the man 
 who cannot save something and become instrumental in 
 sending the bread of life to those who have it not ? 
 
 C/m( ^.^^^^^^kk. 
 
 Scorn not the slightest word or deed, 
 
 Nor deem it void of power ; 
 There 's fruit in each wind wafted seed 
 
 Ihat waits its natal hour. 
 
 A.NONVMOUS. 
 
November 15. 
 
 1 tibjell . . . toitf) fjim also tjat 10 of a contrite anti 
 
 Jumble spirit. —Isaiah Ivii. 15. 
 
 Blessed are the poor in spirit : for their' s is the kingdom of heaven. 
 Matt. v. 3. 
 
 THIS is our Lord's protest against the self-satisfied but 
 self-deceived righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, 
 and against the ethical legalism and self-wrought virtue on 
 which so many estimable people base their hope of heaven. 
 Christ came not to press upon men a salvation not needed. 
 He does not offer " unsearchable riches " to those " who are 
 rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing," 
 but to the poor in spirit, those who are utterly destitute of 
 spiritual resources and have come to know it, and with pro- 
 found self-abasement are ready to acknowledge it. They 
 have come to themselves as did the starving prodigal ; and 
 in this deeply felt consciousness of guilty bankruptcy, their 
 real blessedness has its beginning. A little divine light 
 begins to shine into their hitherto darkened hearts, and they 
 see how poor they are. Oh, how our blessed Lord loves to 
 fill an emptied heart ! while one that is already full of sat- 
 isfactory riches and resources has no place for him. This 
 beatitude necessarily begins the series. It is the first of 
 the rising steps which lead to the portal by which we must 
 enter the kingdom of heaven. " God resisteth the proud 
 but giveth grace unto the humble." 
 
 JAM 
 
 c 
 
 The heaven where I would stand complete 
 
 My lowly love shall see ; 
 And stronger grow the yearning sweet, 
 
 My holy One, for thee. 
 
 T. H. Gill. 
 
November i6. 
 
 IE gfjall ht satisfictJ, iujm 31 ainake, toitfj tj)2 likeness. 
 Psalm xvii. 15. 
 
 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is 
 perfect. — Matt. v. 48. 
 
 THE child of God must not be content with the pharisaic 
 interpretation of the law. Nor must he share the 
 publican's conception of his duty of kindness toward his 
 fellows. God commendeth his love toward us in that while 
 we were yet sinners Christ died for us. God is love, 
 and love is the fulfilling of the law. Be Hke God ; let the 
 child reproduce the Father's virtues. The Father's house 
 is to be his lasting home. His eternal associations are to 
 be with the holy, ever blessed Trinity. The intimate re- 
 lations of heaven demand entire sinlessness in all who abide 
 there. It would surprise us if God demanded less than 
 perfection in those who are to be fellow-heirs with Christ. 
 Holiness is your duty and your destiny. It is a distant goal, 
 but it will be reached. " I shall be satisfied," said the 
 Psalmist, " when I awake, with thy hkeness." Let life's 
 day be filled with service toward God and toward man. 
 Then let the night of death come. Your awaking shall be 
 blessed ; you will see the King in his beauty. 
 
 .eO uXlU) 
 
 Holy Lamb, who thee receive, 
 Who in thee begin to live, 
 Day and night they cry to thee, 
 " As thou art, so let us be ! " 
 
 ANNA S. DOBER. 
 
November 17. 
 
 TOJatsoeber tioifi mafee manifest 10 lic[f)t. — Eph. v. 13. 
 
 /^or every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither conieth to the 
 light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth 
 cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they 
 are wrought in God. — John iii. 20, 21. 
 
 THIS passage of Scripture occurs at the close of Christ's 
 conversation with Nicoclemus. It contains the two fun- 
 damental doctrines of the whole Bible, — sin and salvation. 
 The unregenerate man hates the light, shuns the light, fears 
 the light. He would have you believe that he can be a Chris- 
 tian in his own way, that a public profession is not necessary, 
 that the Lord's Supper is not of sufficient importance to re- 
 quire his compliance with the dying injunction of the Re- 
 deemer. His whole course is in direct opposition to the 
 revealed will of God. " The carnal mind is enmity against 
 God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed 
 can be" (Romans viii. 7). The regenerate man is the oppo- 
 site of this. He loves the light because God is light, and he 
 delights to honor God by a cheerful and willing obedience 
 to the divine commands. Whatever good he may do he gives 
 God the credit for it. "In me dwelleth no good thing," 
 but " I can do all things through Christ." Reader, this is a 
 test by which you can easily find out where you stand ; is it 
 in the twentieth or twenty-first verse of this wonderful 
 chapter? 
 
 aciry-Q<^ /77 J W*y//\« 
 
 Behold the servant of the Lord ! 
 
 I wait thy guiding hand to feel ; 
 To hear and keep thy every word, 
 
 To prove and do thy perfect will ; 
 Joyful from my own works to cease, 
 Glad to fulfil all righteousness. 
 
November i8. 
 
 3If ijoz ask anu tljing accortims to j^i'g iufU, fje })earetf) us. 
 
 I John v. 14. 
 
 //ye abide in me, atid my coords abide in you, ye shall ask what ye 
 7vill, and it shall be done tinto you. — JoHN xv. 7. 
 
 HERE we have the conditions of prevailinp- i)raver 
 First, The abiding in Christ. s r j' ■ 
 
 O blessed union, — oneness with the Saviour ; fulness of 
 love and fellowship with him; a relationship never to be 
 broken, not even death itself can sever it ; one continued life 
 in union with divine life, and the same nature unfolded. As 
 is the "vine," so is the "branch" with one life-giving power. 
 As is the " body," so is each "member "sustained by one and 
 the same element of existence. Thus our body, united to 
 Christ's body, is united to Christ's will, " joined unto the Lord 
 in one spirit:" and the body being the "temple," we are 
 made partakers of his nature. He is "glorified" in us, and 
 we are " fashioned " like unto him. 
 
 Second, The abidi fig word. In this heavenly relationship 
 Christ's words are received into believing hearts, without ex- 
 ception, and become our words, and shape our lives. So 
 that in the abiding with him, and his words abiding in us 
 our will is brought into humble submission to his will, and 
 the union will be such a sweet and harmonious one, his Spirit 
 inditing the petition, that every request will come to him ac- 
 ceptably, and the answer will surely be given. 
 
 My prayer hath power with God ; the grace 
 
 Unspeakable I now receive ; 
 Through faith I see thee face to face ; 
 
 I see thee face to face and live I 
 In vain I have not wept and strove ; 
 Thy nature and thy name is love. 
 
 c. Wesley. 
 
November 19. 
 
 STJje ilorti Unotnetfj toto to tJelifaet tfje ptilg out of 
 temptation. — 2 peter ii. 9. 
 
 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep 
 thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, 
 to try them that dwell upon the earth. — Rev. iii. lo. 
 
 FAITHFUL adherence to the Word of (iod,— which is 
 the expression of the divine patience, forbearance, and 
 love toward mankind, — exposes the believer to great temp- 
 tations. The world, the liesh, and the Devil use their most 
 seductive arts to compass his fall ; but here is the assurance 
 of sufficient grace. He who says, " I also will keep thee from 
 this hour," prayed for Peter the very instant he knew that 
 Satan desired to sift him as wheat; and in like manner the 
 prayer of our great High-Priest and Intercessor precedes the 
 temptations of every saint. 
 
 How comforting to know that our sorrows and complaints, 
 which the world treats with such indifference, enter the heart 
 of our Father in heaven, and bring us unfailing relief ! 
 
 The church in Philadelphia was the only one in Asia that 
 escaped unscathed from the bitter persecutions of Trajan ; 
 and this is an earnest and an assurance of our Lord's protect- 
 ing presence to every soul who keeps "the word of his 
 patience." 
 
 ^^#. 
 
 /^UMi^^^€^ 
 
 O Lamb of God, who cam'st to take 
 
 The sin of man away, 
 Fast hold me for thy mercy's sake, 
 
 And I shall never stray ! 
 
 Thomas MacKellar. 
 
November 20. 
 
 5Lobf cobetet]) all sins- — Pro v. x. 12. 
 
 Take Jieed to yourselves : If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke 
 him ; ufid if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee 
 seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, say- 
 ing, I repent ; thou shalt forgive him. — LuKE xvii. 3, 4. 
 
 / say not inito thee, Until seven times : but, Until seventy times 
 seven. — Matt, xviii. 22. 
 
 THIS parable teaches the lesson of unbounded forgive- 
 ness. The Jews, it is said, forgave the third offence, 
 but not the fourth. Peter doubles the number, and thinks, 
 perhaps, he has reached the limit of Christian forgiveness. 
 But Christ says, " I say not unto thee, until seven times, 
 but until seventy times seven." 
 
 By this he does not mean "seventy-seven times," nor four 
 hundred and ninety times. He uses a definite number for 
 an unlimited multitude. Boundless forgiveness is the divine 
 law. But this boundless pardon has its condition. ^^ If he 
 repent, forgive him." " I forgave thee all that debt, because 
 thou desiredst jney 
 
 To the penitent only is forgiveness boundless. Forgive- 
 ness is a test of character ; it is an index of the new birth. 
 The unrenewed heart does not thus forgive. "Take heed 
 to yourselves," an unforgiving spirit is proof of ungodliness : 
 " O thou wicked servant, etc." It is a forerunner of doom : 
 " His lord was very wroth, etc. ; " " so likewise shall my 
 heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts 
 forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." 
 
 Oh, may I learn the art, 
 
 With meekness to reprove ; 
 To hate the sin with all my heart, 
 
 But still the sinner love. 
 
 c. Wesley. 
 
November 21. 
 
 ge alkali not tempt i\)t HortJ ^axix (^oti. — Deut. vi. 16. 
 
 '/ ' T/tozi shalt not te77ipt the Lord thy God. — Matt. iv. 7. 
 
 " T ET these sayings [of Christ] sink down into your ears," 
 
 J 4 for here is the secret of holiness and happiness. 
 
 We must come up to the standard of God's holy will and 
 not attempt to drag him down to that of our sinful desires. 
 
 Christ's example is rich with suggestions for our own 
 successful resistance of temptation. Before the temptation, 
 John the Baptist attests he saw "the Spirit descending and 
 remaining" on Christ. The heart on which the Holy Spirit 
 descends and remains is a citadel that Satan can never cap- 
 ture. The weapon Christ employed to repel the Tempter 
 was " the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." A 
 mind stored with Bible truths and a life which exemplifies 
 them can best repel Satan. Christ also availed himself of 
 " the shield of faith." Implicit faith in God acts as water on 
 flames ; it " quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked." Be 
 not afraid of the Devil, but only of sinning against God. 
 Satan is a coward ; " resist the Devil, and he will flee from 
 you." One of the Christian's sweetest experiences comes 
 after successfully resisting temptation. At the end of the 
 struggle, " Behold, angels came and ministered unto him." 
 
 Think not thy Saviour does not see 
 
 When Satan casts a dart ; 
 No arrow ever wounded thee 
 
 That did not pierce his heart. 
 
 THOMAS MACKELLAR. 
 
November 22. 
 
 SfjaU H i)itJ£ from 1lbraf)am t^at tbing infjicf) C tio? 
 
 Gen. xviii. 17. 
 
 Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth not 
 what his lord docth : but I have called yon friends ; for all things 
 that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto yon. — 
 John xv. 15. 
 
 THESE inspiring and comforting words of Jesus were ad- 
 dressed to the eleven on the night before he suffered. 
 The revelations made to them at the passover table, in 
 the early evening, concerning his betrayal and death, had 
 blasted all their earthly hopes and expectations. They saw 
 themselves poor, outcast, and alone in the world; and "sor- 
 row had filled their hearts." Could they have grasped the 
 blessed import of these wonderful words, what light would 
 have fallen on their darkness ! " Henceforth " the relation 
 ^f the disciple to his Lord is no more that of a servant 
 (the conception of rabbinical discipleship) not knowing what 
 his Lord does, but the endearing, confidential relation of 
 friend, loved even as the P^ather hath loved his only begot- 
 ten Son, and admitted to the secrets of his Lord through 
 the abiding Comforter, and made co-worker together with 
 him, constrained by his unspeakable love. Yea, more; hav- 
 ing received "the adoption" he is made "joint-heir" with 
 him, "if he abides in his love," "if so be that he suffers 
 with him," " that they may be glorified together." 
 
 Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word, 
 ]>iit as thou dwell 'st with thy disciples, Lord, 
 Familiar, condescending, patient, free, 
 Come not to sojourn, but abide with me. 
 
November 23. 
 
 Neiti)er &i)u\\ t|)e flame kinW upon t!)ec. — Isaiah xiiii. 2. 
 
 I/e that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. — Rev. 
 ii. II. 
 
 THIS is what the Head of the Church says by the Spirit 
 to encourage our fidehty and perseverance to the last. 
 This solves beforehand the problem of our future. The 
 conflict is to be won by devotion and service to the Master, 
 in opposition to that heartless apathy which surrenders every- 
 thing to the force of circumstances, to the spirit of the age, 
 and the eddying course and drifting fashions of the world. 
 This is an appeal to faith, — to that far-reaching sense of 
 the soul which apprehends " the glory that shall be revealed 
 in us," " ready to be revealed in the last time," the unseen 
 but eternal inheritance undefiled. Have we an " ear " for 
 this revelation? The Spirit speaks this promise to the 
 churches ; but does he find faith among us ? Do our souls 
 respond to the voice from heaven, — the still small voice 
 of God ? Faith in these things ever waxing, shall be more 
 than a match for the blatant gabble, the glitter and glare, 
 the noise and show of the world. The promise allures us 
 to the future for our rest, our satisfaction, and exceeding great 
 reward. We have the promise of exemption from the "sec- 
 ond death," and its fulfilment confers " immortal life " 
 through Jesus Christ. O Christian, let the full power of the 
 immortal future come upon you ! 
 
 'o'06'^r^. 
 
 But to those who have confessed, 
 
 Loved, and served the Lord liclow, 
 He will say, " Come near, ye blessed, 
 See the kingdom I bestow; 
 
 You forever 
 Shall my love and glory know." 
 
 John Newton. 
 
November 24. 
 
 3Let f)im be goiir fear. — Isaiah viii. 13. 
 
 ^«^ ycv/r 7iot them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the 
 soul : but rather fear him zvhich is able to destroy both soul and body 
 in hell. — Matt. x. 28. 
 
 THERE is a place for fear and hope in the life of faith. 
 God deals with men by holding forth as motives the 
 rewards and punishments of the future. He warns through 
 fear and woos through hope. Fear catches the note of alarm, 
 and the wise soul shuns the evil. Nor does it stop with 
 mere warning; it goes on with help to the end. The fear 
 meant in this verse is awe without terror. It is filial fear 
 that loves while it venerates, and trusts while it adores. 
 
 There is a right fear and a wrong fear. The wrong fear 
 is the fear of man, — for the worst he can do is bound up 
 with time, and can but hurt the body. It is always evil 
 and bringeth a snare. It did much for King Saul's ruin; 
 it led David to most unseemly conduct; it brought Peter to 
 great sin and grief in his shameful fall. There is also a 
 wrong fear of God, which is ignorant and hard and cruel 
 as the grave. The right fear is that which knows God's 
 power to destroy both soul and body in hell, and then turns 
 from sin to the way of righteousness, seeking divine truth 
 and a nobler life. And so the wise soul turns to Christ, 
 himself the way, the truth, and the life. 
 
 Perfect love casteth out all wrong fear ; but the right fear 
 of God abides. It is the beginning of wisdom, a fountain 
 of life, " The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever." 
 
 XttKWv 
 
 Fear hath no dwelling there ; 
 Come to the mingling of repose and love, 
 Breathed by the silent spirit of the dove, 
 Through the celestial air ! 
 
 Felicia D. Hemans. 
 
November 25. 
 
 E\)t ®otj of our M\}tx& f)atf) glorifieti jjis .Son Jtsug* 
 
 Acts iii. 13. 
 
 T/it's sickness is not unto death, but for the ^lory of God, that the 
 Son of God might be glorified thereby. — John xi. 4. 
 
 " T ORD, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick." This is 
 I ^ the touching, suggestive message which comes from 
 two troubled hearts at Bethany to Jesus in liis Perean re- 
 treat. "This sickness is not unto death." This is the short 
 strange answer which the messenger is bidden to take back. 
 Perhaps before the words were spoken, certainly before they 
 could reach the sisters, their brother was dead. Did the 
 Master mean to mock their grief, or was he too for the 
 once mistaken? Ah, there is a ray of resurrection-light 
 gleaming in that dark message, if they would only see it ! 
 A saint's sickness is never unto death. He may seem to 
 die, but it is death in seeming only. The heavenly Father 
 will have no dead children. What seemed to be the death 
 of Lazarus was only the occasion for kindling in the hearts 
 of his friends the flame of a heavenly hope. His grave was 
 only a door through which the glory of the divine love and 
 power shone anew upon the paths of men. Earthly afflic- 
 tion is but a means of manifesting and magnifying the love 
 of God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Sickness in the Master's 
 friends is not unto death, but unto discipline, and the dis- 
 covery of his glory to us, and through us to others. 
 
