ever lofty and refined, is "not our being's end or way," God desires that we should be blessed. He promises it to such as serve him; and never is that promise more strikingly fulfilled than when we seek the spiritual welfare of others. What profound satisfaction does the memory of philanthropic endeavour produce! Shame and regret are awakened by the recollection of much money that we have wasted foolishly on ourselves, but none by a recollection of that bestowed on attempting the evangelization of others. Its retrospect affords not one pang. Our sole source of lamentation is this-that we have not done more. Goodness, too, is developed by practical beneficence. Nothing renders us more God-like. The sermon on the Mount tells us in what we may resemble Him whose name is love; we are exhorted to deeds of kindness, "that ye may be the children of your Father who is in Heaven;" His children by imitation and in resemblance. An ecclesiastical legend well illustrates this. It is said that when our Saviour was on his way to Calvary, a maiden, beholding Him faint and weary beneath the burden of His cross, offered Him her handkerchief wherewith to wipe the perspiration from His heated and throbbing brow. He graciously accepted, used, and, returned it; when lo! she found, as her unexpected reward, that the image of His face was left upon it. Now, while the story of St. Veronica wears too much the appearance of a pious fraud to be credited, it contains a valuable lesson. Whenever we do a good deed for Christ, or "one of the least of these His brethren," we thereby receive somewhat of His image. But, surely, after all, we have the most weighty reason for sending the Gospel to all who are without it, in fact that God has commanded us to do it. Because it is "registered" in the high court of Heaven "for transmission abroad," we should give it swift and strong pinions wherewith to fly over the whole earth. Implicit obedience should be ours. Are we convinced that it is God's will that we should pursue a fixed course? Then our conduct, as well as our tongues, should promptly respond, "Thy will be done." Some object to missions by affirming them to be a failure. "Look," they cry, "at the immense amount of money spent, the manifold efforts made, and the valuable lives lost then look at the result. What a disproportion between the one and the other! It is only now and then, here and there, that a soul is saved." It would be easy to answer this by saying that, considering the enormous obstacles with which missions have to contend, they cannot be considered a failure. Still less can they correctly be pronounced such, when we remember that Christ has said, that one soul is of more value than the world itself. Leaving these considerations, however, our reply to the objection is simply this: We have nothing to do with results, everything to do with commands. "The Captain of our salvation" has ordered us to enter upon a campaign against all the powers of darkness in the domains of heathenism. That is enough. If we are "good soldiers of Jesus Christ we shall need no further argument. Depending upon His Holy Spirit's blessing, we shall go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. One solemn consideration remains. We send the means of salvation to the degraded millions of Asia and Africa. That is well. Are we ourselves saved? If so, that is better. Let us not be in the wretched plight, the pitiable condition, of those who, while they built Noah's ark, never entered it. Be it ours earnestly to seek the gracious Redeemer whom missionaries preach to the heathen. Never is He sought in vain. He is able and willing to save. The glorious invitation is as true as ever, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.—Sent by E. NEALE. "I CAN DO LITTLE." "Ir is not in my power to do any good: I am but a poor woman, and have no influence." Such was a remark I heard but yesterday; but to speak with all frankness, I did not believe a word of it, and, indeed, doubt whether the good woman who uttered the remark would like anyone of her friends to tell her it was true. However humble in station, every Christian has a degree of influence over others, and he who has but one talent is under as much obligation to improve it for the glory of God as he who has ten. "Well, Mary," I once heard the excellent Joseph Ivimey, of London, say to a female servant who had called to take her leave of him, because she was going from the city to reside in a country town. "Well, Mary, you know you must try to do good. The Baptist Church at is in a very bad state; yet you had better go there, and pray and labour for its revival. I will," he added, "give you a few hundred tracts for distribution, and make the best use of them you can." I have never seen that lively young Christian since, but I have heard of her. Some year or two after the interview I have described, I dined with Ivimey again, when he said, "Were not you here when a young servant girl called on me before she went to ?" "Yes," I replied, "and what did she ever do ?" "Why, she went down there, and in a meeting-house that seats five hundred, she found about a dozen Antinomian professors, who had neither Sabbath-school nor prayer-meeting. She distributed her tracts, opened her Sabbath-school, collected a few pious people together, made the place too hot for an old drunken pastor, got him away, and a lively young man was placed in the pulpit. The house is repaired, a new church is organised, having about a hundred members, a crowded congregation, a grand Sabbath-school, and large prayer-meetings two or three times a week. Hallelujah, my brother. Who says a poor servant girl can do nothing?" Who indeed! the very thought is libellous against the God we serve, and the instrument for good-his own Word—which he has placed in our hands. The seraphic Samuel Pearce was asked to preach at the dedication of a meeting-house about twenty miles from his residence, whose pulpit I have often occupied. When he arrived there, he witnessed a church very few in numbers, and its members almost poverty personified. Several brethren of other