the battle to the strong, neither riches to men of understanding.' Then are their souls of more value than others? No. On the scale of eternity the meanest and mightiest stand equal. Then are they happier than others? No. Those only who have laid up treasures in heaven are called to rejoice, yea, even to rejoice always. Then doth the church invest them with more authority than others? No. If there come into your assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment, and ye have respect unto him that hath the gay clothing-are ye not partial in yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts.'

Not more foolish is it to be elated by affluence than to trust in it. Can a man with all the multitude of his possessions ransom his own soul, or his poorest brother? No. Is a man sure to retain the riches he has won? No. Scripture calls them with emphasis uncertain'-they take to themselves wings and flee away. Does wealth exempt from the grave? Alas! the small and the great lie down together in the dust: death cannot be bribed by the costliest offerings to stay one moment his resistless, relentless arrow. We brought nothing into the world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out: what doth it profit a man to gain the whole world, if he be a castaway in the end?

Let all then cease from vain boasting. Let all renounce their sinful reliance on the creature which perisheth. O that through the Spirit of grace we were enabled rather humbly to trust in the living God, and to glory in him! From him cometh down every good and perfect gift-he giveth us richly all things to enjoy he too taketh away, and when he takes, he takes but what he gave. Surely then our duty is to acknowledge the gracious Author of our mercies -our privilege ought to be to use what he hath conferred for his glory. The scripture teaches us in all estates of life to consider ourselves as stewards of God. Whenever, therefore, we act as our own masters, or employ what we possess for our own selfish purposes, we are embezzling the property of another. God forbid that any of us should be tempted of satan to hoard up our money, or to squander it on our lusts, while multitudes around us are pining in penury, or perishing for lack of knowledge, and we lift not a hand to relieve them! Otherwise we will subject ourselves to the curse, 'Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten; your gold and silver are cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you.'

TWENTIETH DAY.-MORNING.

'Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself,' Heb. xii. 3. BITTER was the opposition which the Lord Jesus encountered on the earth in accomplishing the salvation of men. 'He came unto his own-but his own received him not.' He wrought miracles in their presence in attestation of his divine mission, such as divine power alone could have achieved; they imputed them to devils, or idly demanded more. A life of holiness and meekness, and love celestial, such as the world never saw before, he exhibited to their eye; they laboured strenuously to traduce it and to revile it. Lessons of wisdom such as man never spake, he taught in their synagogues, and by their way-sides; they listened but to mock, and cavil, and blaspheme. From his birth to his death he was a man of sorrows-despised and rejected of men-stricken, smitten, afflicted, oppressed. And how did the Saviour bear himself under the cruel treatment which he experienced. Patiently he endured all; -as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, he opened not his mouth. Had he chosen he could have confounded his enemies by an interposition of miraculous power, he could have summoned legions of angels from heaven to protect and defend him. But it behoved him to submit to whatever the Father sent,-and his own love to men prompted him to undertake. And so he endured the contradiction of sinners against himself;-when he suffered he threatened not-for the joy that was set before him he bore the cross, despising the shame. Now this blessed example of humility, and gentleness, and patience unparalleled, it is the duty of every follower of the cross to look unto-well and seriously to consider. Alas, it is too seldom the theme of our prayerful meditations-too seldom the model after which we strive to regulate our life!

How striking an argument does the survey of it furnish against pride!

Who will presume to cherish a single 'high imagination' in the presence of the meek and lowly Jesus? The disciple is not above his master, neither the servant above his lord.

How striking an argument does the survey of it furnish against revenge?

All hatred, and malice, and ill will, are rebuked by the spectacle. O how can I look to my Saviour loving his enemies, praying for them, in life and death, yea weeping over them, without casting away from me, as the poison of the soul, every malignant thought which satan may prompt against my brother!

None of our sufferings can once be compared with the sufferings of Jesus. No anguish of our spirits can at all approach to the intensity of his, when with men and devils leagued against him, and the burden of a world's guilt on his head, and the light even of God's face hidden, he cried, 'Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me;' yet hear his prayer in the midst of his agony, 'not my will, but thine be done.' O that the same mind was in us which was in him! Sinless himself, he endured all the contradiction of sinners without a murmur. And why should a living man complain, a man for, the punishment of his sins;-what are our sufferings compared with our sins?