 Without murmur, uncomplaining, 
 
 In his hand 
 Lay whatever things thou canst not 
 
 Understand ; 
 Though the world thy folly spurneth, 
 From thy faith in pity turneth, 
 Peace thy inmost soul shall fill, 
 
 Lying still. 
 
 H. A. V. (Translation). 
 
November 26. 
 
 2Ef)oii5i) fje tni'st it not, rjct is \}t suiltg. — Lev. v. 17. 
 
 BiU he that knexu not, and did cojumit things worthy of stripes, 
 shall be beaten Tuith feio stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, 
 of him shall be much required : and to whom men have co77imitted 
 much, of him they ivill ask the more. — LuKE xii. 48. 
 
 THINGS "worthy of stripes," wrong things, committed 
 in ignorance, are not so blameworthy as things com- 
 mitted against conscience. In the former case, they are 
 committed without purpose of wrong; in the latter case, they 
 are actuated by evil intent. Ignorance of duty and con- 
 tempt of duty may be followed by precisely the same form of 
 wrong-doing, but not involving the same degree of guilt, as 
 a/^w stripes and many stripes are adapted to this diversity 
 of guilt. But stripes, few or many, are the merited and cer- 
 tain penalty of all sin. And " unto whomsoever much is 
 given, of him shall be much required," because his obligation 
 is proportioned to his privilege and opportunity, — to the 
 stewardship which demands his faithfulness. So man deals 
 with his fellow-man. It is common-sense justice, and Jesus 
 Christ indorses the principle in the above words which fell 
 from his lips of infinite wisdom. What then must be the 
 degree of guilt of those to whom the unspeakable riches of 
 Christ are freely offered, and who refuse to accept them, but 
 cleave to the beggarly elements of sin instead.'' " How shall 
 we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ? " 
 
 /^rj^^nM^^ 
 
 Freely from me ye have received, 
 Freely in love to others give ; 
 
 Then shall your doctrines be believed, 
 And by your labors, sinners live. 
 
November 27. 
 
 2rf}e meek sj^ll infierit tf)e eartj). — psalm xxxvii. n. 
 
 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. — Matt. v. 5. 
 
 WHAT is it to be meek ? He who pronounced this beati- 
 tude said, " I am meek." To be meek, then, is to 
 wear the yoke he wore, — to submit to the will of the Father 
 as he did. A mild manner, a sweet expression, a retiring dis- 
 position, are but the superficialities of meekness. Essentially, 
 it is of the heart, not of the face. The Master was meek 
 in self-assertion, as in self-devotion and self-denial. The same 
 spirit spoke in the "nevertheless" of the court of Caiaphas 
 as in the " nevertheless " of the garden of Gethsemane. Meek- 
 ness is conformity to the will of God in perception, motive, 
 choice, and act. What, then, is the blessedness of the meek? 
 Is it that of the Dives who had not "where to bestow his 
 goods " .'' Is the reward of submission to the will of God such 
 an " inheritance of the earth " as can be measured by the acre, 
 or counted in coin ? The questions answer themselves. Such 
 was not the reward of the Master's meekness. To "inherit 
 the land " is a proverbial phrase. Every Jew understood it. 
 After the conflict for Canaan, then its undisputed possession ; 
 so the people of God were "given rest as he promised them," 
 and their fathers before them. The blessedness of the meek 
 is restful self-possession in view of the soul's heritage in God. 
 " The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance ; yea, I have a 
 goodly heritage." This is the song of the meek. 
 
 Lord, when I all things would possess, 
 
 I crave but to be thine ; 
 Oh, lowly is the loftiness 
 
 Of these desires divine ! 
 
 T. H. Gill. 
 
November 28. 
 
 C^e toorti of tf)e l,orti cntmrctfj for rbcr. — i Peter i. 25. 
 
 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass 
 azuay. — MaTT. xxiv. 35. 
 
 HOW amazing the prescience here evinced ! Immutable 
 as are Nature's laws, vast as is the seeming magni- 
 tude and age, long as is the obvious duration of the physical 
 universe, Jesus yet calmly declared that it shall finally per- 
 ish ; and modern science confirms the remarkable declara- 
 tion. Equally amazing is the confidence with which this 
 man deliberately affirms the imperishability of his own words. 
 Without having committed to writing a single line, he yet 
 declares that his words shall outlive the very universe, are 
 literally immortal. Certain it is that these words were never 
 more vital or influential than to-day, — abiding utterly un- 
 wasted the white light of even this wonderful nineteenth 
 century. 
 
 Who is this man that thus spake, that is responsible for 
 this most astounding statement ? What philosophical his- 
 torian has ever accounted for him, or ever will.'^ 
 
 All men, manifestly, have a direct and personal interest in 
 these "wonderful words of life," — particularly in those re- 
 lating to human destiny and the terms of salvation. Let the 
 unbeliever ponder them and tremble ! Let the believer read 
 them and rejoice ! 
 
 Q. d!' cHoJUJIwfc 
 
 The mountains melt away 
 
 When once the Judge appears, 
 And sun and moon decay, 
 
 That measure mortal years ; 
 But still the same in radiant lines 
 The promise shines through all the flame. 
 
 Philip Doddridge. 
 
November 29. 
 
 OT t{)at ini'll libe fiotilg in Christ Scsus g^all suffer 
 persecution. — 2 tim. in. 12. 
 
 Blessed are they which are perseaited for righteousness'' sake : for 
 their' s is the kingdom of heaven. — Matt. v. io. 
 
 THIS is the last of the Beatitudes; and while it confirms 
 and seals the sevenfold blessedness of the righteous, 
 it points out what the Christian has to expect from the 
 world's enmity in his endeavor to obtain these precious 
 jewels. Strange that the world should return hatred for 
 love, persecution for peace-making, malignancy for mercy! 
 Yet so it is. Nor does the blessed Master conceal this truth, 
 even as his disciples enter his service. Frankly, unreserv- 
 edly, he unfolds to them what salary they may expect in his 
 service here on earth. Listen to him : "Men shall revile you 
 and persecute you and expel you from their society, and say 
 all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.'''' That 
 is the key to this persecution. The surest evidence and 
 the most distinctive mark of genuine discipleship is thus 
 announced by the Holy Ghost, "All that will live godly in 
 Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." What then? "Re- 
 joice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in 
 heaven." If the world curses you, God calls you "blessed." 
 If the world will not tolerate you beneath the heavens, God 
 will take you up into heaven. If the world's salary be death, 
 God's reward is eternal life. 
 
 Brethren, while we sojourn here, 
 Fight we must, but should not fear. 
 Foes we have, but we've a Friend, 
 One that loves us to the end. 
 Forward, then, with courage go ; 
 Long we shall not dwell below. 
 Soon the joyful news will come, 
 " Child, your Father calls ; come home ! " 
 
 Joseph swain. 
 
November 30. 
 
 QTfje tifati sfiall ht raisetj fncorrtiptible, — i Cor. xv. 52. 
 
 Marvel not at this : for the hour is coming, in the which all that 
 are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth ; they that 
 have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done 
 evily unto the resurrection of damnation. — John v. 28, 29. 
 
 IMMORTALITY, then, is not conditional. It is inherent 
 in human nature. It does not depend upon good behav- 
 ior; it cannot be forfeited by sin. Even the most desperate 
 of criminals cannot escape from it, much less the most igno- 
 rant of agnostics. Until all have stood before the judgment 
 seat of Christ, until some have gone away into eternal pun- 
 ishment and other some into eternal life, until every man 
 reaps that which he has sown, and having been judged 
 according to the deeds done in the body, has received his 
 reward, the Word of God affords no possible hope of escape 
 from the truth of inherent and inalienable immortality, and 
 after that none could wish for one. " It is appointed unto 
 men once to die, and after that the judgment." If death is 
 universal, so must judgment be ; and if judgment be univer- 
 sal, it must be because the identity of each individual is 
 retained beyond the grave, for judgment would be impossible 
 or absurd without identity in the person judged. 
 
 Here, then, is a joyous hope for the believing, as well as a 
 faithful warning — an affectionate, tender, truthful, and there- 
 fore faithful warning — for the unbelieving. 
 
 V^^r^-t^ 
 
 Then shall nature stand aghast, 
 Death himself be overcast ; 
 Then, at her Creator's call, 
 Near and distant, great and small, 
 Shall the whole creation rise, 
 Waiting for the great assize. 
 
 Stanley (Translation). 
 
December i. 
 
 JFor tfjig cause ^z is tfjc inetiiator of tf)e neio testa- 
 ment — Heb. ix. 15. 
 
 // w finished. — John xix. 30. 
 
 WITH these words Christ closes his work of sacrifice. 
 He had offered himself as "a lamb without spot and 
 without blemish ; " and thenceforth, wrote one to whom that 
 one offering was the spell that at once broke his hard heart 
 and transformed his life, " this man, after he had offered 
 one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of 
 God." And yet his work had not wholly ended. We turn from 
 the scene on Calvary, and a little later hear him saying to his 
 disciples, " Go ye,"'build, preach, and suffer, " and lo, I am 
 with you alway, even to the end of the world." The work 
 of sacrifice is ended only that the work of founding, inspir- 
 ing and transforming shall begin. " Ye shall be witnesses 
 unto me," he says; and then we read, "And they went forth 
 and preached everywhere, the Lord ivorking with themy 
 
 So he means it to be with us. Ah ! how often, when the 
 burden is heavy and the way lonely, we would fain say of all 
 that makes life a labor and a pain, " It is finished." And so 
 we shall; but not, surely, to pass on into an inglorious ease. 
 As with the best lives and the noblest powers competency 
 rises side by side with the task, so it will be with us and 
 with our work. One day the cross-bearing will be done, and 
 we shall be privileged to say, " It is finished." 
 
 \a^s 
 
 
 ^wir<— 
 
 " It is finished ! " Oh, what pleasure 
 
 Do these precious words afford ! 
 Heavenlv blessine;"^ without measure 
 
 Flow to us from Christ the Lord. 
 
 Jonathan Evans. 
 
December 2. 
 
 ra^g per0£cute0t tf)ou me? — Acts jx 4. 
 
 Tnasmiich as ye did it not to o?ie of the least of these, ye did it not to 
 me. — Matf. XXV. 45. 
 
 THESE words assign the reason for the dread sentence 
 pronounced upon the lost. The righteous and wicked 
 have been finally separated. The great company on the 
 right hand of the Judge have heard the welcome, " Come, 
 ye blessed," and now the irrevocable doom descends upon 
 " them on the left hand." Here Christ as the King and Judge 
 identifies himself with his people. The lost are not con- 
 demned for sins of which they have been found guilty, but 
 for opportunities of serving the Master which they have 
 selfishly neglected. The hungry, the sick, the naked, the 
 stranger, and prisoner had not been ministered unto. Inas- 
 much as they had neglected to serve the least of these his 
 brethren, they had neglected to serve Christ himself. It is 
 the love of Christ which constrains his people to gentle deeds 
 of loving ministration. Behind all doing lie thought and 
 feeling. As we think of Christ and feel toward him so will 
 our actions ever be. Neglecting to help and comfort his af- 
 flicted disciples implies lack of love to Christ and Christ's. 
 Therefore doom falls upon the lost because they preferred an 
 unloving, self-indulgent, utterly selfish life, to the loving self- 
 denial which finds its truest happiness in imitating him 
 "who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." 
 
 titoXiAte 
 
 And we believe thy word, 
 
 Though dim our faith may be ; 
 
 Whate'er for thine we do, O Lord, 
 We do it unto thee. 
 
December 3. 
 
 E!)e rijgl}tC0U0n£00 0! (3oti, — Romans X. 3. 
 
 For I say tinto yoit^ That except your righteousness shall exceed the 
 righteoicsiiess of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter 
 into the kingdom of heaven. — Matt. v. 2o. 
 
 IN the preceding verses Jesus has been declaring the 
 majesty of the law; then having made this startling an- 
 nouncement, he proceeds to illustrate the many ways in which 
 both its spirit and letter were violated by the traditional 
 "doers" and "teachers." He demands a distinguishing 
 righteousness in his followers which shall sharply differen- 
 tiate them from these traditionalists. They are to show a 
 righteousness which shall exceed anything conceived by these 
 old religionists, which shall have grained into its very life a 
 love for truth and a respect for the interests of others. This 
 spotlessness is demanded as the legitimate and convincing 
 fruit of faith, the supreme test of the new kingdom. This 
 demand is uncompromising. But here, as elsewhere, Jesus is 
 insisting on the sacredness of the sfirit of the law. The 
 righteousness of the Pharisees consisted of an unwearying 
 observance of the letter ; but white and clean without, their 
 hearts were far from God. The Christian disciple is to come 
 by faith into such fellowship with Christ that obedience is the 
 result of harmony. He has passed out from the schoolhouse. 
 His renewed nature acts from an intelligent acquiescence in 
 the spirit of the requirement. His righteousness exceeds 
 that of all scribes and Pharisees because it is righteousness 
 and not mere commandment-keeping. 
 
 ^ya/4.&nx^ 
 
 Our God is love ; and all his saints 
 
 His image bear below. 
 The heart with love to God inspired 
 
 With love to man will glow. 
 
 Thomas COTTHRILL (altered). 
 
December 4. 
 
 J^is JJat{)cr's name torittfii in tfjcir forc!)cati0. 
 Rev. xiv. i. 
 
 //I'm that m>erconieth will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, 
 and he shall go no more out : and J %v ill xvrile upon him the name of 
 my God, and the na?ne of the city of my God, which is new Jerusa- 
 lem, wJiich conieth down out of heax'en from my God : and I will 
 write upon him my 7iew navie. — Rev. iii. 12. 
 
 WHO would not rejoice in the grace qualifying him, the 
 honor attaching to him, and the usefulness that would 
 justify him in being a pillar in the temple of God, in a temple 
 wide as the sanctified universe, and so all-inclusive of what is 
 essentially divine as to admit of no humanly builded temple 
 within itself.'' 
 
 He shall be this pillar, and upon hiin shall be inscribed the 
 threefold name " of my (jod, the City of my God, and my new 
 Name, " — the first a general piety, the second loyalty to the 
 kingdom, the third affectionate devotion to the personal Re- 
 deemer ; the first Faith, the second Hope, the third Love. 
 Upon him that overcometh shall this threefold, perfect name 
 be written, identifying him as the Lord s possession and ser- 
 vant, and guaranteeing continuous watch, guidance, and pre- 
 servation of him ; all which in turn shall give him further 
 emboldenment, stimulation, and enterprise. 
 
 All this to '-him that overcometh," not in his own strength, 
 but through faith in the indwelling Spirit and the outworking 
 providence of Christ. 
 
 ,/jlcu^ /hn^^^ 
 
 Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart ; 
 
 Come quickly from above ; 
 Write thy new name upon my heart, 
 
 Thy new best name of Love. 
 
December 5. 
 
 W^t !)abe tfje petitions tf)at ^t tizmtti of fjim. 
 I John v. 15. 
 
 Go thy way ; and as thou hast believed, so be it do7ie unto thee. 
 Matt. viii. 13. 
 
 IN quick transition the human and the divine in Christ 
 pass before us. The great wonder-worker himself mar- 
 vels at the miracle of faith. How artlessly human ! 
 
 Unembarrassed at the strange proposition, prompt as an 
 echo comes the response, "Go thy way." What sublime 
 divinity ! 
 
 It was not the hasty dismissal of impotence or indifference 
 or impatience, but the certain answer of a mighty, all-suffi- 
 cient helpfulness to the cry of a simple, obedient faith. 
 Christ acted like " one having authority." The same sublime 
 almightiness that " arched the heavens " is here. " Go ; be it 
 done." And this same almightiness seems obedient to a 
 Gentile's faith; what more unpromising? What could be 
 mightier ? Absolutely limitless in its own nature, it so ac- 
 counted of God's ability ; and so it put all the powers at 
 its control in perfect accord with the divine purpose. What 
 a mighty combination was that ! What indeed are obstacles 
 when God and man are one ? 
 
 Oh, make but trial of his love ! 
 
 Experience will decide 
 How blest are they, and only they, 
 
 Who in his truth confide ! 
 
 Tate. 
 
December 6. 
 
 &omt to tbctlastincf life, anb some to 0f)ame anb eber- 
 lasting contempt. — Daniel xii. 2. 
 
 Aud these shall go away into everlasting punishment : but the 
 righteous into life eternal. — Matt. xxv. 46. 
 