denominations expressed their fears that the cause could not be sustained, and the neighbouring Baptist churches kept aloof from it as altogether hopeless. Pearce, however, was seldom discouraged, and when he entered the pulpit, he delivered to them a most encouraging sermon on "Great Events from small Beginnings." He most cordially congratulated them on the fewness of their number, and the poverty of their condition, and declared his heart-felt persuasion that God was about to do great things at B. Coming, then, to the consideration of their duties, he told them that to crowd the house, few as they were at present, was one of the easiest things in the world. Everyone, he maintained had some influence; and that now they must exert it. No one could pretend to be unable to bring one person to the house of prayer, which would double the congregation the very first Sabbath, and, persevered in, would soon fill the house. The idea, as he presented it, seemed a new one, and easy to be carried out. They tried it, and found it entirely successful. Away, Christian reader, with all those proud excuses of ours, cherishing our own indolence while thousands around us are going down to perdition. Be it remembered that our churches are not parlours, in which we are to loll at ease, but vineyards in which we are to labour; we are not called to enjoy ourselves in inglorious ease, but to be "labourers together with God" in the advancement of his glory. "Blessed are they that sow beside all waters." "Woe unto them that are at ease in Zion." HOMELY TRUTHS.-HOLINESS. "Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."-Leviticus xix. 2. THE Lord God, "Creator of heaven and earth," is holy, and by him we are commanded to be holy. We have some faint conception of what a holy being must be and how that he must manifest true goodness in all his actions. When we conceive aright of the true nature of holiness we form a liking for a being possessed of it. Certainly one whose nature is holy, who dwells in the holy place, whose laws are holy, who cannot perform an unholy act, the work of whose hands when it first came from him was holy, claims an interest in our heart's love. If we love him as we should do, we shall try to follow his example, to live manifesting his disposition. "Be followers of God as dear children." We conceive of God as infinite in all his perfections and attributes, and boundless in his love and holiness. We have believed in Christ, and through faith in him received the pardon of our sins. What is the reason why after this Christians so often feel condemnation of conscience? It is because Christians too often forget the exhortation—" Be ye holy," They seem to think that, having believed in Christ and obtained the pardon of their sins, nothing more remains to be done or enjoyed. They forget that they are to grow in knowledge, grace, and holiness. They forget to go on unto perfection, to grow up into Christ Jesus. Hence, when they should have grown up to young men and fathers in Israel, they remain but babes in Christ, and are not able to partake of the strong food suited to men. They appear to forget that they must live daily, hourly, and every moment in the fear of God, as beneath his eye, manifesting a constant conscious dependence upon and application to Christ, who has promised, "My grace is sufficient for thee, my strength is made perfect in weak ness." My friends, are we not all lacking in this matter? Remember "it is the will of God, even your sanctification." We should constantly be set apart" to glorify God. When we rise in the morning, when we go from home, when we are working with our companions, when we are trading with the world, when we are in our families, when we retire to rest, and continually we ought to remember we are God's children; and the command of "our Father which" is "in heaven" is "Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." As we profess to love "our Father" because of the very great manifestations of his loving-kindnesses to us we shall show our love by our obedience to his commands. And as Christ Jesus, our elder Brother, "in whom we have redemption. through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins," hath left us an example, we shall " do unto others as we would they should do unto us." We shall endeavour to "live holily, righteously, and godlily in this world." Brethren, if we constantly cultivate this spirit of holiness, we shall learn what it is to live in that state where "perfect love casteth away fear; "-what it is to say with all our hearts, "thy will, oh God, be done," what to grow in divine attainments;-what to be made meet for the kingdom of bliss ;-what to enjoy God below, have heaven upon earth, feel happiness constantly flowing into our souls. Let us all ever pray, not only pray for mercy, but for holiness, Christlikeness, and then, like Jesus, we shall go "about doing good." “My Saviour, make me holy now, Help me to bear them to thy throne." J. F. CLARKSON. EMMANUEL. MANY names have been given to the Son of God, each of which has its own signification. Some of these are more frequently to be found in the Scriptures than others. This may be said of the names “Lord,” "Jesus," and "Christ." The title "Emmanuel" is only attributed to him thrice. "Emmanuel was no common name of Christ, but points out his nature and office: as he is God incarnate, and dwells by his Spirit in the hearts of his people."-Wesley. "Emmanuel is a Hebrew word, and means literally "God with us." Matthew, doubtless, understands this word as denoting that the Messiah was really "God with us," or that the divine nature was united to the human. He does not affirm that this was its meaning when used in reference to the child to whom it was first applied, but this was its meaning as applicable to the Messiah."-Barnes. "Emmanuel literally signifies the Strong,' God with us.' So that we are to understand God with us' to imply God incarnate-God in human nature."-Clarke. Thus learned divines agree as to the signification of this name. Though Christ has ascended on high, he is still our Emmanuel," God with us." |