Patience is one of the fairest jewels in the Christian's crown. There are men who brand us as dastardly and faint-hearted when we render not back railing for railing. The fantastic honour of the world-fantastic in its murder-arms itself at all points with daggers, and demands a brother's blood in compensation for his hasty word! O it is nobler far to bear, and to forgive -to fear to break God's law more than to fear the reproach of men! Our Master, when he was reviled, reviled not again;-when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him who judgeth righteously. O that the same mind was in us which was in him! I will look to Jesus-and be patient of injury-gentle and resigned under reproaches. I will look to Jesus -and never in the evil hour charge my God foolishly, nor ever suspect his love, nor ever question the truth of his promises. I will look to Jesus, and faint not at hope deferred, or hope blighted. I will look to Jesus-and though he should slay me, yet will I trust in him. Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

In

Paul to Timothy, after recounting the troubles himself had encountered in the service of his Master, 'yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.' This persecution is of various sorts: it suits itself generally to the temper and spirit of the age. former times it manifested itself by stripes, and imprisonments, and spoiling of goods, and torturings, and murders. Of late it has assumed a milder appearance-but its hostility is not the less inveterate, and it may be even more dangerous than of old. Now, the chief weapons it wields are ridicule and reproach-feeble in themselves indeed—but deadly when dexterously applied. It catches at the failings of the weak brother, and the life of the formalist belying utterly his profession, that alike on both and on all it may fasten the brand of hypocrisy. Our prejudices, and indiscretions, and infirmities, and inconsistencies, all furnish fuel for its satire-and the paltriest misrepresentation, when pointed with a sarcasm, will always find minds silly enough to laugh. It sets itself to invent all kinds of calumnies and nicknames against us. It calls us bigots and fanatics. It accuses us of spiritual pride and all uncharitableness. fects to deride us as weak in intellect, and sour, and gloomy, and morose of heart. Every possible evil report it delights to retail—and believes every one. Sedition, deceit, dishonesty, treachery-there is no charge so odious which it is ashamed to forge and to apply.

It af

Now, it is hard to be evil spoken of. It is very hard to be reviled and despised. No man likes to be laughed at. Alas! how many have refused to take up the cross lest it should subject them to the reproach of the godless and profane. How many have fallen from the faith of their fathers, that they might avoid the raillery of dissolute wits!

Ah! but Jesus hath said, 'Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you.' Blessed are ye and surely those whom he calls blessed are blessed indeed; he who calls them blessed can make them so.

Fear not then the reproach of the scoffer, neither be afraid of his revilings.' Why should we fear? His evil words are false-and if we do not live down the slander on earth, the judgment-day will surely vindicate our name before the universe. Why should we fear? Similar treatment have all the saints of God in times past encountered-and with so large and so

Yea, the more we are tried-the more we suffer—the more bitterly we are maligned-just the more sweetly will the Lord lift his face on us, the more of his grace and strength will he vouchsafe to us. He remembers what himself was called to endure at the hand of a gainsaying world and he cannot fail to sympathize with his people. 'I will glory therefore in infirmities, in reproaches, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake for when I am weak, then am I strong.' O there is no possible situation on earth-not even the one of bitterest calumny and sorest pain-which may not be made 'blessed' to the followers of the cross! How often has the furnace of affliction, seven times heatedhow often have the fire, and the wheel, and the rack, and the dungeon's gloom, testified of the glorious consolations of the everlasting gospel, of the sweet fellowship which the Lord holds with his own in the evil hour? The blasphemer has been awed into silence- the persecutor has gnashed his teeth at the sight! 'Plead my cause, O Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me; say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even to my cause, my God and my Lord-and my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness, and of thy praise, all the day long.'

Now, it is true, that the devil is called the 'prince of this world,' and that he is permitted to employ the vanities and honours of the world as baits, wherewith to lure his votaries to perdition. But to pretend that God has handed over absolutely to him the government of the world, that he may dispose of it as he pleases, is a vilo and impudent falsehood.

All these things will I give thee,' said he, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.'

It was an awful condition: and yet many, many, do not shrink from taking him at his word.

Nakedly and literally stated, indeed, all repudiate his proposal. We have heard in story of men who sold themselves to satan at a priceand after their bartered round of rioting had run, were caught down to hell. There were no such men. Were the devil to say to the proudest and most reckless sinner of the race, 'Come and enlist under my banner, and you shall have as much of wealth, and honour, and feasting as you like for a specified time, and then you shall take up your abode with me for ever;' at the offer the proudest and most reckless sinner would recoil in horror. Ah! but the tempter is too cunning to avow such conditions of entering into his service-and they are often accepted without a paction! As Esau sold his birth-right for a mess of pottage, how many a man barters away the peace of his eternity for a little, a very little portion of this world's good things! As the zeal of many a flaming patriot has been strangled by a ribbon-how many are there who sacrifice every hope of the inheritance of the saints, to the glittering bribes-the poor and worthless but glittering bribes-which pleasure or ambition holds out to them! Satan shows them the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them-he holds out to them the lust of

the flesh, and the lust of the eye, and the pride of life—and he says to them, 'fall down and worship me,' and they straightway fall down and worship him. It is well to remind all such fools that they are hearkening to a deceiver and a liar. He cannot give them even what he promisesand he is misleading them into ruin. It is not in his power even to bestow money on them; if he do so for a time, it will be taken away just when they most need it. He cannot give health