 1"*HESE words were prompted by eternal love. Let us 
 not turn away from them as we should if some mere 
 man had spoken them. He who loved us and gave himself 
 for us would not do such a cruel thing as to leave us in any 
 doubt about the future state. Sinners are not going to be 
 left to perish if it is possible to bring them to repentance 
 and forgiveness. God does not take pleasure in the infliction 
 of punishment, but rather desires that they may turn and 
 live. 
 
 The awfulness of sin is a fact which cannot be avoided, 
 and its consequences reach out endlessly. There is no pos- 
 sible escape from this issue. Therefore let us take the 
 blessed warning at the lips of him who at the same time held 
 out his arms, saying, " Come unto me . . . and I will give 
 you rest." And oh, how precious the promise to every one 
 who thus flies to Jesus! Not one single blow shall reach 
 him forever and forever ! Eternal life with all its possibil- 
 ities of hope, and joy, and friendship with Jesus, whose life 
 bought ours ! Friend, don't wait a single day. Choose 
 this day Christ and eternal life. 
 
 O thou who canst not slumber, On us thy mercy lighten, 
 
 Whose light grows never pale. On us thy goodness rest ; 
 
 Teach us aright to number And let thy Spirit brighten 
 
 Our years before they fail 1 The hearts thyself hast blessed 
 
 BlCKEKSTEl H. 
 
December 7. 
 
 Es not tfjfg i\)Z Christ ? — John iv. 29. 
 
 Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest 
 thou ? thou shalt see greater things than these . . . Hereafter ye shall 
 see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon 
 the Son of man. — John i. 50, 51. 
 
 ONE little word of Christ revealed to Nathaniel that he 
 was no more hidden from him than from the Father. 
 The self-disclosure which Nathaniel made to God when hid- 
 den from all other eyes under the fig-tree, is wholly known 
 to Jesus, This was the first revelation to Nathaniel of that 
 wisdom of which Christ promises him further knowledge, 
 and on it he based his faith and his confession. He had 
 personal evidence of the divinity of Christ. 
 
 Is it not clear that the Being who shows man to himself 
 is the true God .'' This view Christ had given Nathaniel 
 and said, " As clearly will I disclose heaven to thee. Mes- 
 sengers shall come from its open portals and by me make 
 known to you the secrets of the skies. They shall return 
 also to heaven, and bear the revelation of men to write in 
 the book of God's remembrance." So this one first proof 
 by which Nathaniel knew his Lord shall be augmented with 
 other evidence, abundant, continuous, and complete. 
 
 Be thou my guide into all truth divine ; 
 
 Give me increasing knowledge of my God. 
 Show me the glories"that in Jesus shine, 
 
 And make my heart the place of his abode. 
 
 C. FORSYTH. 
 
December 8. 
 
 3Lct ctiau one of us please fji's ncigf)bour for f)is jgooti 
 to rtiification. — Romans xv. 2. 
 
 // is more blessed to give than to receive. — ACTS xx. 35. 
 
 THOUGH not recorded in the gospels, these are his 
 own words, doubtless like many another saying of 
 Jesus preserved by oral tradition and treasured in the mem- 
 ory of his disciples. The words are just like him. He was 
 himself God's unspeakable gift; his life was one constant 
 giving. 
 
 This maxim contradicts the common creed. Men measure 
 gladness by the abundance of good received. The true 
 blessedness is to impart. It matters not what is given, or 
 how accepted, if the giving be but sincere. It is the altar 
 which sanctifieth the gift. It may be a cup of water, a word 
 of common comfort, a helping hand ; it may be a kindly 
 judgment, unspoken sympathy ; it may be the sacrifice of 
 ea.se, health, life, — blessedness attends the gift. What a 
 fulness has this blessedness! It is a well of water within 
 the soul; it is the very joy of the Lord. 
 
 Here is medicine for the sad heart. Here are riches for 
 the poorest. Silver and gold if I have it ; if not, such as I 
 have give I. Every day brings its opportunities. What a 
 day would that be in the life of any man, whose opportuni- 
 ties for this blessing were proved to the full ! 
 
 Help us, O Lord, thy yoke to wear, 
 
 Delighting in thy perfect will ; 
 Each other's burdens learn to bear, 
 
 And thus thy law of love fulfil. 
 
 Thomas Cotterill. 
 
December 9. 
 
 3^c sfjall feeti fjis Aoc^ Ii^f^^ ^ 0|)ep|)erti. — Isaiah xi. u. 
 
 / am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am knozu/t of 
 mine. — John x. 14. 
 
 DEFENCELESS by nature, timid and subject to alarm, 
 the sheep, of all animals, is the most utterly dependent 
 upon human protection. Great, therefore, is the importance 
 of a shepherd of undoubted qualifications and fidelity. How 
 truly is a man like a sheep ! How impotent against sin, how 
 unsuspicious of its approach, how easily deceived as to its 
 nature! Nor is he without a shepherd's care; for he can 
 sing with the Psalmist, "The Lord is my shepherd." That 
 shepherd is Jesus, nor is there need for another. Does the 
 Christian need food.? The good Shepherd says for his com- 
 fort, " I am the door ; by me if any man enter in, he shall be 
 saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture." Follow- 
 ing him you can sing, " He maketh me to lie down in green 
 pastures." Is the Christian sore beset so that he cries out, 
 " My soul is among lions," while terror chills his heart? 
 Then can he find comfort in the words of his Shepherd, " I 
 lay down my life for the sheep." His soul's alarm is stilled, 
 and he can say, " He restoreth my soul." Does Satan lay 
 claim to the child of God, and fill him with apprehension.? 
 He is reassured by the words of Jesus, " He calleth his own 
 sheep by name ; ... I know my sheep, and am known of 
 mine." Hearing that voice speak my name, I find myself 
 relieved from fear, and following the Shepherd of my soul, 
 am led in '• the paths of righteousness." 
 
 Jesus my Shepherd is; 
 
 'T was he that loved my soul ; 
 'Twas he that washed me in his blood; 
 
 'Twas he that made me whole. 
 'Twas he that sought the lost, 
 
 That found the wandering sheep ; 
 'Twas he that brought me to the fold ; 
 
 'T is he that still doth keep. 
 
December io. 
 
 l^eceibeti me ... as Christ Scsiig. — Gal. iv. 14. 
 
 He that receiveth luhomsoeve}' I send receiveth me ; and he that 
 receiveth me receiveth him that se7it me. — John xiii. 20. 
 
 THE passage teaches two exalting truths. First, the per- 
 fect identification of Christ with his disciple. " He 
 that receiveth whomsoever I send" — that is, you, my disci- 
 ples — "receiveth ;;/^." More vividly still he announces this 
 truth to Saul persecuting the children of God: " Why perse- 
 cutest thou inef'' Christ virtually says in the passage we 
 are studying, " I am in you. To receive you is to receive 
 me. To reject you is to reject me. A blow at your honor 
 is a stab at my heart. The arm uplifted against a disciple 
 is a threat against the Son of God." Are you a disciple? 
 Think that invisible spiritual nerves, whose seat is the divine 
 soul, reach forth and cover you with their sensitive tissue ? 
 
 The second truth is like unto this. So Jesus, the Son, is 
 identified with the Father. " He that receiveth me receiveth 
 him that sent me." Jesus alone reveals the Father. Only 
 through him incarnate can we conceive of God as a spirit. 
 '• I and my Father are one." *' He that hath seen me hath 
 seen the Father." 
 
 If, then, Christ is in the Father, and the Father in him, 
 and if the disciple is in Christ, and Christ in him, truly are 
 we the sons of God ! 
 
 From Christ they all their gifts derive, 
 And fed by Christ, their graces live ; 
 While, guarded by his mighty hand, 
 'Midst all the rage of hell they stand. 
 
 Philip Doddridge. 
 
December ii. 
 
 f^e sj^all sabe t]^e Jumble. —Job xxii. 29. 
 
 Except ye be converted , and becojtie as little children, ye shall not 
 enter into the kingdotn of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble 
 himself as this little child, the savie is greatest in the kingdoiii of 
 heaven. — Matt, xviii. 3, 4. 
 
 TO be converted is to be turned about, implying a real 
 renewal of the heart and a radical reformation of the 
 life. It is to "be born again," "born of the Spirit," " born 
 not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of 
 man, but of God." No man is fully alive till he is converted. 
 Our loftiest faculties are tuneless till divine inspiration 
 breathes through them. The new life is the supreme need of 
 human nature. The sonl is dead till it receives the light, life, 
 and love of God. 
 
 The new birth gives the childlike spirit. We " become as 
 little children ; " fear gives way to filial assurance, wilfulness 
 to loving obedience, servitude and formalism to spiritual free- 
 dom ; grief yields to gladness, and pride is cast out by hu- 
 mility. Heavenly crowns cannot be won by great talents ; 
 they cannot be bought by great wealth ; and great pretensions 
 and great performances are equally powerless to obtain them. 
 They are freely bestowed upon those who have the childlike 
 spirit. God's kingdom is God's family ; all of his children, 
 his "little children," are royal. Those who feel that they are 
 nothing without God are the greatest in the kingdom of God. 
 
 •^. ^ ' ^::7'W^^'^^^ 
 
 I would not have the restless will 
 
 That hurries to and fro, 
 Seeking for some great thing to do, 
 
 Or secret thing to know ; 
 I would be treated as a child, 
 
 And guided where I go. anna l. 
 
December 12. 
 
 STaiigfjt flf ®0tj to lofac one anotljcr. — i Tiiess. 
 
 IV. 9. 
 
 This is my commajtdment, That ye love one another^ as I have 
 laved you. — John xv. 12. 
 
 THE words are last words of the Christ. They are re- 
 peated for the emphasis. The truth is, the first clause 
 is a sort of summary of all he had to say, just as the last 
 clause is a summary of all he did and was. 
 
 Christ's work began and was wrought in love. His vic- 
 tory was won through love. His greatness lay in his love. 
 God is love, and God in Christ was only manifested love, — 
 love working at all costs. Man's greatness was to be like 
 Christ's. Christ contradicts the human instinct about being 
 great. Men were to rise above other men, become truly great 
 within themselves, and do truly great things in the world, not 
 by rivalries and hate, but by helpfulness and love. God 
 would measure men by that. Men who had felt Christ would 
 measure themselves by that. And the world should be re- 
 deemed, the evil in it overcome, wrongs righted, men be 
 saved, Christ's kingdom come, — all by the power of love. 
 It all would cost men suffering. It cost Christ suffering; 
 but there was no other way. There is no other hope of re- 
 demption for the world, save in this love — Christ's and 
 men's — Christ's working through men. 
 
 C'c;Z.trcc^t.<^f^J<^^i^U€f7Ur7r>^ 
 
 Hence may all our actions flow, — 
 Love the proof that Christ we know ; 
 Mutual love the token be, 
 Lord, that we belong to thee. 
 Love, thine image, love impart ; 
 Stamp it now on every heart. 
 Only love to us be given ; 
 Lord, we ask no other heaven ! 
 
 C. Wesley. 
 
December 13. 
 
 ©eceitful abobe all tl)in0S, anti ticgperatdg inicketJ. 
 
 Jer. xvii. 9. 
 
 Not that which goeth into the month defileth a man ; but that 7uhich 
 Cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. For out of the heart 
 proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false 
 7vitness, blasphe7nies. — Matt. xv. ii, 19. 
 
 WE are taught by these words that right living is a 
 weightier matter than to wash the liands oft, eat 
 clean meats, and make a fair show in the flesh. 
 
 In such practices the Pharisees excelled, but with no better 
 results than self-righteousness and pride. Their experience 
 should convince us that moral progress is not attainable by 
 that road. 
 
 According to Jesus, the source of sin is corrupt human 
 nature. Universal consciousness attests the same. The 
 things which defile a man come from within, as when unholy 
 passions master the bodily parts and set them to deeds of 
 shame. 
 
 And reformatory forces to be successful must operate 
 within. King David shows how to start, when he prays, 
 " Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit 
 within me." As we learn to "delight in the law of God after 
 the inward man," the strength to yield our members servants 
 of righteousness unto holiness will be forthcoming. Gra- 
 cious strength ! — which Saint Paul felt the touch of when he 
 exclaimed, " I thank God, through Jesus Christ ! " 
 
 I need thee, precious Jesus ! 
 
 For I am full of sin ; 
 My soul is dark and guilty, 
 
 My heart is dead within. 
 I need the cleansing fountain, 
 
 Where I can always flee, — 
 The blood of Christ most precious, 
 
 The sinner's perfect plea. 
 
 F. WHITFIF.LD. 
 
December 14. 
 
 STJis man sfjall be blesseti in f)is tiecti— James i. 25. 
 
 /f ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. — John 
 xiii. 17. 
 
 CHRIST, as teacher and Lord, in washing the disciples' 
 feet, gave an effective example of humility and service. 
 How selfish ambition and self-righteous ease are rebuked ! 
 Our divine Redeemer, emptying himself in self-denying of- 
 fices for lost sinners, here emphasizes the thought that with 
 him for model and leader, knowledge and service must co- 
 exist, and will insure supreme happiness. 
 
 Divinely enlightened to know experimentally the riches 
 of being justified freely through the redemption that is in 
 him, so that Christ is formed in our hearts an example, a 
 hope, and a royal priest, our living faith will shine by use- 
 ful ministries. No Christian service can be mean service. 
 
 Christ-like works will make us Christ-like, as doers of his 
 word. Jesus' ministry in our new birth, and since in wash- 
 ing away our daily stains, fills us with glowing love. We 
 must exulting tell abroad such good news, and touch weary 
 burden-bearers with our sympathetic and uplifting brother- 
 hood. Such knowledge and service kindle on earth beacon- 
 fires that live beyond heaven's verge. We, not forgetful 
 hearers, but humble doers of Christ-like deeds, through 
 sovereign grace are forever happy in our Lord. 
 
 o^.^k^. 
 
 Now to our eyes display 
 
 The truth thy words reveal ; 
 Cause us to run the heavenly way, 
 
 Delighting in thy will. 
 
 Benjamin Beddome. 
 
December 15. 
 
 jfiWtti initf) tfje friiitg; of rifjljtrousncss iii|)idj arc bg 
 
 JcSllS Cljrist. — Phil. i. i i. 
 
 /am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I 
 in hi??i, the same bringeth forth tntich fruit : for ivithont me ye can do 
 nothing. — John xv. 5. 
 
 '^^HIS parable teaches the essential 07ieness of Christ and 
 _L his people. The inevitable result of that union is 
 fruit-bearing. It needs especially to be noted that Christ 
 is himself the whole vine — root, stock, and branches, — 
 just as in i Cor. xii. 12, the whole body of believers is 
 called "Christ." 
 
 The meaning is that in this vine, which is Christ, the 
 branches represent believers, who are "in him" and the 
 life of each branch is the life of the whole vine. The be- 
 liever is not to ask himself, " Am I a branch of the vine 1 " 
 but rather, " Have I the life of the vine in me ?" Nor is it a 
 question of my trying to produce fruit, which always ends in 
 failure, but of my " abiding in Christ, the vine." " The 
 branch cannot bear fruit of itself," — "without me ye can do 
 nothing." The branch simply brings forth what the vine 
 produces. 
 
 The fruitage is not so much outward services, which often 
 are merely the energy of the flesh, but rather those affec- 
 tions and graces called " the fruit of the Spirit." And the 
 blessed result will continually be "fruit," "more fruit," 
 " much fruit." 
 
 "And now, little children, abide in him, that when he 
 shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed 
 before him, at his coming." 
 
 Not in my self, O Lord, not mine the good ; 
 I cannot do the holy thing I would. 
 My strength, my hope, my life, are all in thee. 
 Thou hast abundance for thyself and nie ; 
 Not in myself I strive. 
 
December i6. 
 
 2rf)e tiratJ in €\)xiQt 0{)all rise fust. — i thess. iv. i6. 
 
 Our friend Lazarics sleepeth ; but I go, that I may awake hivi out 
 of sleep. — John xi. ii. 
 
 JESUS called Lazarus his friend, — blessed title, glorious 
 privilege, friend of Jesus ! Am I his friend ? He gives 
 us the test, — " Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I 
 command you." His command is, trust me, love me, serve 
 me. Do I obey this ? Then I am Jesus' friend, and what 
 is more, he is my friend. This friendship is a treasure 
 neither time nor chance, men nor devils, life nor death can 
 take away. Let us not imagine Christ is not our friend be- 
 cause we suffer. He allowed Lazarus to die, yet we are told 
 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Jesus' 
 friends now upon earth may all die, may all sleep; but he 
 has not forgotten them, one day he will say to the angels : 
 " My friends sleep, but I go to awake them." Then the 
 Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with the voice of 
 the archangel and with the trump of God. And the dead in 
 Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain 
 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet 
 the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 
 
 Asleep in Jesus ! Oh, for me 
 May such a blissful refuge be ! 
 Securely shall my ashes lie, 
 And wait the summons from on high. 
 
