wealth produces pleasures and honours for everlasting. 66 Its inheritance is incorruptible, its crown is eternal," &c.

II. IT IS "BETTER" IN ITS PURSUIT. It is better in the getting, the choosing. First: The pursuit is more ennobling. The mere pursuit of material wealth whilst it develops certain faculties, cramps others, and deadens the moral sensibilities. Often in the pursuit of riches we see souls that might have expanded into seraphs running into grubs. Not so with the pursuit of true spiritual wisdom. All the faculties are brought into play, and the soul rises in might and majesty. Secondly: The pursuit is more heavenly. Amongst the millions in the hierarchies of heaven not one soul can be found pursuing material good. But each pressing on to higher intellectual and spiritual attainments. Their "excelsior" is for a higher assimilation to the Infinite. Thirdly: The pursuit is more successful. Thousands try for material wealth and fail. The ditches along the road of human enterprise is crowded with those who ran with all their might in the race for wealth, but who fell into the slough of pauperism and destitution. But you will not find one who ever earnestly sought spiritual wealth who failed. Every true effort involves positive attainment. In every way, therefore, moral wealth is better than material.*

(No. CLXI.)

THE WAY OF THE UPRIGHT. "The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul."-Prov. xvi. 17.

As in every civilized country there are private roads, and high roads, ways that are occasionally used, and roads on which the common traffic runs, so in every man's life

* See HOMILIST, vol. iv., third series, p. 226.

there are occasional and incidental lines of action, and the one regular, common every-day path, the high road. The man's occasional actions are his by-paths. His general conduct, his average life, his "highway." Every man has his own "highway," the road on which he is to be found during the greater portion of his active life. The "highways" of some are crooked dirty, perilous. The text directs us to the "highway" of the upright. The man whose heart is right in sympathy and in aim, the man who has been justified by faith -made right by faith in Christ. Two things are said in the text of this man's "highway."

I. IT IS A SIN DESERTING WAY. "The highway of the upright is to depart from evil." The traveller has been in the evil that lies behind him, like the old "cities of the plain," seething in corruption and black with those combustible elements that will soon take fire. But every step in this "highway" takes him further from it, and as he moves on it becomes dim in the distance. And though wrapt in conflagration no spark will touch him. He departs from evil. Observe, First: That there is evil in the world. It is there in a thousand forms, theoretical, emotional, practical, institutional. It is a moral Babylon in which humanity lives. Secondly: There

is a way in which men can escape it. Without figure and in Scriptural language this way is "repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ."

II. IT 18 A SOUL PRESERVING WAY. "He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.' Taking the word "soul" here in its generally accepted sense, two remarks are suggested. First: That man has a soul. Whilst most men theoretically acknowledge this, there are but few who will practically deny it. Alas, thousands who are spiritualists in creed are materialists in conduct. Men live after the flesh. Matter

rules mind everywhere. Still man has a soul. Philosophy, universal consciousness, and the Word of God prove this. Secondly: That the preservation of his soul depends upon his conduct. A corrupted evangelicalism preaches that a certain sentimental belief is enough to save the soul. But reason and the Bible alike show that upon conduct the soul's destiny depends. It is true that a right conduct must have the right beliefs, and the right beliefs must be directed to Christ. But the genuineness and worth of those beliefs are alone demonstrated by holiness of life. "Show me your faith by your works." that keepeth his way preserveth his soul."

"He

Brothers, enter this "highway," the "highway" of the upright; go on no other road. "The miners," says Dr. Arnott, "in the gold-fields of Australia, when they have gathered a large quantity of the dust, make for the city with the treasure. The mine is far in the interior; the country is wild; the bush is infested by robbers. The miners keep the road and the daylight. They march in company, and close by the guard sent to protect them. They do not stray from the path among the woods; for they bear with them a treasure which they value, and they are determined to run no risks. Do likewise, brother, for your treasure is of greater value, your enemies of greater power. Keep the way, lest you lose your soul."

(No. CLXII.)

PRIDE AND HUMILITY. "Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud."-Prov. xvi. 18, 19.

AT different times in pursuing our way through this remarkable book, we have had the subject of pride urged on our attention, and so many different remarks have we noted down concerning it, that we must

now dismiss the subject with a few words. The text presents two opposite subjects.

