"Walk in the light of your fire." You have kindled these lights yourselves, and walkin the radiance. First: the permission is strange. Does it not strike you as something wonderful that the great Father of spirits should allow his human offspring to walk on through life in those false lights that must conduct them to utter darkness? Yet so it is. Why does He not quench those lights at once? Oh, why? Secondly: the permission is significant. (1) It shows God's respect for that freedom with which He has endowed human nature. (2) It suggests that in giving the Gospel, He has given all that is necessary for man to get the right religion.

III. MISERY FOLLOWS THEM. "This shall ye have of my hands; ; ye shall lie down in sorrow." Death will put out all false lights from the soul. Who shall describe, nay, who shall imagine, the “sorrow" that follows the extinction of all the religious lights of the soul. What utter darkness! First: there is the "sorrow" of bitter disappointment. All the hopes cherished, blasted, for ever. The sandy foundation has given way amidst the tempest, and the whole edifice has tumbled to pieces. Secondly: There is the "sorrow" of poignant remorse. The soul

fierce in its condemnation on itself for neglecting the study of the religion of Christ, and cherishing its own miserable delusions. Thirdly: there is the "sorrow" of black des pair. All hopes of improve ment gone.

Brother, no religion will beam on with increased radiance up to and beyond the grave for ever, but the religion of Christ, which consisteth not in "meat and drink, but in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

THE SON OF MAN.

"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins."-Matt. ix. 6.

1. THE RELATION OF THE SON OF MAN TO THE EARTH.

It was the scene of his nativity-the development of his character-his sufferings and death-his ascension. The following illustrations show his relation to the earth. He is called the Branch of the Lord, the True Vine, the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley, the Tree of Life, Bread of Life, Rock, Door, Way, Shepherd, Lamb, Passover, the Light of the World,

fice. "And without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin." (Heb. ix. 22.) Secondly: To his exaltation and intercession in heaven. "Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." (Acts v. 31.)

III. THE RELATION OF FORGIVENESS TO TIME. "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins." This leads us to notice, first: The preciousness of time. Secondly: That forgiveness is not obtainable in eternity.-JOSEPH JENKINS.

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THE FALL AND THE RISING. "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel."-Luke ii. 34.

I. THE NATURE OF THIS FALL. First: It is a fall from the side of Jesus. Secondly: It is a fall through neglect and unbelief. Thirdly: It is a fall without hope of

recovery.

II. THE NATURE OF THE RISING EFFECTED BY THE TRUTH. First: It is a risiug with the Saviour. Secondly: It is a rising from the lowest depth. Thirdly: It is a rising to the highest position.

JOSEPH JENKINS.

ing have all they that do his commandments." (Psa. iii. 10.) Thus it appears a good understanding is tantamount to practical godliness.

II. THE USEFULNESS OF A SOUND INTELLECT. The greatest benefactor is the man of a good understanding. A man whose mind is well enlightened; impartial, religious, and practical. The thoughts of such men as these are the seeds of the world's best institutions, and most useful arts and inventions. The man of good understanding is the most useful in the family, in the neighbourhood, in the market, in the press, in the senate, in the pulpit, everywhere. Such a man "giveth favours." His ideas break the clouds of human ignorance, and quicken the faculties of dormant souls.

First: No favours so valuable as mental favours. He who really helps the mind to think with accuracy, freedom, and force, to love with purity, and to hope with reason, helps the man in the entirety of his being.

Secondly: No one can confer mental favours who has not a good understanding. An ignorant man has no favour to bestow on souls.

Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge the wing with which we fly to heaven." (SHAKESPEARE.) Let us, therefore, cultivate a sound intellect, enlightened, impartial, religious, and practical, that we may give to our race the highest favours. "I make not my head a grave," says Sir T. Browne, in his quaint way, "but a treasury of knowledge; I intend no monopoly, but a community in learning; I study not for my own sake only, but for theirs that study not for themselves; I envy no man that knows more than myself, but pity them that know less. I instruct no man as an exercise of my know

ledge, or with an intent rather to nourish and keep it alive in mine own head, than beget and propogate it in his; and, in the midst of all my endeavours, there is but one thought that dejects me that my acquired parts must perish with myself, nor can be legacied among my honoured friends."

(No. CI.)

THE WAY OF TRANSGRESSORS.

"But the way of transgressors is hard."-Prov. xiii. 15.

I. The transgressor has A WAY. How shall the way of a transgressor be described? There are three general features that characterize the way of all transgressors.

First: Practical atheism. From beginning, to end God is not practically recognised; He is not as a practical power in the thoughts of any of the pilgrims of this way. None of them like to retain Him in their thoughts.

Secondly: Practical materialism. The things that are seen and temporal, are the great dominant and influential powers: the spiritual universe is practically ignored.

Thirdly Practical selfishness. To every walker on the road self is everything; the centre and circumference of life. The interests of others, the claims of God Himself, are all subordinate to self gratification and aggrandisement. Such is the way of the transgressor. Truly a broad way.

II. The way of the transgressor is HARD. Though it is a popular way, a way which millions go, it is not altogether an easy way.