 Mks. Margaret Mackay. 
 
December t/. 
 
 raftcre K tecotti mg name 31 Id ill come unto tjee . . . 
 anti hkm tf)ce. — Ex. xx. 24. 
 
 If two of you shall agree on earth as touchiftg any thing that they 
 shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. 
 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am 
 I in the midst of them. — Matt, xviii. 19, 20. 
 
 CHRISTIANS are brethren. With a community of in- 
 terests, they have common needs and wants. Here is 
 our Lord's special promise to them when they meet together 
 to ask for what they in common desire. There are promises 
 to private prayer, to family prayer, to public prayer; this 
 promise is to the symphony of prayer. Giving the smallest 
 number that could form a union, Christ gives the largest 
 encouragement to united prayer. Very sweet is the assur- 
 ance of "his presence then ; that is enough. He is the She- 
 chinah in this Holy of Holies. It is he who binds the saints 
 together when they say " our." When he is one of a pray- 
 ing company, what wonder that " it shall be done for them ".? 
 As Westcott says, " Their prayer is only some form of his 
 teaching transformed into a supplication, and so it will neces- 
 sarily be heard." They ask i7i his name ; that pleads his 
 authority and his wisdom. Christ has omnipotence and 
 omniscience; we have neither. It were not to be desired, if 
 this large promise offered the first and not the second. Let 
 us therefore have faith, and " keep not silence till he estab- 
 lish Jerusalem." 
 
 Jl^^lkyi^ n^e^lcH^ 
 
 Oh, joy, that we, who pray for all, by all 
 
 Commended are to God in daily prayer ! 
 
 Yea, now, as in time past, and yet again 
 
 Through time to come, that church which shall not fall 
 
 From night to morn breathes forth upon the air 
 
 Meek intercession for the sons of men. sir Aubrey ue vere. 
 
December i8. 
 
 J^e spaitc, anti it inas tioue. — Psalm xxxiii. 9. 
 
 I will ; be thou clean. — Matt. viii. 3. 
 
 HERE is conscious power. The petition of the leper 
 had been in faith in the power, but in question as to 
 the willingness to exercise it in his particular case. The 
 answer reveals both power and willingness. '• I will ; " there 
 is simple majesty in the words. It is as if the Lord said, " I 
 have the power, and I will exercise it. Thy faith hath not 
 been reposed upon me in vain." 
 
 But, further, it is power for cleansing, — " Be thou clean." 
 How much that cleanness meant I No longer an outcast 
 shunned of men, but clean, — the defilement, the loathsome- 
 ness removed by that omnipotent word ! The poor leper 
 was reinstated in the privileges of his birthright. 
 
 The two essential things in soul-cleansing are thus brought 
 into view, — faith on the human side, power on the divine 
 side. "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean," — 
 this is the soul's cr)- in weakness, but in trust. The Lord's 
 answer, full of divine power, is sure to follow, " I will; be 
 thou clean." Oh, the blessedness to all eternity of a clean 
 soul ! 
 
 (D.CcJl 
 
 'C^a4^. 
 
 Up to the place of thine abode 
 
 I lift my waiting eye ; 
 To thee, O holy Lamb of God, 
 Whose blood for me so freely flowed, 
 
 I raise my ardent cry. 
 
 Thomas Hastings. 
 
December 19. 
 
 (©ut jjantis fjabe bantikti of tje TOor^ of Hit, 
 
 I John i. i. 
 
 Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands ; and reach hither 
 thy hand, and thrust it info my side : and be not faithless, but 
 believing. — JOHN xx. 27. 
 
 ON the evening after his resurrection Christ appeared to 
 his disciples. Thomas was absent. When the disci- 
 ples informed him of the visit of their risen Lord, he refused 
 to accept their testimony. Nothing but an ocular demon- 
 stration would satisfy him. He specified with great par- 
 ticularity of detail the only evidence that would remove his 
 incredulity. He continued in this state of unbelief for a 
 week. He did not abandon his faith in the Christ he had 
 known ; he simply claimed that so astounding an event as 
 the resurrection of the Lord should be made as plain to him 
 as it had been to the others with whom he was on an ofiicial 
 equality. He acted perhaps unconsciously, as if to have 
 "seen the Lord " was essential to the office and work of an 
 apostle. His devotion to Christ, his courage, his willingness 
 to suffer death (John xi. 16), show him to be of strong char- 
 acter. He still clung to the disciples, although their state- 
 ments were incredible to him. At the end of a week-, he 
 went with them to the place of meeting. He expected some- 
 thing or he would not have gone. He waited for the mani- 
 festation. According to his faith it was done unto him. 
 Christ graciously appeared and spoke in the words of the 
 text. Let us be cautious in our judgment. Every one must 
 see Christ for himself if he would show him to others. 
 
 / wtvvl- OWVYVV. 
 
 God with us ! oh, wondrous grace ! 
 Let us see him face to face, 
 That we may Immanuel sing, 
 As we ought, our Lord and^King. 
 
 Sarah Slinn. 
 
December 20. 
 
 2Cf)ou canst tio rijcru tljiurj. — Job xiii. 2. 
 
 ^r/M ?;z^;/ this is impossible; but laith God all things are possible. 
 Matt. xix. 26. 
 
 WE mortals are continually " troubled about many things." 
 Our responsibilities, perplexities, and crosses are so 
 many and so overwhelming that failure and loss seem inevi- 
 table, as we cry concerning life's problem, "With men this 
 is impossible." Yet back of the single, apparently meaning- 
 less stitches we are weaving into life's pattern, there is a plan, 
 simple, wise, divine. Near the w^eary worker stands one 
 ready to transmute the plain, coarse metal of human love and 
 toil into the shining gold of divine acceptance. By the bed- 
 side of the sufferer wasting under the power of disease is 
 one whose touch will soon release the imprisoned spirit 
 and soothe the aching flesh, and afterwards reunite body and 
 spirit in glorified manhood forever. Beside the dark open 
 grave, into which our hopes and affections often seem to be 
 hurrying, stands the Conqueror of death and the grave, ready 
 to brighten our pathway down into the valley, and to open 
 for us on the other side a glorious path up the heavenly 
 heights. 
 
 There is, there can be, no distress so great, no emergency 
 so sudden, no enemies so strong, as to defeat or mar the 
 plans of our strong One. While we listen to these words of 
 Jesus, "With God all things are possible," we may also hear 
 him saying, "All things are possible to him that believeth." 
 
 Lord, we pray, and know thou hearest, 
 
 For thy promises are true ! 
 Grant the heart-wish that is dearest ; 
 
 He who knows can also do ! 
 
 Symington. 
 
December 21. 
 
 3zm& CJjrist tfje same gcstertias, anli to tap, auti for 
 
 tiltX. — Heb. xiii. 8. 
 
 / am Alpha and Omega, the begiiining and the end, the first and 
 the last. — Rev. xxii. 13. 
 
 HOW sweet this announcement of his name must have 
 been to the aged and persecuted disciple in his lonely- 
 banishment ! Our Lord makes special revelations of himself 
 to his afflicted servants. This name tells of his unchanging 
 faithfulness and grace. The tones of the voice are readily 
 recognized by the disciple whom Jesus loved, and awaken 
 memories of the blessed fellowship of his early life. The 
 first courteous greeting, "Whom seek ye?" the' kindly invi- 
 tation, " Come and see ; " the first day spent in his company, 
 — these and many other events come back with great clear- 
 ness and force. 
 
 This name also indicates that his doctrines have not 
 changed. Our Lord is the Alpha and Omega of divine 
 revelation. He is the metropolis of the Scriptures, and all 
 the doctrines, as the king's highways, lead directly to the 
 city of our God. The doctrines are simply facts about 
 Christ in his covenant relations to his people. Election is 
 his love choosing us from eternity ; justification, his obedi- 
 ence and death providing righteousness for us ; adoption, 
 his grace putting us into the family of our Father; and the 
 perseverance of the saints, the fact that " having loved his 
 own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end." 
 O believer, he is all thy salvation ! Blessed are they that 
 trust in him ! 
 
 'Tis Jesus, the first and the last, 
 
 Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home; 
 
 We '11 praise him for all that is past, 
 And trust him for all that 's to come. 
 
 JOSEPH HART. 
 
December 22. 
 
 ^Tfjat no man put a stumblmsblodk ... in {jfs 
 tjr0t{)0r*Si iriag, — Romans xiv. 13. 
 
 Whoso shall receive otie such little child in my name receiveth me. 
 But ivhoso shall offend one of these little ones zvhich believe in me, it 
 were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and 
 that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. — Matt. xviii. 5, 6. 
 
 " TN my name." In these words you have once more that 
 
 1 solemn truth, so often taught in the Bible, that with 
 God, motive is of itifinite ?no7nent. 
 
 As in the day when Samuel looked on Eliab, comely and 
 tall, and confidently declared, '-Surely the Lord's anointed is 
 before him ! " and the Lord answered and said, " The Lord 
 seeth not as man seeth : for man looketh on the outward ap- 
 pearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart," even so to- 
 day the heart and its motives will before everything else 
 be remarked by God. The widow's two mites, the cup of 
 cold water, the receiving of one such little child in his name, 
 is a kindness done to himself. 
 
 My soul, seek for thyself the right motive, and thine shall 
 be the rich reward ! 
 
 " But whoso shall cause one of these little ones to stumble 
 and fall " shall surely and sorely be punished ! Awful 
 thought ! — my care is not only for my own soul, but also for 
 the souls of others. "No man liveth unto himself." I am 
 not only fearfully and wonderfully made, but also fearfully 
 placed. My acts, my words, my very looks affect others for 
 weal or woe ! See that thy walk be circumspect, so shalt 
 thou be free from the blood of all men ! 
 
 No act falls fruitless; none can tell 
 
 How vast its power may be, 
 Nor what results infolded dwell 
 
 Within it silently. 
 
 Ano.symous. 
 
December 2 
 
 Wiii\) jog sjall gc tirain toatcr out of tjjc tadls of 
 galtiation. — Isaiah xii. 3. 
 
 7/' ///c// knewest the gift of God, and -who it is that saith to thee, 
 Give me to drink ; thou xvouldest have asked of him, and he would 
 have given thee living water. — John iv. 10. 
 
 IF the puzzled woman had but known that the mysterious 
 stranger then talking with her was no mere Jew, but the 
 divine Creator of all the Hoods of waters, and the divine 
 Friend and Redeemer of the soul that is at the same time 
 sin-smitten and athirst for heavenly blessings, she would 
 have become a suppliant herself and would have sued for 
 that "gift of God'' which Christ, the gracious and omnipo- 
 tent Jehovah, had it in his power to bestow upon her. Nor 
 would he have denied her request, but would have conferred 
 upon her that true inward "fountain of living water" so 
 faintly symbolized by the freshly bubbling fountain-heads 
 and leaping streams of this earth. 
 
 *' Eternal Life." He who, as some think, pointed to 
 the rising sun when he exclaimed, " I am the light of the 
 world," stood amid the pillared galleries of Herod's temple 
 when the golden flagon was brought from the pool of Siloam 
 on the last day of the feast and poured on the altar, and 
 cried, " If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink." 
 
 t-^XZ^t^t^Q/i^ 
 
 We taste thee, O thou living Bread, 
 And long to feast upon thee still ; 
 
 "We drink of thee, the Fountain-head, 
 And thirst our souls from thee to fill. 
 
 Bernard of CLAIRVAUX (trans'.ated by Ray Palmer). 
 
December 24. 
 
 E\)e just 0f)aU liij£ bg f)i0 faitf). — Hab. ii. 4. 
 
 /y<r ///^/ believe th on him is not condemned : bid he that beliezeth 
 not is co7idemned already, because he hath not believed in the name 
 of the only begotten Son of God. — John iii. i8. 
 
 THE issues of the final judgment are anticipated and 
 virtually determined in this world. Character is the 
 key to destiny. Faith and salvation, unbelief and condem- 
 nation, are severally united in the eternal fitness of things. 
 
 The believer is not judged. He is passed from death unto 
 life. He has accepted the proffered remedy as the bitten 
 Lsraelites did when they looked on the serpent of brass. 
 
 Judgment is for those who believe not. Sin has wages ; 
 those who choose to abide in it and who reject the Saviour 
 pronounce sentence on themselves. Primarily, it is not 
 Christ who condemns them ; they have been judged al- 
 ready. The quality and measure of their guilt are shown 
 in this cumulative indictment: they believe not on Jesus, 
 the Son of God, the only begotten, who is most high in the 
 glory of God the Father, and besides whom there is no other 
 deliverer. 
 
 " How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation "i " 
 But if we accept it, if we humbly urge our tide to that 
 blessed estate for which there is no judgment, we can vin- 
 dicate our hope only by walking in the light and making 
 our deeds manifest that they are wrought in God. 
 
 Q/, J^^tSd^i^Pcr yQ.9^i.^J^ 
 
 Believe in him who died for thee, 
 
 And sure as he hath died, 
 Thy debt is paid, thy soul is free. 
 
 And thou art justified. 
 
 c. Wesley. 
 
December 25. 
 
 dTfje gift of (^oti 10 eternal life t!}roiigl) Resits CJriat 
 
 our 5Lartl. — Romans vi. 23. 
 
 God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
 ivhosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting 
 life. — John iii. 16. 
 
 THE grandest doctrine of the Word of God to my mind 
 is the doctrine of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. I 
 will contend for every letter of truth, but if I must give up 
 something, I will hold tenaciously to this: "Without shed- 
 ding of blood there is no remission of sin ; " " the blood 
 of fesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 
 
 As to this doctrine of sacrifice, — to put it plainly, this truth 
 of substitution, — Christ Jesus was made sin for us, though 
 he knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness 
 of God in him. When God the Holy Ghost led you to 
 receive this fact, did it not satisfy the intense craving of 
 your spirit? Did you ever know what perfect rest about 
 sin was till you saw it laid upon Christ, carried away by 
 Christ up to the tree, borne by him upon the tree, and there 
 made an end of by the shedding of his precious blood ? 
 
 Would anything short of that, do you think, content you 
 now.'' I am sure it would not. There is a thirst in the 
 human heart that nothing can ever satisfy, but " God so 
 loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
 whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have 
 everlasting life." 
 
 Oh, may we keep and ponder in our mind, 
 God's wondrous love in saving lost mankind ! 
 Trace we the Babe who hath retrieved our loss 
 From his poor manger to his bitter cross, 
 Treading his steps, assisted by his grace, 
 Till man's first heavenly state again takes place. 
 
 BYROM. 
 
DECExMBER 26. 
 
 JE count all tj^ings but logs for tje excellencg of tje 
 knotoletjjgc of CJn'st Jesus. — phil. iii. 8. 
 
 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking 
 goodly pearls : zvho, when he had found one pearl of great price, went 
 and sold all that he had, and boicght it. — Matt. xiii. 45, 46. 
 
 THIS* is a parable for believers; the man was "seeking 
 goodly pearls." But there are some converted people 
 who are not represented by this eager merchantman. They 
 are satisfied with the salvation which grace gives to penitent 
 faith. These have found a pearl in the possession of a hope; 
 but they have not found the pearl of great price, — they do not 
 know Jesus as a personal friend. The knowledge that I am 
 saved is the lowest round on the ladder of Christian attain- 
 ment ; there is a richer knowledge than this. It is the 
 knowledge of Christ, who is the truth. 
 
 This knowledge has two conditions. One is intense eager- 
 ness, " I press toward the mark." Christ does not reveal the 
 riches of his grace to him who is not longing and praying for 
 clearer light. The other condition is sacrifice, — " He sold all 
 that he had and bought it." When we have caught a glimpse 
 of his preciousness, we count all things but loss to " know 
 him and the power of his resurrection." They are the true 
 "higher life" disciples who can say, " I live, yet not I, but 
 Christ liveth in me." 
 
 I bless the Christ of God, 
 
 I rest in love divine, 
 And with unfaltering lip and heart 
 
 I call this Saviour mine. 
 
 H. BONAR. 
 
December 27. 
 
 p^appg are tfjese tfjg serbants . . . tjjat fj^ar tfjg ij3i0tJ0m. 
 
 I Kings x. 8. 
 
 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men 
 of this generation, and condemn them : for she came from the utmost 
 parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and, behold, a 
 greater than Solomon is here. — LuKE xi. 31. 
 
 CHRIST'S are never careless words ; we do right to take 
 out all they contain. 
 
 " The queen of the south." Then that romantic story of 
 I Kings X., and again of 2 Chron. ix. is true. This queen 
 of Sheba did live when Solomon lived. In her remote land 
 she did hear how great and wise he was, and with camel- 
 loads of spices, gold, and jewels, did journey to ask him 
 hard questions, and acknowledge him greater and grander 
 than her thought. How Christ's touch livens up such old 
 pictures ! 
 