I. PRIDE AS THE PRECURSOR OF RUIN. "Pride goeth before destruction,and a haughty spirit before a fall." Pride and haughtiness are equivalents. What is here predicted of pride? First: Agrees with its nature. It is according to the instinct of pride to put its subject in an unnatural, and, therefore, in an unsafe position. A proud man is where he ought not to be, and where he does not understand himself to be. His foot is on quicksand instead of on granite rock. He must sink. Secondly: Agrees with its history. All history shows that destruction always follows in its march. It entered heaven according to Milton. And what a destruction and fall followed. From heaven the sinning angels fell. It entered Eden, and inspired our parents with the wish to become as gods. And what a destruction and a fall followed. Examples abound in Sacred History: Pharoah, Exodus ix. 16, 17; Amaziah, 2 Chron. xxv. 15-20; Haman, Esther v. 11; vii. 10; Pharoah, Ezekiel xxix. 3-5; Nebuchadnezzar, Dan. iv. 29-33; Herod, Acts xii. 21-23. In the Church, David, 2 Samuel xxiv. 1; Uzziah, 2 Chron. xxvi. 4-16; Hezekiah, xxxii. 25; Isaiah, xxxix.; Peter, Matt. xxvi. 23, 69–74.

GOOD.

II. HUMILITY AS THE PLEDGE OF "Better is it to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud." What are all the spoils of earth's haughty conquerors to be compared with the blessedness of a genuinely humble soul? An humble spirit is better than all worldly good-better -more happy, more honourable, more acceptable to God and man. In every respect, both for this world and the next, humility is a blessing. "Humility," says Sir Benjamin Brodie, "leads to the highest distinction, because it leads to selfimprovement. Study your own

character; endeavour to learn and to supply your own deficiencies; never assume to yourselves qualities which you do not possess; combine all this with energy and activity, and you cannot predicate of yourselves, nor can others predicate of you, at what point you may arrive at last."

"The bird that soars on highest wing

Builds on the ground her lowly nest; And she that doth most sweetly sing,

Sings in the shade when all things rest. The saint that wears heaven's brightest

crown

In deepest adoration bends;

The weight of glory bows him down
The most when most his soul ascends.
Nearest the throne itself must be
The footstool of humility."-HERBERT.

(No. CLXIII.)

THE CONDITIONS OF A HAPPY LIFE. "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good; and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he. The wise in heart shall be called prudent; and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning."Prov. xvi. 20, 21.

THESE words lead us to consider two conditions of a happy life. What are they?

I. SKILFUL MANAGEMENT. "He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good." Skilful management in every department of life is of the utmost importance. First: It is so in intellectual improvement. The man who desires to get a well-informed and a well-disciplined mind, must arrange both the subjects and the seasons of study with skill. The man of greatest intellect who leaves all his studies to the chances of the hour, will never become distinguished in intellectuals. Method is of primary moment in the business of intellect. Great intellects become bankrupt for the want of this. Secondly: It is so in mercantile engagements. Men of large capital and with industry too often find their way to Basinghall Street for the want of skilful management. Whereas men whose stock-in-trade amounted only to a few shillings, with the faculty for

handling a matter wisely, have risen to opulence and power. Thirdly It is SO in spiritual culture. A wise selection of the best readings, the most instructive pulpits, and the most favourable seasons for devotion cannot be dispensed with if great spiritual good is to be got. Practical philosophy is required we say in every department of action in order to get good out of it.

II. A WELL STAYED ᎻᎬᎪᎡᎢ. "Whoso trusteth in the Lord happy is he." God is the stay of the heart. In Him, and in Him only, can the heart centre its supreme sympathies, and rest its unsuspicious confidence. God is to all the faculties and affections of the soul what the sun is to the planets: keeps them in order, inspires them with life, floods them with brightness, and bathes them in beauty. "Whoso trusteth in him happy is he." First: He is happy in his love. His love is approved of by his conscience and reciprocated in boundless measure. "Whom have I in heaven but thee?" &c. Secondly: He is happy in his policy. "The wise in heart shall be called prudent."

The

right love is the best security for the safe policy. Love is the best lamp in life's journey. In no light can the intellect see things so clearly and so truthfully. Thirdly: He is happy in his speech. "And the sweetness of his lips increaseth learning." Where the heart is staid on God, not only will there be a wise judgment, but a speech whose mellifluous eloquence will increase society in all true learning. Truly then, "Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not die when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

(No. CXLIV.)

THE OPPOSING TEACHERS OF MAN. "Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly."-Prov. xvi. 22. LIFE is a school. Every man is a learner. Though his lessons are infinitely varied in their nature and form, his moral teachers are only two, and they are in direct opposition to each other.

I. THEY ARE OPPOSED IN THEIR CHARACTER. The one is "understanding," or wisdom, the other is folly. Wisdom teaches, First: The highest truths. Truths concerning God, man, salvation, immortality, &c. Secondly: The highest truths for the highest ends. To raise the soul to holiness and joy. Thirdly: The highest truths in the best way. By symbols and sayings, by example and precept. And above all by the wonderful life of Jesus, who is the

wisdom of God. But folly teaches otherwise. Folly teaches error, folly teaches to destroy. Alas, folly has its philosophies, its sciences, its religions.

