cause us to take pleasure in sacred meditation. It is instructive to mark the prominence given to these exercises in the devotional poetry of the ancient Church. In the first Psalm it is said of the pious man, His delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.' This sentiment is reiterated again and again in Psalm cxix., which sets forth, in every variety of phraseology, the excellence of the Divine commandments, and the blessedness of reverently pondering them, and that in order to obedience. The devout mind, consecrated to the service of Jehovah, will ever be anxious to reflect His moral purity; and the truth of God is the appointed instrument of nourishing our spiritual affections. It was the prayer of our Lord, Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth' (John xvii. 17); and St. Paul addresses to the Colossians the charge, 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom' (iii. 16).

2. The affections which constitute 'godliness' will develop themselves in the habit of prayer. The pious mind will draw near to God to adore His perfections, to render thanks for His goodness, to seek the communications of His grace, and to intercede for others. All these exercises are recognised and enjoined in the Divine word. Speaking by the inspired Psalmist, the Most High, after reproving those who thought that they laid Him under an obligation to them by their outward service, thus indicates the character of the worship which He approves :

-'Offer unto God thanksgiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High; and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me' (Psalm 1. 14, 15). The importance which our Lord assigned to prayer will readily occur to every reader of the evangelical narrative; and His charge as to secret prayer, especially, deserves to be pondered:

-' But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and, having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall recompense thee' (Matt. vi. 6). On one occasion He uttered a parable to enforce the lesson, that we ought always to pray, and not to

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faint'; and His Apostles, following His guidance, urged this duty as intimately connected with the maintenance of the spiritual life. Thus St. Paul, after describing the Christian armour, adds, With all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints' (Ephes. vi. 18). To the Philippians He addresses the consolatory exhortation, "In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God' (iv. 6).

There are two views under which the subject of prayer is presented in the Divine word. One is, that the devout affections of the regenerate mind prompt it to seek communion with God. For that communion our nature has been formed, and in it we realise our true happiness and dignity. And the other view is, that prayer is the appointed channel of blessing. 'Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened' (Matt. vii. 7, 8).

3. A third exercise to which the devout affections of the spiritual mind will prompt it is attendance on the public worship of God. The example of our Lord, in the days of His flesh, is, in this respect, full of instruction to us. He was accustomed, during the years of His private life, to attend the synagogueworship; and throughout His ministry He taught in the synagogues of Galilee and Judæa. So, too, His Apostles mingled in the public worship of the Jews, and gladly embraced the opportunities afforded to them of setting forth to their fellow-countrymen and the devout Gentiles associated with them the claims of the Lord Jesus. After the formation of Christian communities, the members of them met together for prayer, for the reading of the Holy Scriptures, with addresses founded upon them, and for commemorating the Saviour's death and resurrection. And the instincts of the pious mind will lead it to take delight in such exercises. Every godly man will re-echo the sentiment of the Psalmist: One thing have I

desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock' (Psalm xxvii. 4, 5).

4. The affections which constitute 'godliness' will lead us to an open confession of God. Having come into covenant with Him through Jesus Christ, we shall ever be ready to avow our allegiance to Him and our devotion to the interests of His cause. We shall not be ashamed to confess our faith, even when it would expose us to obloquy and persecution. We shall esteem it our highest honour to be His people, and to be permitted to claim Him as our God.

5. Still further, the affections which we are to cherish towards God will manifest themselves in a constant and uniform obedience to all His commandments. Such obedience, as we have seen, is implied in submission to God. If we really bow to Him, and yield ourselves up to serve Him, we shall seek in all things to do His will. And all the other affections of the devout mind will prompt it to obedience and render that obedience delightful. More especially will this be the case with our filial love to God. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not grievous' (1 John v. 3).

6. Finally, godliness' will develop itself in earnest endeavours to lead others to the acknowledgment of God and the experience of His grace. If we really love Him, we cannot look with indifference upon our fellow-men standing aloof from Him, rebelling against His government, and treating His overtures of mercy with neglect. Our loyalty to Him, as well as our benevolence to our fellow-men, will prompt us to tell of His mercy to the ignorant and wretched, to seek the wandering, and to lead all men to Him in Christ Jesus. From our hearts we shall utter the petitions which our Lord has taught us, 'Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.'

CHAPTER IV.

OUR DUTIES TO OUR FELLOW-MEN GENERALLY.

HE second class of our duties consists of those which we owe

THE second class of ourd which are comprehended under the

term righteousness,' as combined with, and distinguished from 'godliness.'

We have seen that all our duties correspond to, and indeed arise out of, the relations in which we stand. Now there exists an important relation between us and all other men, as members of the common brotherhood of humanity, and still more as interested in the common provisions of redeeming mercy. Thus there are general duties which we owe to all men; and then there are special duties arising from the several relations which the constitution of human society involves. It is to the former that our attention must now be directed.

The duties which we owe to mankind in general may be summed up in the three terms, justice, truth, and benevolence.

1. In mentioning justice, we do not refer to rectoral or administrative justice, since this belongs to the special relation of magistrates and subjects. We refer, rather, to strict integrity in all our dealings with others, and to a sacred regard to all their rights, whether those rights respect their persons, their property, or their reputation. The second table of the Decalogue guards several of these rights; for the prohibitions which restrain us shield us also from violence and injury on the part of others. One of them guards the sacredness of human life; another upholds the sanctity of the marriage covenant; another defends the rights of property; and another throws its

shield over personal reputation. Now the very first element in a right state of feeling towards our fellow-men is a settled regard to all their rights, causing us to shrink back from every thing that would invade them, and to take pleasure in observing and maintaining them. It is in this mode that the general principle of love to others will, first of all, manifest itself:— 'Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: love therefore is the fulfilment of the law' (Rom. xiii. 10). In all our transactions with others, we must never take advantage of their ignorance or their necessities; we must never seek our own interests at the sacrifice of the interests of those around us. The Apostolic precept is, 'Look not each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others' (Phil. ii. 4); and our Lord Himself has given us the charge, All things, therefore, whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also to them; for this is the law and the prophets' (Matt.. vii. 12).

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2. Truth, combined with fidelity, is the second leading duty which we owe to all mankind. This principle is to characterise our deportment and conversation. In our intercourse with others we should be simple and sincere. Any attempt to deceive our fellow-men must be regarded as base and dishonourable. We should never seek to convey to their minds a false impression, or to create a delusive expectation. St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, Wherefore, putting away falsehood, speak ye truth each one with his neighbour; for we are members one of another' (iv. 25); and to the Colossians, Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of Him that created him' (iii. 9, 10). Our conduct must be marked also by a faithful adherence to our promises and engagements. Such engagements should not be thoughtlessly entered into; but when made they should be carefully observed. In some cases circumstances may have occurred to render the fulfilment of our promises impossible; and this, of course, entirely alters our position and