 " A greater than Solomon." Not in rank, gold, power, but 
 in divine nature and perfect character. He says it who alone 
 has right to say it. 
 
 " Rise up in the judgment." Then there will be a judgment, 
 and destinies be weighed, and spiritual comparisons settled. 
 She will be there. Christ's generation of a thousand years 
 later will be there. We shall be there. 
 
 " Shall condemn them." With httle light, she came far to 
 get more. Those to whom Christ spake faced brighter 
 light, but saw it with shut eyes. We have more and bet- 
 ter than all they ; God grant we may so see by it that the 
 rule which convicted them condemn not us! 
 
 Father, in us thy Son reveal ; 
 Teach us to know and do thy will; 
 Thy saving power and love display, 
 And guide us to the realms of day ! 
 
 John Fawcf.tt. 
 
December 28. 
 
 l^ragmg aliuags taii\) all praucr, . . . anti toatdjing 
 tljemmt0. — Ei"h. vi. 18. 
 
 Waic/i and pray, that ye enter not into temptation : the spirit indeed 
 is willing, but the flesh is tveak. — Matt. xxvi. 41. 
 
 'T"*HE disciples were under trial in Gethsemane. They 
 X had entered the garden, doubtless, with deep concern 
 for the Master, but the simplest temptation speedily overcame 
 them. Bidden to watch with their Lord, they slept. Any 
 other form of danger might have been more easily predicted. 
 Had they been cautioned they would have answered in Jesus' 
 own words, " What ! can we not watch with thee one hour ? " 
 But now they have no excuse to offer till divine love reveals 
 the source of weakness and its remedy. What ample empha- 
 sis for the admonition to the habit of watchfulness with 
 prayer ! 
 
 Drowsiness is the easy path to disloyalty. The disciple 
 must watch himself if he would be fitted to watch with Christ. 
 He may have been waiting to become involved in some large 
 undertaking, and yet find himself asleep before some very 
 humble duty. David prayed to be upheld with a willing 
 spirit; but the most willing spirit has a heavy drag upon it 
 in the weakness of the flesh. Our petitions too depend upon 
 our watchfulness. The wary eye, that is keenest to discern 
 its special dangers, is always the eye most readily, intelli- 
 gently, and prevailingly turned " to the hills whence cometh 
 strength." 
 
 O gracious God, in whom I live, 
 
 My feeble efforts aid ! 
 Help me to watch and pray and strive, 
 
 Though trembling and afraid ! 
 
 WNE STEELE. 
 
December 29. 
 
 Eljz pr0mt0e i& unto gou, anti to gout rfjtltiren. 
 
 Acts ii. 39. 
 
 Suffer little children, and forbid theni not, to come tinto me : for of 
 such is the kingdom of heaven. — Matt. xix. 14. 
 
 THE children were brought for the symboHc touch of 
 Jesus' hands, for the gracious power of Jesus' prayer; 
 and even the disciples rebuked them, perhaps because they 
 deemed the children an untimely intrusion, too young for 
 consideration. Not so. "But Jesus said" — the immortal 
 words which ideally lift the children of every age into his 
 arms. Those who know Jesus better than these disciples did, 
 those who have themselves become as httle children in their 
 trust, love, hopefulness, and that wonder which may be touched 
 into worship, both recognize their children's need of being 
 brought, and instinctively desire to bring them unto him. 
 They are burdened with the fact that the child's nature is 
 liable to the touch of Satan and of sin, whose touch is death, 
 and they long for the laying on of those hands tliat bless be- 
 cause they are accompanied by the prayer which is pro- 
 phetic of salvation. Christian parent, let not your ambition 
 for the child's worldly welfare, your sinful failure to know 
 Jesus in the fulness of his grace, hinder your child from 
 coming, or yourself from bringing him to Jesus. Your chil- 
 dren may die. Hear then the words, " Suffer little children 
 and forbid them not, to come unto me : for of such is the 
 kingdom of heaven." 
 
 " Let them approach," he cries, 
 
 " Nor scorn their humble claim ; 
 The heirs of heaven are such as these, 
 
 For such as these I came." 
 
 Onderdonk. 
 
December 30. 
 
 Cjjat tjjcg ht tie!) in gooti toorks. — i Tim. vi. 18. 
 
 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, lu/iere moth and 
 rust doth corrupt, and zuhere thieves break through and steal : but lay 
 up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust 
 doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break throjigh nor steal: for 
 ivhere your treasure is, there will your heart be also. — Mai'T. 
 vi. 19-21. 
 
 HUMANITY'S road to endurino- wealth is here indicated 
 by the One who, thou,i;:h he was rich, became poor that 
 we through his poverty might be rich. The same le.sson 
 opens his mouth in the parables of the rich fool, the unjust 
 steward, and the rich worldling. This passage is the moral 
 with which he points the choice of the young ruler. 
 
 The kernel of this statement lies in the significance of the 
 word heart. " For where your treasure is, there will your 
 heart be also." The rich fool's earth-sphered heart stamped 
 him as "one who layeth up treasure for himself and is not 
 rich toward God." The unjust steward's worldly prudence 
 should make us wise enough to bring the mammon of unright- 
 eousness under the heart control of an heir to the '' everlasting 
 habitations." The rich worldling's heart dissection takes 
 place when Abraham says, " Son, remember that thou in thy 
 lifetime receivedst \\\y good things." The young ruler's hea7't 
 sorrow is revealed as the loving Saviour declares, '' How 
 hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of 
 God!" 
 
 " Never treat money affairs with levity," says one of earth's 
 noted writers ; " money is character." Let us weigh the treas- 
 ures of earth in the balance of the Sermon on the Mount. 
 
 Their works of piety and love, 
 
 Performed through Christ, their Lord, 
 
 Forever registered above, 
 Shall meet a sure reward. 
 
 Harriet Auber. 
 
December 31. 
 
 5£ijm 60, come, ILorti Jesus. — Rev. xxii. 20. 
 
 Behold, I come quickly. — Rev. iii. 1 1. 
 
 QUICKLY." The little church at Jerusalem fixed her 
 ^^^ eye upon that " blessed hope," the visible appearing of 
 herTord.' It was a reality present to her heart, projected full 
 on the vision of her faith. Ever since, she has journeyed on 
 as one journeys toward a high mountain, the way being long, 
 rough, and sometimes weary. At times the end seemed 
 farther off than at the beginning, but at last the stretch is 
 well-nigh complete, and she lifts up her head and rejoices in 
 the Lord. 
 
 The sun of the gospel is to-day penetrating to the heart of 
 old continents in the East. Its light has come to the very 
 western edge of this most western land, having encircled the 
 whole earth. 
 
 In arts men are now working with the subtlest forces, like 
 electricity. In science they are studying the origin of life. 
 Everywhere the human mind is busying itself with the last 
 analysis of things. All things are pushing themselves to ex- 
 tremes. Good men seem to be growing better and bad men 
 growing worse. Missions, charities, love, longings for unity 
 and a godly fear, anarchy, greed, blasphemy, hate ! The tares 
 and the wheat manifestly " grow together." As the Lord said : 
 " The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it 
 shall speak, and not lie. Though it tarry, wait for it; be- 
 cause it will surely come, it will not tarry." 
 
 Five ! and the tapers now 
 
 In rosy morning dimly burn ! 
 Stand, and be girded thou ; 
 
 Thy Lord will yet return. 
 Hark! 't is the matin-call ; 
 
 Oh, when our Lord shall come again, 
 At prime or even-fall, 
 
 Blest are the wakeful men ! 
 
 ARTHUR CLEVELAND COXE. 
 
INDEX OF AUTHORS, 
 
 WITH PLACE OF SETTLEMENT, ETC. 
 
 Sfanuarp. 
 
 1. Rev. W. M. Taylor, D.D Broadway Tabernacle Congregational 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 2. Rev. T. W, Cha.mbers, D.D. . . . Collegiate Reformed Dutch Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 3. Rev. T. De Witt Talmage, D.D. Brooklyn Tabernacle Presbyterian 
 
 Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 4. Rev. A. H. Bradford, D.D. . . . Congregational Church, Montclair, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 5. Rev. Howard Crosby, D.D. ... Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 6. Rev. H. M. King, D.D Emanuel Baptist Church, Albany, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 7. Rev. William Aikman, D.D. . . Presbyterian Church, Atlantic City, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 8. Rev. H. S. Burrage, D.D Baptist Church, Portland, Me. 
 
 9. Rev. Wendell Prime, D.D. . . . Editor New York " Observer." 
 
 10. Rev. W. F. Bainbridge, D.D. . . Baptist Minister; Superintendent City 
 
 Missions, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 11. Rev. George Macloskie, D.D. . Professor of Biology and Botany, 
 
 Princeton College, N. J. 
 
 12. Rev. R. T. Jeffrey, D.D Caledonia Road United Presbyterian 
 
 Church, Glasgow, Scotland. 
 
 13. Rev. B. B. Warfield, D.D. ... Professor Didactic and Polemic Tlieo- 
 
 logy, Piinceton Seminary, N. J. 
 
 14. Rev. E. Walpole Warren .... Holy Trinity Protestant - Episcopal 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 15. Rev. M. MlG. Dana, D. D Kirk Street Congregational Church, 
 
 Lowell, Mass. 
 
368 Index of Authors. 
 
 i6. Rev. Henry Van Dyke, D.D. . . Brick Presbyterian Church, New York. 
 
 17. Rev. C. F. Thwing, D.D Plymouth Congregational Churcli, 
 
 Minneapolis, Minn., Associate 
 Editor of the " Advance," Chicago. 
 
 18. Rev. W. T. Sabine, D.D f^irst Reformed Episcopal Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 19. Rev. M. H. HuTTON, D.D Second Reformed Church, New Bruns- 
 
 wick, N. J. 
 
 20. Rev. George S. Mott, D.D. . . . Presbyterian Church, Fleniington, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 21. Rev. Z. Grenell, D.D First Baptist Church, Detroit, Mich, 
 
 22. Rev. A. B. Mackay Crescent Street Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Montreal, Canada. 
 
 23. Rev. J. S. Bright, D D Congregational Minister, Dorking, 
 
 England. 
 
 24. Rev. Hubert W. Brown Presbyterian Missionary, City of Mexi- 
 
 co, Mexico. 
 
 25. Rev. C F. Hoffman, D.D Protestant - Episcopal Church of All 
 
 Angels, New York. 
 
 26. Rev. A. H. Moment, D.D Westminster Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 27. Rev. John E. Todd, D.D Congregational Church of the Re- 
 
 deemer, New Haven, Conn. 
 
 28. Rev. W. F. Crafts First Union Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 29. Rev. Mark Staple Methodist-Episcopal Church, formerly 
 
 in the Methodist (now Methodist 
 Protestant) Church, and at one 
 time President of the New York 
 Conference. 
 
 30. Rev. S. W. Boardman, D D. ... Presbyterian Church, Stanhope, N. J. 
 
 31. Rt. Rev. C. C. Penick, D.D. . . . Protestant - Episcopal Missionary 
 
 Bishop, residing at Louisville, Ky. 
 
 jFebniarp. 
 
 1. Rev. Canon C. D. Bell, D D. ... St. Mary's Church, Cheltenham, Eng- 
 
 land. 
 
 2. Rev. John H. Shedd, D.D Presbyterian Missionary, Oroomiah, 
 
 Persia. 
 
Index of Authors. 369 
 
 3. Rev. Arthur Brooks, D.D. . . . Protestant - Episcopal Cluirch of the 
 
 Incarnation, New York. 
 
 4. Rev. Giles H. Mandeville, D.D. Secretary Board of Education, Re- 
 
 formed Ciiurcli in America. 
 
 5. Rev. T. T. Eaton, D.D Walnut Street Baptist Church, Louis- 
 
 ville, Ky. 
 
 6. Rev. George Douglas, D.D. ... President Methodist College, Mon- 
 
 treal, Canada. 
 
 7. Rev. S. H. Kellogg, D.D St. James Square Presbyterian 
 
 Church, Toronto, Canada. 
 
 8. Rev. H. A. Sti.mson, D.D Pilgrim Congregational Church, St. 
 
 Louis, Mo. 
 
 9. Rev. BuRDETT Hart, D.D First Fairhaven Congregational 
 
 Church, New Haven, Conn. 
 
 10. Rev. Tho.mas A. HovT, D.D. . . . Chambers Presbyterian Church, Phila- 
 
 delphia, Pa. 
 
 11. Rev. D. D. De.marest, D.D. . . . Professor of Pastoral Theology and 
 
 Sacred Rhetoric, Reformed Church 
 Seminary, New Brunswick, N. J. 
 
 12. Rev. F. BoTTOME, D.D Asbury Methodist-Episcopal Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 13. Rev. J. E. Twitchell, D.D. . . . Dwight Place Congregational Church, 
 
 New Haven, Conn. 
 
 14. Rev. George P. Hays, D.D Second Presbyterian Church, Kansas 
 
 City, Mo. 
 
 15. Rev. Alexander McKenzie, D.D. Shepard Memorial Congregational 
 
 Church, Cambridge, Mass. 
 
 16. Rev. R. R. Booth, D.D Rutgers Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 17. Rev. W. \V. Clark Reformed Church in America, now 
 
 laboring as an evangelist. 
 
 18. Rev. Peter Stryker, D.D Andrew Presbyterian Church, Minne 
 
 apolis, Minn. 
 
 19. Rev. A. J. Rowland, D.D Franklin Square Baptist Church, Bal 
 
 timore, Md. 
 
 20. Rev. E. N. Potter, D.D President Hobart College, Geneva 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 21. Rev. G. C. Baldwin, D.D Formerly Pastor First Baptist Church 
 
 Troy, N. Y. 
 
 22. Rev. T. B. M'Leod, D.D Clinton Ave. Congregational Church 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 23. Rev. John HowLAND Congregational Missionary at Guadala^ 
 
 jara, Mexico. 
 
 24. Rev. Adolph Saphir Presbyterian Minister, London, Eng 
 
370 Index of Authors. 
 
 25. Rev. Daniel Bliss, D.D President Syrian Protestant College, 
 
 Beirut, Syria. 
 
 26. Rev. S. H. Virgin, D.D Pilgrim Congregational Church, Har- 
 
 lem, N. Y. 
 
 27. Rev. JosiAH Tyler Congregational Missionary Umsun- 
 
 diizi, Verulam, South Africa. 
 
 28. Rev. H. M. Sanders Baptist Minister, recently Pastor of 
 
 Forty - Second Street Baptist 
 Church, New York. 
 
 29. Rev. R. M. Offord Minister in the Reformed Church in 
 
 America, and one of the editors of 
 the New York " Observer." 
 
 Jlarc^. 
 
 1. Rt. Rev. T. M. Clark, D.D. .. . Protestant-Episcopal Bishop of Rhode 
 
 Island. 
 
 2. Rev. H. M. Ladd, D.D Euclid Avenue Congregational Church, 
 
 Cleveland, O. 
 
 3. Rev. E. P. Ingersoll Congregational Church of the Puri- 
 
 tans, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 4. Rev. T. L. Cuvler, D.D Lafayette Ave. Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 5. Rev. John Newton, D.D Presbyterian Missionary, Lahore, 
 
 India. 
 
 6. Rev. D. R. Fr.\zer, D.D. ..... First Presbyterian Church, Newark, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 7. Rev. MvRON Adams, D.D Plymouth Congregational Church, 
 
 Rochester, N Y. 
 
 8. Rev. Robert F. Sample, D.D. . . Twenty-Third Street Presbyterian 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 9. Rev. Wayland Hoyt, D.D. . . . Memorial Baptist Church, Philadel- 
 
 phia, Pa. 
 
 10. Rev. C. F. Deems, D.D Church of the Strangers, New York. 
 
 11. Rev. N. W. CoNKLiNG, D.D. . . . Minister in the Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 12. Rev. J. L. Amerman, D.D Missionary of the Reformed Church in 
 
 America, Professor in Theological 
 School, Tokio, Japan. 
 
 13. Rev. W. R. Huntington, D.D. . Grace Protestant-Episcopal Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 14. Rev. D.avid Gregg, D.D Park Street Congregational Church, 
 
 Bo.ston, Mass. 
 
Index of Authors. 37: 
 
 15. Rev. E. Trumbull Lee First Presbyterian Church, Pueblo, 
 
 Col. 
 
 16. Rev. J. B. Remensnyder St. James Lutheran Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 17 Rev, \V. G. Blaikie, D.D Professor Free Church College, Edin- 
 burgh, Scotland 
 
 i8. Rev. 1. E. Dwinell, D.D Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral 
 
 Theology, Pacific Theological Sem- 
 inary, Oakland, Cal. 
 
