hopeless. Why? (1.) As something ever to deplore. As long as there is life there ought to be a broken spirit. Repentance towards God ought to last till we have come out of the valley of the shadow of leath, and God himself has wiped away all tears. (2.) As a beacon ever to warn. The vision of our guilt reminds us that we are yet in treacherous seas, and lets us see the rocks and quicksands where we made shipwreck of faith and a good conscience. (3.) As a fact ever to humble. (4.) As a condition ever to advance.

Preston.

H. J. MARTYN.

THE ENMITY SLAIN.

(( Having slain the enmity thereby."-Eph. ii. 16.

THE Gospel makes no distinction between man and man; the terms bond, free, poor, rich, learned, and ignorant, are unknown to the Gospel dispensation; all are equal here, and the cause of every strife is destroyed, because every <listinction is abolished; SO that the bond and free are one; the Jew and the Gentile are friends, and one in Christ, who hath slain the enmity that existed between them and hath reconciled both to God.

I. THE SLAIN. The victim is enmity between man and God. (1.) The enmity is long standing. Man often has

a love for the antique. Age is honoured, but this enmity, though old, merits no honour. Though old, none of the impressions of age are visible on it. It is as active and strong now as ever: the parents die, but the enmity remains in the family from age to age. (2.) It is an unjust enmity. It is often the case in natural strifes and contentions that blame is attached to the party hated. But there is no blame in God. All the blame is on one side. Man has received nothing but kindness from his Maker, still he harbours hatred in his bosom. (3.) An enmity that cannot be concealed as long as it lasts. When first felt in the bosom of man it manifested itself in his endeavour to hide himself from the sight of God.

II. THE SLAYER. THE CROSS OF CHRIST. (1.) It is slain by the cross because here both parties can meet. Many strifes would cease if it were possible to bring the enemies to the same place to talk the matter over. The effect of sin is to drive man from God, and Satan is victorious as long as he is able to keep man at a distance from God; but once the distance is annihilated, the enmity will be destroyed. The cross of Christ is the only place where God and man can meet to reason together. Here an atonement is made. (2.) It is slain because of the love that is here manifested. Love destroys enmity. "But God com

mendeth his love towards us," &c. "The atmosphere surrounding the cross is so full of love that no enmity can breathe in it and live.

CYMRO.

THE DISCIPLES IN THE STORM.

"Lord, save us : we perish."Matt. viii. 25.

THIS prayer of the disciples is the prayer of those that felt their danger, and the prayer of men depending upon another. "Lord save us.' Suggestions from this narrative are

I. That the voyage of life, even to the disciples of Jesus,

is sometimes stormy.

II. That the disciples are at times alarmed in the storms.

III. That the disciples have ever One near them who is able to calm every storm.

IV. That, of all voyages, the most dangerous is the voyage of life without the company of

Jesus.

CYMRO.

THE PURE HEART. "But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." -1 Sam. xvi. 7.

GOD only can look on the heart. This is the principle of his rule. Hence we are often so perplexed in regarding his ways.

I. The HIGHEST FAVOURS FOR THE PURE HEART. The Lord looketh on the heart— the inner man-observes it, and gives his grace accordingly. The heart alone is susceptible of his truer and higher gifts. Hence our eye should be on our heart. Nothing outward will please Him, nothing outward should please or mislead us only the real is really good and worth cultivating.

II. THE NOBLEST WORK DONE BY THE PURE HEART. The history in the text is the choice of a king; through this king God would bless the people. God's king, the pure in heart; men do not see the crown, God does: their work often quiet, but always accepted of God. The noblest work done, not by gifts, but graces, in the kingdom of God. Purity a greater power than knowledge. Theirs the work that abides David's Psalms. Not great works done in the name of Christ the acceptable service, but love flowing out of a pure heart.

It does not follow that gifts should be despised. On the contrary, they are of God; but gifts must be placed at the service of purity. Get your heart right.

R. V. PRYCE, LL.B., M.A.

"I would have every minister of the Gospel address his audience with the zeal of a friend, with the generous energy of a father, and with the exuberant affection of a mother."-FENELON.

THE DISTINGUISHED FEATURES OF THE CHURCH AT THESSALONICA.

Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father."-1 Thess. i. 3.

IN these words we find three things which characterised this church:

I. ACTIVE FAITH. "Your work of faith." The energy of their faith was shown, First: In their full persuasion of the truth and value of the Gospel. "For our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." (Ver. 5.) The energy of their faith was shown

Secondly: In their firm and steadfast adherence to the Gospel in the midst of severe trials. 66 'Having received the word in much affliction." (Ver. 6.) The energy of their faith was shown

The energy of their faith was shown

Fourthly: In the efforts which they had put forth to diffuse the Gospel. "For from you sounded out," or rather hath sounded out, "the Word of the Lord," &c.

II. LABORIOUS LOVE, "And labour of love." This implies

First Great solicitude for the welfare of others, both temporal and spiritual. This implies

Secondly Self-denying exertions to promote the welfare of others. (Heb. vi. 10.)

"And

III. PATIENT HOPE. patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.' 66 Hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" is incorrect. The original has, "Hope of our Lord Jesus Christ"-i.e., of his coming the great subject of the epistle." ALFORD. This implies

First: A conviction that Christ will come. It implies—

:

(No. CXL.)

