we ?

On which side are Among the thoughtless multitude, with imaginations only evil,-conformed to this world,-making alliance with the ungodly,-resisting and grieving His Spirit,-earthly-minded? Or, like Noah walking with God, our hearts changed by His Spirit, whose blessed influence we court and ask for,-accepted through faith in the Redeemer,―heirs of righteousness by faith,and heirs of the "new heaven and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. ?"

PRAYER.

O God, thou most worthy Judge eternal! thou hast declared thy hatred to evil!-thou hast punished the guilty! Make me to learn righteousness by these thy judgments.

My heart is evil continually. I have sinned from my youth up. Enter not into judgment with me. Wash out every stain of past guilt

in the blood of Jesus. Renew my heart and

mind by thy Holy Spirit.

Cause me to separate from the evil of the

world. May I never follow the multitude to do evil. Give me the will and the power to obey thy call, to come out of it and be separate. Repent not that thou hast made me, though I deserve this. But look upon me as I stand in the merits of Christ whom thou lovest. And when thou destroyest the earth, as thou wilt do by fire, may I be among those whom thou wilt spare. Let me be found of thee in Christ, in peace, without spot and blameless, to the praise of the glory of thy grace, through Jesus Christ. AMEN.

NOAH FINDING GRACE.

"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. "These are the generations of Noah: Noah was

a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

"And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth." GEN. vi. 8, 9, 10.

NOAH's character should be to us both interesting and instructive. They were wonderful days in which he lived, when there was not one other righteous man upon earth. He therefore must have been a remarkable character. He is mentioned by the Lord as one of those three men, who were especially righteous in His sight. (Ezekiel xiv. 14.)

And when we consider what the world was in his days, and what a wonderful exception he was to the rest of the world, we ought not surely to pass lightly over his character, but to try and learn from it what is the secret of being righteous in the midst of the greatest temptation.

L

The first thing we read about him, is a circumstance connected with his birth. We read in the 5th chap. of Genesis, verses 28 and 29, "Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son; and he called his name Noah, saying, this same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed." Lamech seems to have been a good man. He was the grandson of Enoch. He called his son Noah, which means "rest," or "comfort." And this he may have done from one of two causes. It may be, he thought he would be perhaps that promised seed, which was to bruise the serpent's head, and who would take away the curse from the earth. Or, as is more probable, he had the Spirit of prophecy, and foretold that his son should be, as he was, a righteous man, to whom the Lord would give the promise He afterwards did, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake." Certainly, being a man of faith, he was a man of prayer, and he prayed for Noah, and his prayers were heard. Such was the beginning of Noah. He was a child of many prayers. No parent prays in vain for a child.

The next thing we read about Noah is this, "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the

Lord." The "but " refers us to the verses before, which speak of all the world as worthy of death: Grace is free favour or mercy, and this did Noah find at the Lord's hands. It was this made him to differ from others, in being spared destruction, and also in being righteous while the others were sinners exceedingly.

If we could have asked Noah about this, surely he would have answered us with Paul, "I am what I am by the grace of God." In sin did Noah's mother conceive him. But God's grace, his father's prayers, and his own faith in God, changed his character, so that "Noah was a just man and perfect."

To find grace or favour in any one's sight signifies the acceptance of our person by them; the permission to draw near and speak, and even ask any thing at their hands. It always must imply being without such privileges until they are granted us. In this way Joseph found grace in the sight of Potiphar, and from being a mere bought slave, he became ruler of his household. In this way Jacob found grace in the eyes of Esau, whom he had offended, and from being great enemies they became friends, and embraced one another. So Esther obtained favour and grace in the sight of king Ahasuerus. And in this sense must every