 19. Rev. A. T. PiERSON, D.D Bethany Presbyterian Church, Phila- 
 
 delphia, Pa. 
 
 20. Rev. Rudolf Koenig Free Church of Scotland, Budapest, 
 
 Hungary. 
 
 21. Rev. G. R. Leavitt, D.D Plymouth Congregational Church, 
 
 Cleveland, O 
 
 22. Rev. J. E. CooKMAN, D.D Twenty- Fourth Street Methodist-Epis- 
 
 copal Church, New York. 
 
 23. Rev. C. H. Parkhurst, D.D. . . . Madison Square Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York 
 
 24. Rev. Stephen Yerkes, D.D. . . . Professor of Biblical Literature, Exe- 
 
 getical Theology, &c., Danville 
 Theological Seminary, Danville, 
 Ky. 
 
 25. Rev. Robert Watts, D.D Professor Belfast College, Belfast, Ire- 
 
 land. 
 
 26. Rev. H. M. MacCracken, D.D. . Presbyterian Church, and Vice Chan- 
 
 cellor of the University of New 
 York. 
 
 27. Rev. H. M. Parsons, D.D Knox Presbyterian Church, Toronto, 
 
 Canada. 
 
 28. Rev. Cornelius Brett Reformed Church, Bergen, N. J. 
 
 29. Rev. George Burrowes Professor Greek and Hebrew Exege- 
 
 sis, San Francisco Theological Sem- 
 inary, San Francisco, Cal. 
 
 30. Rev. W. P. Breed, D.D Emeritus, West Spruce Street Presby- 
 
 terian Church, Philadelphia, and 
 President of the Board of Publica- 
 tion and Sabbath-School Work. 
 
 31. Rev. Goyn Talm.\ge, D.D Reformed Church in America, now 
 
 honorably retired. 
 
372 Index of Authors. 
 
 9lpriU 
 
 1. Rev. Byron Sunderland, D.D. . First Presbyterian Church, Washing- 
 
 ton, D. C, 
 
 2. Rev. John H. Denison, D.D. ... Williams College Church, WilHains- 
 
 tovvn, Mass. 
 
 3. Rev. Edward L. Stoddard, Ph.D. St. John's Protestant- Episcopal 
 
 Church, Jersey City Heights, 
 N. J. 
 
 4. Rev. J. G. VosE, D.D Beneficent Congregational Church, 
 
 Providence, R. I. 
 
 5. Rev. William Harvey United Presbyterian Missionary, Cairo, 
 
 Egypt. 
 
 6. Rev. Elias RiGGs, D.D Presbyterian Missionary at Constanti- 
 
 nople, Turkey. 
 
 7. Rev. J. M. Allis Presbyterian Missionary, Santiago, 
 
 Chili, S. A. 
 
 8. Rev. David Cole, D.D Reformed Church, Yonkers, N. Y. 
 
 9. Rev. R. R. Meredith, D.D. . . . Tompkins Avenue Congregational 
 
 Church, Brooklyn, N. Y- 
 
 10. Rev. Alexander Miller St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Sydney, New South Wales. 
 
 11. Rev. W. H. Clark Second Reformed Church, Philadel- 
 
 phia, Pa. 
 
 12. Rev. Alexander Grant Baptist Book Rooms, Toronto, 
 
 Canada. 
 
 13. Rev. G. D. BoARDMAN, D.D. . . . First Baptist Church, Philadelphia, 
 
 Pa. 
 
 14. Rev. W. V. Kellev Bedford Avenue Methodist-Episcopal 
 
 Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 15. Rev. J. M. WoRRALL, D.D Thirteenth Street Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 16. Rev. G. S. Bishop Reformed Church, Orange, N. J. 
 
 17. Rev. J. A. Hodge, D.D Presbyterian Church, Hartford, Conn. 
 
 18. Rev. F. B. Meyer Regents Park Baptist Church, Lon- 
 
 don, England. 
 
 19. Rev. L. F. Stearns, D.D Professor Systematic Theology, Ban- 
 
 gor Theological Seminary, Bangor, 
 Me. 
 
 20. Rev. O. J. Hardin Presbyterian Missionary, lately at 
 
 Tripoli, Syria. 
 
Index of Authors. 373 
 
 21. Rev. A. p. Happer, D.D President of the Presbyterian College, 
 
 Canton, Cliina. 
 
 22. Rev. K. M. Fenwick Zion Congregational Church, and 
 
 formerly Professor Congregational 
 College, Montreal, Canada. 
 
 23. Rev. S. B. RossiTER, D.D North Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 24. Rev. Robert Shindler Baptist Minister, Addlestone, Surrey, 
 
 England. 
 
 25. Rev. Joel Swtartz, D.D Lutheran Church, Gettysburg, Pa. 
 
 26. Rev. C. C. Tiffany, D.D Zion Protestant-Episcopal Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 27. Rt. Rev. S. D. Ferguson, D.D. . . American Protestant-Episcopal Mis- 
 
 sionary Bishop, of Cape Palmas, 
 Liberia, West Africa. 
 
 28. Rev. J. E. Rankin, D.D Congregational Church, Orange Val- 
 
 ley, N. J. 
 
 29. Rev. H. H. Jessup, D.D Presbyterian Missionary, Beirut, 
 
 Syria. 
 
 30. Rev. F. N. Zabriskie, D.D. . . . Reformed Church in America, at one 
 
 time Associate Editor of the " Chris- 
 tian Intelligencer," resides at 
 Princeton, New Jersey. 
 
 iltap. 
 
 1. Rev. T. S. Hastings, D.D President, and Professor of Sacred 
 
 Rhetoric, Union Theological Semi- 
 nary, New York. 
 
 2. Rev. E. A. Reed Second Congregational Church, Hol- 
 
 yoke, Mass. 
 
 3. Rev. W. N, Chambers Congregational Missionary at Erz- 
 
 room, Persia. 
 
 4. Rev. J. J. Bullock, D.D Southern Presbyterian Minister, Wash- 
 
 ington, D. C. 
 
 5. Rev. A. J. Gordon, D.D Clarendon Avenue Baptist Church, 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 6. Rev. J. H. Barrows, D.D First Church, Chicago, III 
 
 7. Rev. Thomas Da vies, D.D The College Haverfordwest, Wales. 
 
 8. Rev. G. D. Armstrong, D.D. . . . First Presbyterian Church, Norfolk, 
 
 Va. 
 
374 Index of Authors. 
 
 9. Rev. C. A. Stoddard, D.D. . . . Editor New York " Observer." 
 
 10. Rev. J. V. N. Talmage, D.D. . . Missionary of the Reformed Church, 
 
 America, at Amorj', Cliina. 
 
 11. Rev. J. M. King, D.D Park Avenue Methodist-Episcopal 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 12. Rev. Adolph Spaeth, D.D Lutheran Pastor Philadelphia, Pa., 
 
 and Associate Editor " Lutheran 
 Church Review." 
 
 13. Rev. P. D. Van Cleef, D.D. . . . Wayne Street Reformed Church, Jer- 
 
 sey City, N. J., and Stated Clerk of 
 General Synod. 
 
 14. Rev. Smith Baker, D.D First Congregational Church, Lowell, 
 
 Mass. 
 
 15. Rev. J. F. RiGGs Reformed Church, Bergen Point, N. J. 
 
 16 Rev. C. C. Clever German Reformed Church, Baltimore, 
 
 Md. 
 
 17. Rev. D. C Marquis Professor New Testament Literature 
 
 and Exegesis, McCormick Theolog- 
 ical Seminary, Chicago. 
 
 i8. Rev. Jacob Fry, D.D Lutheran Pastor, Reading, Pa. 
 
 19. Rev. F. J. Newton Presbyterian Missionary, Ferozepur, 
 
 India. 
 
 20. Rev. J. G. Lansing, D.D Professorof Old Testament Languages 
 
 and Exegesis, in the Reformed 
 Church. 
 
 21. Rev. E. B. CoE, D.D Reformed Collegiate Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 22. Rev. W. M. Paxton, D.D Professor of Ecclesiastical, Homileti- 
 
 cal, and Pastoral Theology, Prince- 
 ton Seminary, New Jersey. 
 
 23. Rev. S. M. Hamilton, D.D. ... Scotch Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 24. Rev. Merrett Hulburd, D.D. . Trinity Methodist-Episcopal Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 25. Rev. G. R. Brackett, D.D. . . . Second Presbyterian Church, Charles- 
 
 ton, S. C 
 
 26. Rev, W. J. R. Taylor, D.D. . . . Clinton Avenue Reformed Church, 
 
 Newark, N. J. 
 
 27. Rev. E. O. Guerrant, D.D. ... Presbyterian Church, Troy, Ky. 
 
 28. Rev. G. A. Tewksbury, D.D. . . . Pilgrim Congregational Church, Cam- 
 
 bridgeport, Mass. 
 
 29. Rev. A. J. Browx, D.D Lutheran Pastor, Blountville, Tenn. 
 
Index of Authors. 375 
 
 30. Rev. W. W. Newton, D.D Protestant-Episcopal Church, Pitts- 
 
 field, Mass. 
 
 31. Rev. W. E. Locke Congregational Missionary, Philipopo- 
 
 lis, Bulgaria. 
 
 June* 
 
 1. Rt. Rev. E. G. Ingham Bishop of Sierra Leone, Africa (Estab- 
 
 lished Church of England). 
 
 2. Rev. A. H. Plumb, D.D Walnut Ave. Congregational Church, 
 
 Boston, Mass. 
 
 3. Rev. E. P. Terhune, D.D Williamsburgh Reformed Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 4. Rev. J. B. Stkatton, D.D Presbyterian Church, Natchez, Miss. 
 
 5. Rev. S. M. Hopkins, D.D Professor of Ecclesiastical History and 
 
 Church Polity, Theological Semi- 
 nary, Auburn, N. Y. 
 
 6. Rev. J. H. EcoB, D.D Second Presbyterian Church, Albany, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 7. Rev. Harvey Glass, D.D Presbyterian Minister, Danville, Ky. 
 
 8. Rev. H. M. Baird, D.D Professor of the Greek Language and 
 
 Literature, University of New York. 
 
 9. Rev. J. T. Smith, D.D Central Presbyterian Church, Balti- 
 
 more, Md. 
 
 10. Rev. J. H. A. Bomberger, D.D. . Professor Ursinus College and Semi- 
 
 nary of German Reformed Church, 
 Collegeville, Pa. 
 
 11. Rev. A. W. PiTZEK, D.D Central Presbyterian Church, Wash- 
 
 ington, D. C. 
 
 12. Rev. W. J. Harsha First Presbyterian Church, Omaha, 
 
 Neb. 
 
 13. Rev. G. N. Boardman, D.D. . . . Professor Systematic Theology, Chi- 
 
 cago, 111. 
 
 14. Rev. J. W. Neil, D.D Presbyterian Church, San Antonio, 
 
 Texas. 
 
 15. Rev. J. M. P. Otts, D.D Presbyterian Church, Talladega, Ala. 
 
 16. Rev. B. C. Henry Presbyterian Missionary, Canton, 
 
 China. 
 
 17. Rev. Michael Burnham, D.D. . . First Congregational Church, Spring- 
 
 field, Mass. 
 
376 Index of Authors. 
 
 i8. Rev. Frederick Merrick Methodist-Episcopal Church, Dela- 
 ware, O. 
 
 19. Rev. J. M. Ludlow, D.D Presbyterian Church, East Orange, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 20. Rev. J. W. LuPTO.v, D.D Presbyterian Church, Clarksville, 
 
 Tenn. 
 
 21. Rev. G. C. NovEs, D.D Presbyterian Church, Evanston, 111. 
 
 22. Rev. F. D. Power, D.D Church of the Disciples, Washing- 
 
 ton, D. C. 
 
 23. Rev. S. M. Woodbridge, D.D. . . Professor of Ecclesiastical History and 
 
 Government in the Reformed 
 Church Seminary, New Brunswick, 
 N.J. 
 
 24. Rev. S. J. NiccoLLS, D.D Second Presbyterian Church, St. 
 
 Louis, Mo. 
 
 25. Rev. W. N. McVickar, D.D. ... Holy Trinity Protestant-Episcopal 
 
 Church, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 26. Rev. L. S. Handlev, D.D First Presbyterian Church, Birming- 
 
 ham, Ala. 
 
 27. Rev. B. K. Pierce, D.D Methodist- Episcopal Church, New- 
 
 ton, Mass., formerly Editor " Zion's 
 Herald," Boston, Mass. 
 
 28. Rev. C. CuTHBERT Hall First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 29. Rev. JosiAH Strong, D.D Secretary Evangelical Alliance, New 
 
 York. 
 
 30. Rev. R. P. Kerr, D.D First Presbvterian Church, Richmond, 
 
 Va. 
 
 ftllp. 
 
 1. Rev. John Hall, D.D Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, 
 
 and Chancellor of the University of 
 New York. 
 
 2. Rev. T. H. Capp Church of Disciples, St. John, New 
 
 Brunswick. 
 
 3. Rev. R. M. So.MMERViLLE .... Second Reformed Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 4. Rev. Robert Moffett Church of Disciples, Cleveland, O. 
 
 5. Rev. H. M. Booth, D.D Presbyterian Church, Englewood, 
 
 N.J. 
 6 Rev. D.win TsuMBULL, D.D. . . . Editor, Valparaiso, Chili. 
 
Index of Authors. 377 
 
 7. Rev. F. W. E. Peschau, D.D. . . Lutheran Church, Wilmington, N. C. 
 
 8. Rev. M. B. Riudle, D.D Professor New Testament Literature 
 
 and Exegesis, Western Theological 
 Seminary, Allegheny, Pa. 
 
 9. Rev. T. N. Hasselquist, D.D. . . Lutheran Church, Rock Island, 111. 
 
 10. Rev. J. R. Wilson, D.D Professor South-Westem University, 
 
 Stated Clerk Southern Presbyte- 
 rian General Assembly, Clarksville, 
 Tenn. 
 
 11. Rt. Rev. W. R. Nicholson, D.D. Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal 
 
 Church, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 12. Rev. S. D. Alexander, D.D. . . . Phillips Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York, and Stated Clerk Presbytery 
 of New York. 
 
 13. Rev. R. S. MacArthur, D.D. . . Calvary Baptist Church, New York. 
 
 14. Rev. Henry Blodget, D.D. . . . Congregational Missionary, Pekin, 
 
 China. 
 
 15. Rev. W. V. V. Mabon, D.D. . . . Professor of Systematic Theology 
 
 Reformed Church Seminary, New 
 Brunswick, N. J. 
 
 16. Rev. D. E. Klopp Trinity German Reformed Church, 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 17. Rev. J. H. M Knox, D.D President Lafayette College, Easton, 
 
 Pa. 
 
 18. Rev. B. B. Tyler, D.D Church of the Disciples, New York. 
 
 19. Rev. M. D. HoGE, D.D Second Presbyterian Church, Rich- 
 
 mond, Va. 
 
 20. Rev. J. S. KiEFFER, D.D German Reformed Church, Hagars- 
 
 town, Md. 
 
 21. Rev. B. Bausman, D.D. ..... German Reformed Church, Reading, 
 
 Pa. 
 
 22. Rev. Andrew A. Bonar, D.D. . . Free Church, Glasgow, Scotland. 
 
 23. Rev. W. F. V. Bartlett, D.D. . First Presbyterian Church. Lexington, 
 
 Ky. 
 
 2 }. Rev. J. L. Nevius, D-D Presbyterian Missionary, Chefoo, 
 
 China. 
 
 25. Rev. J. I. Good D.D German Reformed Church, Philadel- 
 
 phia, Pa. 
 
 26. Rev. J. F. Elder, D.I) Baptist Church of the Epiphany, New 
 
 York. 
 
378 ' Index of Authors. 
 
 27. Rev. Donald Crawford Church of the Disciples, New Glas- 
 
 gow, P. E. Island, Canada. 
 
 28. Rev. David Van Horne, D.D. . . German Reformed Church, Tiffin, O. 
 
 29. Rev. Andrew Longacre, D.D. . . Methodist-Episcopal Church, Balti- 
 
 more, Md. 
 
 30. Rev. J. C K. MiLLiGAN First Reformed Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 31. Rev. George Washburn, D.D. . President Robert College, Constanti- 
 
 nople, Turkey. 
 
 1. Rev. H. G. Underwood Presbyterian Missionary, Seoul, Corea. 
 
 2. Rev. S. H. Greene, D.D Calvary Baptist Church, Washington, 
 
 D. C. 
 
 3. Rev. F. W. Conrad, D.D Editor "Lutheran Observer," Phila- 
 
 delphia, Pa. 
 
 4. Rev. W. Ormiston, D.D Minister in the Reformed Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 5. Rev. W. Adams, D.D First Presbyterian Church, Augusta, 
 
 Ga. 
 