First: It is a hard way, in the sense of difficulty. Every step is a "kicking against the pricks." The traveller's own conscience, the moral sense of society, the institutions of nature, the whole current

of the Divine government, are against him. He has to struggle hard to make way.

Secondly: It is hard in the sense of results. The happiness aimed at is never fully got. There is a miserable dissatisfaction, and often moral agony. "The way

of peace they know not," &c. (Isa. lix. 18.) The wicked are like the troubled sea while it cannot rest, whose waters cast out mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, for the wicked. The wages of sin is death.

(No. CII.)

THE WISE AND THE FOOLISH. "Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly."-Prov. xiii. 16.

1. THE WISE MAN. "He dealeth with knowledge." This implies

First: That he has knowledge. Knowledge is essential to a wise man. All true knowledge has its foundation in God. Knowledge is a tree with many and varied branches, as high and as broad as the universe, but God is the root and the sap, the strength and the beauty of the whole tree. There is no knowledge that includes Him not. It implies

Secondly: That a wise man treats his knowledge wisely.

"He dealeth with knowledge." Whilst knowledge is essential to wisdom, it is not wisdom. A man may have a great deal of knowledge, and no wisdom. Wisdom consists in the right application of knowledge. The wise man so deals with his knowledge as to culture his own nature, and promote the real

"" progress of his race. Perfect freedom," says Plato, "hath four parts-viz., wisdom, the principle of doing things aright; justice, the principle of doing things equally in public and private; fortitude, the principle of not flying danger, but meeting it; and

temperance, the principle of subduing desires, and living modęrately."

II. THE FOOLISH MAN. Foolish men show their folly in at least two ways.

First: By talking about things of which they know little or nothing. There are two notable facts in human nature. (1) The more ignorant a man is, the more garrulous. Empty-minded persons are generally talkative. (2) The less one knows of a subject, the more fluently he can talk about it. The very fluent preachers are those who have never thought sufficiently on theological subjects to reach their difficulties. thinker, discerning difficulties in every turn, moves cautiously, reverently, and even with hesitation. The fool speaks rashly.

The

Secondly: By attempting things which they are incapable of achieving. The foolish man knows not his aptitudes and inaptitudes. Hence he is seen everywhere, striving to be what he never can be; to do that which he never can accomplish. He attempts to build a tower without counting the cost. (Luke xiv. 28.) "Thus he layeth open his folly."

duties constitute his mission to earth. The text teaches

I. THAT THERE IS A RIGHT AND A WRONG DISCHARGE OF THIS MESSAGE. There is a wicked messenger and a faithful ambassador. The wrong and the right way would be indicated by answering the question, What is the right discharge of our mission? He only discharges the various messages of life who does it-First: Conscientiously. The man who acts without a conscience acts beneath his nature. The man who acts against his conscience acts against his nature. He alone acts worthy of his nature who acts according to the dictates of his conscience. A man should throw conscience into every act. Secondly: Intelligently. A man should understand the nature of the grounds of his message. Without this knowledge, though he acts conscientiously, he acts not rightly. Some of the greatest crimes ever wrought on our earth have been perpetrated conscientiously. Paul was conscientious in his ruthless persecutions. So perhaps were some of the Jews in putting to death the Son of God. Thirdly: Religiously. All must be done with a supreme regard to that God whose we are, and whom we are bound to serve. No message, even that of the humblest servant, is discharged rightly if not discharged rightly towards the great Master. "Whatsoever you do in deed or word, do to the glory of God."

II. THAT EVIL OR GOOD INEVITABLY RESULTS FROM THE MANNER IN WHICH THE MESSAGES ARE

TREATED. "The wicked messenger falleth into mischief." His message, perhaps, may be a wrong message, a message of falsehood and injustice; or his message may be right, and he may deliver it unfaithfully. In either case mischief comes. Mischief to the man

himself-mischief to society. The man who speaks a wrong thing is a "wicked messenger," and the man who speaks a right thing wrongly is also a "wicked messenger." These wicked messengers, and the world abounds with them, produce incalculable mischief. Mischief springs from a wrong act as death from poison. On the other hand, the "faithful ambassador is health"-health to himself. His own conscience approves of it. He is "health" to those whom he representstheir wishes are gratified, their interests are served he is "health" to those to whom he is sent. At last he will hear the Divine words of approbation addressed to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant," &c.

(No. CIV.)

THE INCORRIGIBLE AND THE
DOCILE.

"Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured." -Prov. xiii. 18.

I. THE DOOM OF THE INCORRIGIBLE. The incorrigible is one who habitually "refuseth instruction." There are men, either from stolidity of nature, or the force of prejudice, or the power of habit, who are uninstructable. Their natures are closed against new light, they move in a rut from which no force can move them. To such, the text tells us, "poverty and shame" shall come to them. These two things are not necessarily associated. Poverty that springs from necessity, is a misfortune, not a crime, and therefore no cause for shame. Poverty that springs from sacrifice in the cause of duty and philanthropy, is a virtue rather than a vice, and therefore has no connection with shame. A poverty, however, brought on by incorrigibility of character, is