SOCIAL DISCORD.

"A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife."-Prov. xv. 18.

THE text leads us to consider three things:

I. THE EVIL OF SOCIAL DISCORD. It is implied that strife is an evil, and so it is-First: In its essence. Ill feeling is a bad thing. It is opposed to the great moral law of the creation-the law of universal love.

"Be not angry with each other,

Man was made to love his brother."

So said the poet postman of Devonshire; and the utterance is divinely true. Souls were made for love; conscience and the Bible show this.

111 feeling is everywhere prohibited, and love everywhere inculcated in the New Testament. "He that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love."

It is evil-Secondly: In its influence. Strife in a family, in a church, or in a nation, is most baneful in its influence. It obstructs progress, it entails miseries, it dishonours Christianity. Strife is one of the worst of social fiends. It is the spawn of hell.

II. THE PROMOTION OF SOCIAL DISCORD. How is it promoted? By the malicious. "A wrathful man stirreth up strife." Men can only give to society what is in them. They sow their own passions in society, and like begets like; the wrathful man produces strife. There are men and women in society who

are

somehow or other terribly charged with the malign. "The poison of asps is under their lips. They are social incendiaries. By their temper, their inuendoes, their

slanders, they kindle, feed, and fan the flame of social strife. Social discord is the music of their souls. "Hatred stirreth up strife."*

III. THE APPEASERS OF SOCIAL DISCORD. "He that is slow to anger appeaseth strife." "A soft answer turneth away wrath." "It is an easy matter," says Plutarch, "to stop the fire that is kindled only in hair, wool, candlewick, or a little chaff: but if it once have taken hold of matter that hath solidity and thickness, it soon inflames and consumes - advances, the highest timber of the roof, as Eschylus saith; so he that observes anger, while it is in its

eginning, and sees it by degrees smoking and taking fire from some speech or chaff-like scurrility, he need take no great pains to extinguish it; but oftentimes puts an end to it only by silence or neglect. For as he that adds no fuel to fire hath already as good as put it out, so he that doth not feel anger at the first, nor blow the fire in himself, hath prevented and destroyed it."

As certain as water quencheth fire, love will extinguish strife.

though generally overlooked, is obviously true, and of great practical importance. A lazy man, though legally he may pay every man his due, is notwithstanding dishonest. He lives on the labours of other men: his life is a life of larceny. The divine law is that if a man does not work, neither should he eat. The slothful servant Christ calls wicked. The text indicates the tendency of the indolent and the righteous.

I. THE TENDENCY OF THE INDOLENT IS TO CREATE DIFFICULTIES.

"The way of the slothful man is an hedge of thorns." Deep in the moral nature of man is the feeling that he ought to work; and the slothful man endeavours to appease this feeling by making excuses. Whatever way is pointed out for him to walk in, intellectual, agricultural, mercantile, mechanical, professional, to him is full of difficulties. Thorns lie everywhere in his path. First: In the commencement he sees thorns, and he is loth to move. Though his lazy limbs are reluctant to move, his imagination is active in creating difficulties. It plants hedges of thorns everywhere before him. Secondly: In the pursuit he sees thorns. He has, commenced, but he cannot go on. New thornbushes appear, and he is afraid of being scratched. The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold. A terrible evil is this indolence, and a very prevalent one, too. "Indolence," says Baxter, "is a constant sin, and but the devil's home for temptations and for unprofitable distracting musings." Ask me to characterize indolence, and I would say it is the drag-chain on the wheel of progress; it is the highway to pauperism. It is the incubator of nameless iniquities, it is the devil's couch.

II. THE TENDENCY OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS TO OVERCOME DIFFI

CULTIES. "But the way of the righteous is made plain." Honest industry plucks up the real thorns from the road; it levels

It

and paves as it proceeds. What has it not accomplished? has literally said to mountains "depart," and they have departed. And in removing these difficulties strength is gotten; the difficulties of labour are, in truth, the blessings of labour. "Difficulty," says Burke, "is a severe instructor, set over us by the supreme ordinance of a parental guardian and legislator, who knows us better than we know ourselves, and He loves us better too. He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves, and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. This amicable conflict with difficulty obliges us to an intimate acquaintance with our object, and compels us to consider it in all its relations. It will not do for us to be superficial."

(No. CXLII.)

CONTRASTS.

"Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly. Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established."-Prov. xv. 21, 22.

THERE seems to be a threefold contrast in these words.

I. FRIVOLITY AND PROGRESS. (1.) Frivolity. "Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom." The man destitute of wisdom has pleasure in folly. He does not merely practise his absurdities, but he rejoices in them. He finds his paradise, such as it is, in the nonsense, the fooleries, the empty gaieties, the painted bubbles of life. "These are as the sweet morsel under his tongue." In realities, especially realities of a moral kind, he hasno pleasure, no interest. (2.) Progress. "A man of understanding walketh uprightly." It is implied that the frivolous man, who is destitute of understanding makes no progress in righteousness. If he walks at all it is roughly, and the man of true wisdom moves in the path of life with a soul erect in virtuous sentiments and godly aims. He turns his eyes away from be