 6. Rev. F. H. Marling Emmanuel Congregational Church, 
 
 Montreal, Canada. 
 
 7. Rev. Robert H. Nall, D.D. . . . First Presbyterian Church, Fort 
 
 Worth, Texas. 
 
 8. Rev. James Chambers Calvary Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 9. Rev. T. D.wis Ewing, D.D. . . ■ President Parsons College, Fairfield, 
 
 la. 
 
 10. Rev. M. R. Vincent, D.D Professor of Sacred Literature, Union 
 
 Theological Seminary, New York. 
 
 11. Rev. G. F. Krotel, D.D Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 12. Rev. A. A. Reinke Moravian Church, New York. 
 
 13. Rev. Wm. Caven, D.D Principal of Knox Presbyterian Col- 
 
 lege, Toronto, Canada. 
 
 14. Rev. Anson P. Atterburv . . Park Presbyterian Church, New York. 
 
 15. Rev. J. M. Haldeman First Baptist Church, New York. 
 
Index of Authors. 379 
 
 16 Rev. Charles H. Hall, D.D. . . Holy Trinity Protestant - Episcopal 
 
 Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 17. Rev. W. F. JuNKiN, D.D Presbyterian Church, Montclair, N.J. 
 
 18. Rev. Isaac Errett Church of Disciples, Cincinnati, Ohio, 
 
 and Editor of the "Christian 
 Standard." 
 
 19. Rev. F. L. Ferguson Pry tan ia Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 Orleans, La. 
 
 20. Rev. W. N. Searles Washington Heights Methodist-Epis- 
 
 copal Church, New York. 
 
 21. Rev. J. W. RosEBRO Tabb Street Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Petersburgh, Va. 
 
 22. Rev. WoLCOTT Calkins, D.D. . . Congregational Church, Newton, 
 
 Mass. 
 
 23. Rev. I. S. McElroy Presbyterian Church, Mount Sterling, 
 
 ■ Ky. 
 
 24. Rev. Wi\i. Bayard Craig Church of the Disciples, Denver, Col. 
 
 25. Rev. D. C. Hughes Trinity Baptist Church, New York. 
 
 26. Rev. H. W. Warren, D.D Bishop in the Methodist-Episcopal 
 
 Church. 
 
 27. Rev Chas. L. Thompson, D.D. . Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, 
 
 and Moderator of Presbyterian Gen- 
 eral Assembly, 1888, New York. 
 
 28. Rev. E. H. Barnett, D.D First Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, 
 
 Ga. 
 
 29. Rev. Halsey Moore Lexington Avenue Baptist Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 30. Rev. J. R. BuRGETT, D.D Government Street Presbyterian 
 
 Church, Mobile, Ala. 
 
 31. Rev. R. K. S.MOOT, D.D Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas. 
 
 September. 
 
 1. Rev. Henry M. Field, D.D. . . . Presbyterian Minister, Editor " New 
 
 York Evangelist." 
 
 2. Rev. W. W. Page New York Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 3. Rev. Robert W. Jones North Methodist-Episcopal Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 4. Rev Henry .\. Powell Lee Avenue Congregational Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
38o Index of Authors. 
 
 5. Rev. David W. Frazier Presbyterian Missionary, Greenville, 
 
 Sinoe, Africa. 
 
 6. Rev. T. Chalmers Easton, D.D. First Reformed Church, Newark, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 7. Rev. J. R. Kerr, D.D Fourth Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 8. Rev. Carlos Martyn Bloomingdale Reformed Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 9. Rev. J. Elmendorf, D.D Harlem Collegiate Reformed Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 10. Rev. L. T. Chamberlain, D.D. . . Classon Avenue Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 11. Rev. W. N. Scott, D.D Presbyterian Church, Galveston, 
 
 Texas. 
 
 12. Rev. James S. Chadwick Bedford Street Methodist-Episcopal 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 13. Rev. T. D. WiTHERSPOON, D.D. . First Presbyterian Church, Louisville, 
 
 Ky. 
 
 14. Rev. Henry E. Jacobs, D.D. . . . President Lutheran Theological Semi- 
 
 nary, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 15. Rev. L. A. Crandall Twenty-Third Street Baptist Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 16. Rev. H. T. McEwEN Fourteenth Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 17. Rev. Lewis FRANas Reformed Church, Greenpoint, Brook- 
 
 lyn, N. Y. 
 
 18. Rev. John J. Brouner North Baptist Church, New York. 
 
 19. Rev. Roderick Terry, D.D. ... South Reformed Church, New York. 
 
 20. Rev. John C. Bliss, D.D Washington Heights Presbyterian 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 21. Rev. J. S. Ramsay Harlem Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 22. Rev. Chas. W. Fritts, D.D. . . . Reformed Church, Fishkill on the 
 
 Hudson, N. Y. 
 
 23. Rev. C. P. Masden, D.D Madison Avenue Methodist-Episcopal 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 24. Rev. Horace L. Singleton .... Member of Maryland Presbytery. 
 
 25. Rev. D. R. Miller United Brethren Church, Dayton, 
 
 Ohio. 
 
 26. Rev. J. A. M. Chapman, D.D. . . Methodist-Episcopal Church, Phila- 
 
 delphia, Pa. 
 
Index of Authors. 381 
 
 27. Rev. W.M. H. Roberts, D.D. . . . Professor Practical Theology, Lane 
 
 Theological Seminary, and Stated 
 Clerk of General Assembly, Cincin- 
 nati, Ohio. 
 
 28. Rev. John D. Wells, D.D South Third Street Presbyterian 
 
 Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 29. Rev. Edward T. Horn, D.D. . . Lutheran Church, Charleston, 8. C. 
 
 30. Rev. A. H. Crosbik Harlem United Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 October. 
 
 1. Rt. Rev. F. D. Huntington, D.D. Protestant-Episcopal Bishop of Central 
 
 New York, Syracuse, N. Y. 
 
 2. Rev. C. R. Hemphill, D.D. . . . Second Presbyterian Church, Louis- 
 
 ville, Ky. 
 
 3. Rev. O. H. Tiffany, D.D St. James Methodist - Episcopal 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 4. Rev. C. SCHHNCK Trinity Reformed Church, Plainfield, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 5. Rev. L. W. MuNHALL, D.D. . . . Evangelist Methodist - Episcopal 
 
 Church, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 6. Rev. W. B. Jennings First Presbyterian Church, Macon, 
 
 Ga. 
 
 7. Rev. E. D. Kephart, D. D Bishopof the United Brethren Church, 
 
 Toledo, la. 
 
 8. Rev. C. W. D. Bridgman, D.D. . Madison Avenue Baptist Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 9. Rev. T. A. Nelson, D.D Memorial Presbyterian Church, Brook- 
 
 lyn, N. Y. 
 
 10. Rev. W. Gladden, D.D First Congregational Church, Coluni 
 
 bus, Ohio. 
 
 11. Rev. J. H. Reading Presbyterian Missionary at Gaboon, 
 
 Africa. 
 
 12. Rev. Brady E. Backus, D.D. . . . Protestant-Episcopal Church of the 
 
 Holy Apostles, New York. 
 
 13. Rev. Jf.sse E. Forbes Adams Memorial Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 14. Rev. J. W. HoTT, D.D Editor "Religious Telescope " (United 
 
 Brethren), Dayton, O. 
 
 15. Rev. E. Hu.mphries First Primitive Methodist Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 16. Rev. John Gaston, D.D First Reformed Church, Passaic, N. J. 
 
382 Index of Authors. 
 
 17. Rev. J. H. HoADLEY Faith Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 18. Rev. Geo. S. Chambers Pine Street Presbyterian Church, Har- 
 
 risburg. Pa. 
 
 19. Rev. J. B. Hamilton Simpson Methodist-Episcopal Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 20. Rev. H. C. RiGGS, D.D Congregational Church, Binghamton, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 21. Rev. A. H. Clapp, D.D Secretary Congregational Home Mis- 
 
 sion Society, New York. 
 
 22. Rev. G. D. HuLST South Bushwick Avenue Reformed 
 
 Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 23. Rev. G. Alexander, D.D University Place Presbyterian Church 
 
 New York. 
 
 24. Rev. A. R. Benton Church of Disciples, Indianapolis, 
 
 Ind. 
 
 25. Rev, J. Weaver, D.D Bishop of the United Brethren Church, 
 
 Dayton, O. 
 
 26. Rev. J. R. Paxton, D.D West Presbyterian Church, New York. 
 
 27. Rev. W. Manchee Reformed Church, Hoboken, N. J. 
 
 28. Rev. P. F. Leavens Presbyterian Church, Passaic, N. J. 
 
 29. Rev. J. Witherspoon, D.D. . . . First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, 
 
 Tenn. 
 
 30. Rev. H. N. Cobb, D.D Secretary Board of Foreign Missions, 
 
 Reformed Church in America. 
 
 31. Rev. E. D. Morris, D.D Professor Systematic Theology, Lane 
 
 Theological Seminary, Cincinnati, 
 Ohio. 
 
 iliJotembev. 
 
 1. Rev. J. M. Thoburn, D.D Bishop Methodist-Episcopal Church, 
 
 India. 
 
 2. Rev. John B. Drurv, D.D Editor " Christian Intelligencer," New 
 
 York. 
 
 3. Rev. W. J. Shuev Publisher of the "Religious Tele- 
 
 scope," Minister United Brethren, 
 Dayton, O. 
 
 4. Rev. W. H. Thomas New England Congregational Church, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
Index of Authors. 383 
 
 5. Rev. S. F. HoTCHKiN St. Luke's Protestant-Episcopal 
 
 Church, Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 6. Rev. J. L. Caldwell First Presbyteriau Church, Bowling 
 
 Green, Ky. 
 
 7. Rev. W. H. Parmlv, D.D Baptist Church, Jersey City, N. J. 
 
 8. Rev. E. A. Bulklev, D.D Presbyterian Church, Rutherford, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 9. Rev. D. Berger United Brethren Church, Dayton, O. 
 
 10. Rev. A. W. Halsev Spring Street Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 11. Rev. P. T. PocKMAN First Reformed Church, New Bruns- 
 
 wick, N. J. 
 
 12. Rev. R. W. KiDD Seventh Avenue United Presbyterian 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 13. Rev. J. P. Laxdis, D.D Professor of Systematic Theology and 
 
 Hebrew, Union Biblical Seminary, 
 Dayton, O. 
 
 14. Rev. J. L. Scudder Congregational Tabernacle Church, 
 
 Jersey City, N. J. 
 
 15. Rev. A. W. Cowles, D.© President Female College, Elmira, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 ,16. Rev. J. H. Dulles, '3>^ Librarian Theological Seminary, 
 
 Princeton, N. J. 
 
 17. Rev. G. H. Smyth, D.D Harlem Collegiate Church, New York. 
 
 18. Rev. J. Lester Wells Bethany Presbyterian Church, New- 
 
 ark, N. J. ' 
 
 19. Rev. W. S. Bowman, D.D Lutheran Church, Savannah, Ga. 
 
 20. Rev. M. H. BiXBV, D.D Cranston Baptist Church, Providence, 
 
 R. L 
 
 21. Rev. John Chester, D.D Metropolitan Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 
 22. Rev. J. Ford Sutton, D.D Minister in the Presbyterian Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 23. Rev. M. H. PoGSON Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, New 
 
 York. 
 24 Rev. D. O. Davies, D.D First Presbyterian Church, Hender- 
 son, Ky. 
 
 25. Rev. J. M. Trible Church of Disciples, Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 26. Rev. WiLLiA.M T. Findlev, D.D. . Central Presbyterian Church, Newark, 
 
 N.J. 
 
384 Index of Authors. 
 
 27. Rev. John Humpstone, D.D. . . . Immanuel Baptist Church, Brooklyn, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
 28. Rev. R. H. Howard Methodist-Episcopal Church, Towns- 
 
 end, Mass. 
 
 29. Rev. A. C. Wedekind, D.D. ... St. John's Lutheran Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 30. Rev. G. S. Payson Mount Washington Presbyterian 
 
 Church, New York. 
 
 1. Rt. Rev. H. C. Potter, D.D. . . . Bishop of New York, Protestant-Epis- 
 
 copal Church, New York, 
 
 2. Rev. D. Waters, D.D North Reformed Church, Newark, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 3. Rev. W. L. Phillips Summerfield Methodist-Episcopal 
 
 Church, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 4 Rev. D, WoRTMAN, D D Reformed Church, Saugerties, N. Y. 
 
 5 Rev. J. R. Fisher Presbyterian Church, South Orange, 
 
 N.J. - 
 
 6. Rev. L. D. Calkins . • Trinity Presbyterian Church, Brook- 
 
 lyn, N. Y. 
 
 7. Rev. I. J. Lansing Salem Street Congregational Church, 
 
 Worcester, Mass. 
 
 8. Rev, W. W. Atterburv, D.D. , . Secretary of the Sabbath Committee, 
 
 New York. 
 
 9. Rev. C. R. Barnes Methodist- Episcopal Church, Hobo- 
 
 ken, N. J. 
 
 10. Rev. J. C. French, D.D Park Presbyterian Church, Newark, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 11. Rev. J. E. C. Sawyer Methodist-Episcopal Church, Pitts- 
 
 field, Mass. 
 
 12. Rev. E. C. Moore Westminster Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Yonkers, N. Y. 
 
 13. Rev. R. H. Fulton, D.D Northminster Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa. " 
 
 14. Rev. L. C. Vass, D.D Presbyterian Churcii, New Bern, N. C. 
 
 15. Rev. A. Erdman, D.D South Street Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Morristown, N. J. 
 
 16. Rev. E. H. H ardinc;, D.D Presbyterian Church, Graham, N. C. 
 
 17. Rev. John Reid, D.D First Presbyterian Church, Yonkers, 
 
 N. Y. 
 
Index of Authors. 385 
 
 iS. Rev. O. A. Kingsbury Editor " Illustrated Christian Weekly," 
 
 New York. 
 
 19. Rev. Robert Lowry, D.D Baptist Minister, Plainfield, N. J. 
 
 20. Rev. J. C. V.AN Deventer Reformed Church, Nayack, N. Y. 
 
 21. Rev. R. S. Campbell, D.D First Presbyterian Church.St. Joseph, 
 
 Mo. 
 
 22. Rev. D. Parker Morgan Protestant-Episcopal Church of the 
 
 Heavenly Rest, New York. 
 
 23. Rev. H. C. Alexander, D.D. . . . Professor of Biblical Literature and 
 
 Interpretation of the Old Testa- 
 ment, Union Theological Seminary, 
 Hampden, Sidney, Va. 
 
 24. Rev. T. Ralston Smith, D.D. . . Westminster Presbyterian Church, 
 
 Buffalo, N. Y. 
 
 25. Rev. C. H. Spurgeon Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, 
 
 England. 
 
 26. Rev. Abbott E. Kittredge, D.D. Madison Avenue Reformed Church, 
 
 New York. 
 
 27. Rev. Henry M. Dexter Editor " The Congregationalist," Bos- 
 
 ton, Mass. 
 
 28. Rev. J. H. Whitehead North Reformed Church, Passaic, 
 
 N.J. 
 
 29. Rev. W. C. Stitt Minister in the Presbyterian Church, 
 
 and Secretary American Seamen's 
 Friend Society. 
 
 30. Rev. G. W. F. Birch, D.D .... Betliany Presbyterian Church, New 
 
 York. 
 
 31. Rt. Rev. W. W. NiLEs, D.D. . . . Protestant-Episcopal Bishop of New 
 
 Hampshire, Concord, N. H. 
 
ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF NAMES. 
 
 Adams, Myron . . 
 Adams, W. . . . 
 AlKMAN, Wm. . . 
 Alexander, G. 
 Alexander, H C. 
 Alexander, S. D. 
 Allis, J. M . . . 
 Amerman, James L. 
 Armstrong, CJeo. D. 
 Attekuury, Ansox P 
 Atterburv, W. W. 
 