II. THEY ARE OPPOSED IN THEIR ISSUES. “Understanding here

must be taken as synonymous with spiritual knowledge, the knowledge of God in Christ. This knowledge is happiness; "This is life eternal, to know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." This is the water of which our Saviour speaks, which is in the soul, and which springs up into everlasting life. True happiness is a "wellspring" in the soul. It is (1) clear, (2) perennial, (3) life-giving. But whilst this is the result of the teaching of "Understanding," the result of the teaching of folly "is folly." It more and more deludes and confounds men.

THE FOUNDER OF BUDDHISM.

BUDDHA, or more correctly, the Buddha-for Buddha is an appellative meaning Enlightened

- was

born at Kapilavastu, the capital of a kingdom of the same name, situated at the foot of the mountains of Nepal, north of the present Oude. His father, the king of Kapilavastu, was of the family of the Sakyas, and belonged to the clan of the Gautamas. His mother was Mâyâdêvî, daughter of king Suprabuddha, and need we say that she was as beautiful as he was powerful and just? Buddha was therefore by birth of the Kshatriya, or warrior caste, and he took the name of Sakya from his family, and that of Gautama from his clan, claiming a kind of spiritual relationship with the honoured race of Gautama. The name of Buddha, or the Buddha,

dates from a later period of his life, and so probably does the name Siddhartha (he whose objects have been accomplished), though we are told that it was given him in his childhood. His mother died seven days after his birth, and the father conided the child to the care of his deceased wife's sister, who, however, had been his wife even before the mother's death. The child grew up a most beautiful and most accomplished boy, who soon knew more than his masters could teach him. He refused to take part in the games of his playmates, and never felt so happy as when he could sit alone, lost in meditation in the deep shadows of the forest. It was there that his father found him, when he had thought him lost, and in order to prevent the young prince from becoming a dreamer, the king de

termined to marry him at once. When the subject was mentioned by the aged ministers to the future heir to the throne, he demanded seven days for reflection, and convinced at last that not even marriage could disturb the calm of his mind, he allowed the ministers to look out for a princess. The princess selected was the beautiful Gopâ, the daughter of Dandapâni. Though her father objected at first to her marrying a young prince who was represented to him as deficient in manliness and intellect, he gladly gave his consent when he saw the royal suitor distancing all his rivals both in feats of arms and power of mind. Their marriage proved one of the happiest, but the prince remained, as he had been before, absorbed in meditation on the problems of life and death. "Nothing is stable on earth, he used to say"nothing is real. Life is like the spark produced by the friction of wood. It is lighted and is extinguished; we know not whence it came or whither it goes. It is like the sound of a lyre, and the wise man asks in vain from whence it came and whither it goes. There must be some supreme intelligence where we could find rest. If I attained it, I could bring light to man; if I were free myself, I could deliver the world." The king, who perceived the melancholy mood of the young prince, tried everything to divert him from his speculations; but all was in vain. Three of the most ordinary events that could happen to any man, proved of the utmost importance in the career of Buddha. We quote the description of these occurrences from M. Barthélemy Saint Hilaire:

"One day when the prince, with a large retinue, drove through the eastern gate of the city on the way to one of his parks, he met on the road an old man, broken and decrepit. One could see the veins and muscles over the whole of his body, his teeth chattered, he was covered with wrinkles, bald, and hardly able

'He is

to utter hollow and unmelodious sounds. He was bent on his stick, and all his limbs and joints trembled. "Who is that man?' said the prince to his coachman. small and weak, his flesh and his blood are dried up, his muscles stick to his skin, his head is white, his teeth chatter, his body is wasted away: leaning on his stick he is hardly able to walk, stumbling at every step. Is there something peculiar in his family, or is this the common lot of all created beings?"

"Sir,' replied the coachman, 'that man is sinking under old age, his senses have become obtuse, suffering has destroyed his strength, and he is despised by his relations. He is without support and useless, and people have abandoned him, like a dead tree in a forest. But this is not peculiar to his family. In every creature youth is defeated by old age. Your father, your mother, all your relations, all your friends will come to the same state; this is the appointed end of all creatures.'

"Alas!' replied the prince, 'are creatures so ignorant, so weak and foolish, as to be proud of the youth. by which they are intoxicated, not seeing the old age which awaits them! As for me, I go away. Coachman, turn my chariot quickly. What have I, the future prey of old age, what have I to do with pleasure?'

"And the young prince returned to the city without going to his park.

"Another time the prince drove through the southern gate to his pleasure garden, when he perceived. on the road a man suffering from illness, parched with fever, his body wasted, covered with mud, without a friend, without a home, hardly able to breathe, and frightened at the sight of himself and the approach of death. Having questioned his coachman, and received from him the answer which he expected, the young prince said,

"Alas! health is but the sport