 Mar. 7 
 
 Aug. 5 
 Jan. 7 
 Oct. 23 
 Dec. 23 
 July 12 
 Apr. 7 
 Mar. 12 
 May 8 
 Aug. 14 
 Dec. 8 
 
 Backus, B. E Oct. 12 
 
 Bainbrid(;e, W. F. . . . Jan. 10 
 
 Baird, H. M June 8 
 
 Baker, S.mith May 14 
 
 Baldwin, Geo. C Feb. 21 
 
 Barnes, C. R Dec. 9 
 
 Baknett, E. H Aug. 28 
 
 Barrows, J. H May 6 
 
 Bartlett, W. F. V. . . . July 23 
 
 Baus.man, B July 21 
 
 Bell, Chas. D Feb. i 
 
 Benton, A. R Oct. 24 
 
 IJerger, D Nov. 9 
 
 Birch, G. W. F Dec. 30 
 
 BtsHOP, Geo. S Apr. 16 
 
 BiXHY, M. H Nov. 20 
 
 Blaikie, W. G Mar. 17 
 
 Bliss, Daniel Feb. 25 
 
 Bliss, John C Sept. 20 
 
 Blodget, Henry B. . . . July 14 
 
 Board.man, Geo. Dana . . Apr. 13 
 
 Boardman, Geo. N. . . . June 13 
 
 Boardman, Sa.m. W. . . . Jan. 30 
 
 Bombbrger, J. H. A. . . . June 10 
 
 BoNAK, Andrew A. 
 Booth, Henky M. . 
 Booth, Robt. R. , 
 Bottom E, F. . . . 
 Bowman, W. S. . . 
 Brackett, Gilbert R 
 Bradford, Amory H. 
 Breed, W. P. . . 
 Brett, Cornelius . 
 Bridgman, C. W. D 
 Bright, J. S. . . 
 Brooks, Arthur . 
 Brouner, John J. . 
 Brown, Abel J. 
 Brown, Hubert W. 
 Bulkley, E. a. . . 
 Bullock, J. J. . . 
 BURGETT, J. R. . . 
 BuRNHAM, Michael 
 BuRRAGE, Henky S. 
 BuRROWEs, Geo. 
 
 Caldwell, J. L 
 Calkins, L. D. . 
 Calkins, Wolcott 
 Ca.mpbell, R. S. 
 Capp, T. H. . 
 Caven, Wm. . 
 Chadwick, J. S. 
 Chamberlain, L. T 
 Chambers, G. .S. 
 Cha.mbers, James 
 Chambers, T. W. 
 Chambers, W. N. 
 Chapman, J. A. M 
 Chester, John . 
 
 July 
 
 22 
 
 July 
 
 .5 
 
 Feb. 
 
 16 
 
 Feb. 
 
 12 
 
 Nov. 
 
 IQ 
 
 May 
 
 25 
 
 Jan. 
 
 4 
 
 Mar. 
 
 .^0 
 
 Mar. 28 
 
 Oct. 
 
 8 
 
 Jan. 
 
 23 
 
 Feb. 
 
 ^ 
 
 Sept. 
 
 18 
 
 May 
 
 29 
 
 Jan. 
 
 24 
 
 Nov. 
 
 8 
 
 May 
 
 4 
 
 Aug. 
 
 30 
 
 June 17 
 
 Jan. 
 
 8 
 
 Mar. 
 
 29 
 
 Nov. 
 
 6 
 
 Dec. 
 
 6 
 
 Aug. 
 
 22 
 
 Dec. 
 
 21 
 
 July 
 
 2 
 
 Aug. 
 
 13 
 
 Sept. 
 
 12 
 
 Sept. 
 
 10 
 
 Oct. 
 
 18 
 
 Aug. 
 
 8 
 
 Jan. 
 
 2 
 
 May 
 
 .3 
 
 Sept. 
 
 26 
 
 Nov. 
 
 21 
 
388 Alphabetical Index of Names. 
 
 Clapp, a. H Oct. 21 
 
 Clark, Bishop Mar. i 
 
 Clark, W. H Apr. ii 
 
 Clark, W. W Feb. 17 
 
 Clever, Conrad .... May 16 
 
 Cobb, H. N. = , . . . . Oct. 30 
 
 CoE, Edward B May 21 
 
 Cole, David Apr. S 
 
 CoNKLiNG, N. W. , . . . Mar. 11 
 
 Conrad, F. W Aug. 3 
 
 Cookman, John E ... Mar. 22 
 
 CowLES, A. W Nov. 15 
 
 Crafts, Wilbur F. . . . Jan. 28 
 
 Craig, W. B Aug. 24 
 
 Crandall, L. a Sept. 15 
 
 Crawford, Donald . . . July 27 
 
 Crosbie, a. H Sept. 30 
 
 Crosby, Howard .... Jan. 5 
 
 CuYLER, Theo. L Mar. 4 
 
 Dana, M. McG Jan. 15 
 
 Davies, D. O Nov. 24 
 
 Davies, Thomas .... May 7 
 
 Deems, C F Mar. 10 
 
 Demarest, D. D Feb. 11 
 
 Denisox, J. H Apr. 2 
 
 Dexter, H. M Dec. 27 
 
 Douglas, G Feb. 6 
 
 Dulles, J. H Nov. 16 
 
 Drurv, J. B Nov. 2 
 
 Dwinell, I. E Mar. 18 
 
 Easton, T. C Sept. 6 
 
 Eaton, T. T Feb. 5 
 
 EcoB, J. H June 6 
 
 Elder, J.F July 26 
 
 Elmendorf, J Sept. 9 
 
 Erdman, Albert .... Dec. 15 
 
 Errett, I Aug. 18 
 
 EwiNG, T. D Aug. 9 
 
 Fenwick, K. M Apr. 22 
 
 Ferguson, S. D Apr. 27 
 
 Ferguson, F. L Aug. 19 
 
 Field, H- M. ..'.., Sept. i 
 
 Findlev, W. T Nov. 26 
 
 Fisher, J. R. .... Dec. 5 
 
 Forbes, Jesse E Oct. 13 
 
 Francis, Lewis Sept. 17 
 
 Frazer, D. R Mar. 6 
 
 Frazier, David W. . . . Sept. 5 
 
 French, J. C. . ... Dec. 10 
 
 Fritts, Chas. W Sept. 22 
 
 Fry, Jacob May 18 
 
 Fulton, R. H Dec. 13 
 
 Gaston, J Oct. 16 
 
 Gladden, W Oct. 10 
 
 Glass, Harvey June 7 
 
 Good, J. i July 25 
 
 Gordon, A. J May 5 
 
 Grant, A Apr. 12 
 
 Greene, S. H Aug. 2 
 
 Gregg, D Mar. 14 
 
 Grenell, Z Jan. 21 
 
 Guerrant, E. O May 27 
 
 Haldeman, J. M Aug. 15 
 
 Hall, C. C June 28 
 
 Hall, C H Aug. 16 
 
 Hall, John July i 
 
 Halsey, a. W Nov. 10 
 
 Hamilton, J. B Oct. 19 
 
 Hamilton, S. M May 23 
 
 Handley, L. S June 26 
 
 Happer, a. P Apr. 21 
 
 Hardin, O. J Apr. 20 
 
 Harding, E. H Dec. 16 
 
 Harsha, W. J June 12 
 
 Hart, B Feb. 9 
 
 Harvey, W Apr. 5 
 
 Hasselquist, T. N. . . . July 9 
 
 Hastings, T. S May 1 
 
 Hays, Geo. P Feb. 14 
 
 Hemphill, C. R Oct. 2 
 
 Henry, B. C June 16 
 
 Hoadley.J. H Oct. 17 
 
 Hodge, J. A Apr. 17 
 
 Hoffman, C. F Jan. 25 
 
Alphabetical Index of Names. 389 
 
 HoGK, M. D July 19 
 
 Hopkins, S June 5 
 
 Horn, E. T Sept. 29 
 
 HOTCHKIN, S. F Nov. 5 
 
 HOTT, J. W Oct. 14 
 
 Howard, R. H Nov. 28 
 
 HowLAND, J Feb. 23 
 
 HOYT, T. A Feb. 10 
 
 Hoyt, W Mar. 9 
 
 Hughes, D. C Aug. 25 
 
 HuLBURD, M May 24 
 
 Hui.sT, Geo. D Oct. 22 
 
 Humphries, E Oct. 15 
 
 HUMPSTONE, J Nov. 27 
 
 Huntington, Bishop . . . Oct. 1 
 
 Huntington, W. K. . . . Mar. 13 
 
 Hutton, M. H Jan. 19 
 
 Ingersoll, E. P Mar. 3 
 
 Ingham, Bishop June i 
 
 Jacobs, H. E Sept. 14 
 
 Jeffrey, R. T Jan. 12 
 
 Jennings, W. B Oct. 6 
 
 Jessup, H. H Apr. 29 
 
 Jones, R. W Sept. 3 
 
 Junkin, VV. F. Aug. 17 
 
 Kelley, W. V Apr. 
 
 Kellogg, S. H Feb. 
 
 Kf.phart, Bishop .... Oct. 
 
 Kerr, J. R Sept. 
 
 Kerr, R. P June 
 
 KiDD, R. W Nov. 
 
 Kieffer, J. S July 
 
 King, H. M Jan. 
 
 King, J. M May 
 
 Kingsbury, O. A Dec. 
 
 Kittredge, a. E Dec. 
 
 Klopp, D. E July 
 
 Knox, J. H. M July 
 
 KoRNiG, R Mar. 
 
 Krotel, G. F Aug. 
 
 Ladd, H. M Mar. 2 
 
 Landis, J. P Nov. 13 
 
 Lansing, I. J Dec. 7 
 
 Lansing, J. G May 20 
 
 Leave.vs, p. F Oct. 28 
 
 Leavitt, G. R Mar. 21 
 
 Lee, E. T Mar. 15 
 
 Locke, W. E May 31 
 
 Longacre, a July 29 
 
 LowRY, R Dec. 19 
 
 Ludlow, J. M June 19 
 
 Lupton, J. W June 20 
 
 Mabon, W. V. V July 15 
 
 MacArthur, R. S. ... July 13 
 
 MacCracken, H. M. . . Mar. 26 
 
 Mackay, a. B Jan. 22 
 
 Macloskie, G Jan. n 
 
 Manchee, W Oct. 27 
 
 Mandeville, G. H. . . . Feb. 4 
 
 Marling, F. H Aug. 6 
 
 Marquis, D. C May 17 
 
 Martyn, C Sept. 8 
 
 Masden, C. P Sept. 23 
 
 McElROY, L S Au!?. 2" 
 
 McEwEN, H. T Sept. 16 
 
 McKenzie, a Feb. 15 
 
 McVickar, W. N. ... June 25 
 
 Meredith, R. R Apr. 9 
 
 Merrick, F June 18 
 
 Meyek, F. B Apr. 18 
 
 Miller, A Apr. lo 
 
 Miller, D.R Sept. 25 
 
 Milligan, J. C. K. . . . July 30 
 
 M'Leod, Thos. B Feb. 22 
 
 Moffett, R July 4 
 
 Moment, A. H Jan. 26 
 
 Moore, E. C Dec. 12 
 
 Moore, Halsey .... Aug. 29 
 
 Morgan, D. P Dec. 22 
 
 Morris, E. D Oct. 31 
 
 MoTT, Geo. S Jan. 20 
 
 Mum HALL, L. W Oct. 5 
 
 Nall, R. H Au^. 7 
 
 Neil, J. VV June 14 
 
390 Alphabetical Index of Names. 
 
 Nelson, T. A Oct. 9 
 
 Nevius, J. L July 24 
 
 Newton, F.J May 19 
 
 Newton, J Mar. 5 
 
 Newton, W. W May 30 
 
 NiccoLLS, S June 24 
 
 Nicholson, Bishop . . . July 11 
 
 NiLES, Bishop Dec. 31 
 
 NoYES, G. C June 21 
 
 Offord, R. M Feb. 29 
 
 Ormiston, W Aug. 4 
 
 Otts, J. M. P June 15 
 
 Page, W.W Sept. 2 
 
 Parkhurst, C. H. ... Mar. 23 
 
 Parmly, W. H Nov. 7 
 
 Parsons, H. M Mar. 27 
 
 Paxton, J. R Oct. 26 
 
 Paxton, W. M May 22 
 
 Payson, G. S Nov. 30 
 
 Penick, Bishop Jan. 31 
 
 Peschal', V. W. E. . . . July 7 
 
 Phillips, W. L Dec. 3 
 
 Pierce, B. K June 27 
 
 PiERSON, A. T Mar. 19 
 
 PiTZER, A. W June 11 
 
 Plumb, A. H June 2 
 
 POCKMAN, P. T Nov. II 
 
 POGSON, M. H Nov. 23 
 
 Potter, Bishop .... Dec i 
 
 Potter, E. N Feb. 20 
 
 Powell, H. A Sept. 4 
 
 Power, F. D June 22 
 
 Pri.me, Wendell .... Jan. 9 
 
 Ramsay, J. S Sept. 21 
 
 Rankin, J. E Apr. 28 
 
 Reading, J. H Oct. 11 
 
 Reed, E. A May 2 
 
 Reid, J Dec. 17 
 
 Reinke, a. a Aug. 12 
 
 Remensnyder, J. B. . . . Mar. 16 
 
 Riddle, M. B July g 
 
 RiGGs, E Apr. 6 
 
 RiGGS, H. C Oct. 2Q 
 
 RiGGs, J. F May 15 
 
 Roberts, W. H Sept. 27 
 
 Rosebro, J.W Aug. 21 
 
 RossiTER, S. B Apr. 23 
 
 Rowland, A. J Feb. ig 
 
 Sabine, W. T Jan. 18 
 
 Sample, R. F Mar. 8 
 
 Sanders, H. M Feb. 28 
 
 Saphir, Adolph .... Feb. 24 
 
 Sawyer, J. E. C Dec. 11 
 
 Schenck, C Oct. 4 
 
 Scott, W. N Sept. 11 
 
 Scudder, J. L Nov. 14 
 
 Searles, W. N Aug. 20 
 
 Shedd, J. H Feb. 2 
 
 Shindler, R Apr. 24 
 
 Shuey, W. J Nov. 3 
 
 Singleton, H. L Sept. 24 
 
 Smith, J. T June 9 
 
 Smith, T. R Dec. 24 
 
 Smoot, R. K Aug. 31 
 
 Smyth, G. H Nov. 17 
 
 Sommerville, R. M. . . . July 3 
 
 Sp.\eth, a May 12 
 
 Spurgeon, C. H Dec. 25 
 
 Staple, M Jan. 29 
 
 Stearns, L. F Apr. 19 
 
 Stimson, H. a Feb. 8 
 
 Stitt, W. C Dec. 29 
 
 Stoddard, C. A May 9 
 
 Stoddard, E. L Apr. 3 
 
 Stratton, J. B June 4 
 
 Strong, J June 29 
 
 Stryker, P Feb 18 
 
 Sunderland, B April i 
 
 Sutton, J. F Nov. 22 
 
 Swartz, J Apr. 25 
 
 Talmage, G Mar. 31 
 
 Talmage, J. V. N. ... May 10 
 
 Talmage, T. D Jan. 3 
 
Alphabetical Index of Names. 
 
 391 
 
 Taylor, Wm. J. R. . . . May 26 
 
 Taylor, W. M Jan. i 
 
 Terhune, E. P June 3 
 
 Terry, R Sept. 19 
 
 Tewksbury, Geo. A. . . . May 28 
 
 Thoburn, Bishop .... Nov. i 
 
 Thomas, W. H Nov. 4 
 
 Thompson, C. L Aug. 27 
 
 Thwing, C F Jan. 17 
 
 Tiffany, C C Apr. 26 
 
 Tiffany, O. H Oct. 3 
 
 Todd, J. E Jan. 27 
 
 Trible, J. M Nov. 25 
 
 Trumbull, D July 6 
 
 TwiTCHELL, J. E Feb. 13 
 
 Tyler, B. B July i8 
 
 Tyler, J Feb. 27 
 
 Underwood, H. G. ... Aug. i 
 
 Van Cleef, Paul D. 
 Van Deventer, J. C. 
 Van Dyke, Henry 
 Van Horse, D. 
 
 Vass, L. C 
 
 Vincent, M. R. . , 
 
 May 13 
 Dec. 20 
 Jan. 16 
 July 28 
 Dec. 14 
 Aux- 10 
 
 Virgin, S. H Feb. 26 
 
 VosE, J. G Apr. 4 
 
 VVarfield, B. B. 
 Warren, Bishop 
 Warren, E. W. 
 Washburn, G. . 
 Waters, D. . . 
 Watts, R. . . 
 Weaver, Bishop 
 Wkdkkind, A. C. 
 Wells, J. D. . 
 Wells, J. L. . 
 Whitehead, J. H. 
 Wilson, J. R. . 
 
 WiTHERSPOON, J. 
 WiTHERSPOON, T. ] 
 WOODBRIDGE, S. M 
 WORRALL, J. M. 
 
 Wortman, D. . 
 
 Jan. 
 
 13 
 
 Aug. 
 
 26 
 
 Jan. 
 
 14 
 
 July 
 
 31 
 
 Dec. 
 
 2 
 
 Mar. 
 
 2S 
 
 Oct. 
 
 2S 
 
 Nov. 
 
 29 
 
 Sept. 
 
 28 
 
 Nov. 
 
 18 
 
 Dec. 
 
 28 
 
 July 
 
 10 
 
 Oct. 
 
 29 
 
 Sept. 
 
 13 
 
 June 23 
 
 Apr. 
 
 15 
 
 Dec. 
 
 4 
 
 Yerkes, S Mar. 24 
 
 Za BRISK IE, F. N. 
 
 Apr. 30