or a score; and taking Him by the hand, or throwing around His neck their arms, and giving Him a kiss, should say to Him-" Master, we would have that rest." So confining the matter to there and then. Oh, no! He meant more than this. He meant that, in every clime, to every race, this offer of Rest should be made. He meant that it should be offered to you, and to me, as now it is again offered. For He is here, graciously, mercifully, present, in the midst of us two or three gathered together in His name. We cannot indeed press forward, and take Him by our cold, clammy, fleshy hand. Neither can we shew outward token of embrace by throwing around Him our arms, and printing on His sacred cheek, the kiss-whether of charity, or of hypocrisy. But He knows us all. Draw not back, faint heart, conscious of sins, thy Saviour needeth thee. Hide not thyself, thou little one, thy Saviour loveth thee. But, Oh! why should I presume to talk of this one, or of that; let the Master speak-" Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

If we could see ourselves, as others see us; and feel indeed, what indeed we bear; if we were conscious of our needs, and of His grace; bending humbly, bending truly each one here present would cast himself at the feet of the Sacred Presence, and say"Lord, give me that Rest."

As it is, I know not how the thing will be.

"Come, weary souls, with sin distress'd,
The Saviour offers heavenly rest!

The kind, the gracious call obey,

And cast your gloomy fears away."

When He

"Come unto Me," saith the Saviour. ittered the words, we are sure He did not mean'Come here into My presence; handle Me and see. ive Me your burdens; you, the burden of labour; nd you, of care and toil." More than this He meant; nd the meaning will suit us now, as them then. He now in heaven, in bodily presence; and we cannot imb up there, any how. But He has a Presence upon arth, in His Church, and from that Presence, He ffers and deals out Rest to weary souls. This is the ecret of happiness, to recognize that Presence, and o avail ourselves of that Rest.

"Come unto Me," saith the Saviour. Me, a living erson; not the hero of a romance. The personality Jesus in the Church militant, as in the Church trimphant, is a glorious fact; a blessed, and sacred, and mforting truth. Do we realize it? What is Jesus

me? A Name? A Notion? A Myth? An ideal od? Or a Friend, a Brother, a Saviour, present to e soul; realizing truth of words, which He spake another occasion-" I in them, and Thou in Me?" We personify the graces. We speak of Faith, Hope, arity, these three; as fair damsels from heaven, ing holy ministry. And shall we think less of Him? real Person; the embodiment of all gracious perifications?

What a marvellous mystery, what a consoling fact, is the incarnation of our Lord! It behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren; and He therefore, verily, took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Conceived of the Holy Ghost; He was born of the Virgin Mary; and through the coasts of the Holy Land, lived, and moved, and had His mortal being. All eyes that gazed upon Him, did not see His glory. All hearts that mused But the eyes of some

of Him, did not feel His grace. were opened, and they beheld His glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. The hearts of some were touched, and He became all their salvation, and all their desire. Drawn by the secret attractions of His redeeming love; ravished by the ineffable beauties of His goodness; won and bound to Him by the enchaining graces of heavenly sympathy; His people forsook all, and followed Him. "Come unto Me," He said; and they went to Him. "Learn of Me,” He said; and they learnt of Him. "I will give you Rest," He said; and Rest they had, even a peace which passeth understanding. Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, All, around our Saviour stand. The Person they love. The Being they worship. The Saviour they adore.

But what is the character of this Person? What are the attributes of this Being, who invites us to come unto Him?"I am meek and lowly in heart," He says. Crowds then pass Him by, borne along by

Pride, and Pageantry, and Pomp. The meekness and gentleness of Christ have no attraction for them. They dmire the pomps and vanities of the world; they nake golden images of lusts and pleasures, and bow town before them. We can hear multitudes of voices, nd echoes upon echoes, as we thread our way through Fe long and motley cavalcade, that crowds the broad bad leading to Hell. "Come to me." "Come to e." Strange rivalries and mockeries of Sin and Satan. hey do not, cannot, afford Rest. The only rest they ave, is in perpetual motion. Keep up excitement, r their rest is the dullness of death. Yet all the hile the still, small voice of Christ, is heard and unceded.

But how, Lord, shall we come? Entrance to Thy dily Presence is cut off, by the necessity of the case. esides, Thy bodily presence was never meant. How all we come? Can we make a chariot of fire, and mmand horses of fire, to take us up, as Elijah went? o! we cannot do this. Can we frame our thoughts, d our wishes, and our hopes, wisely together, and ake a vehicle of them, to bring us to Thee? No! an we tread warily, wisely, on the stepping-stones Baptism; Holy Communion; public and private ayers; reading of Scripture; and so come to Thee? > not of necessity. These are means indeed; but w many have used them, and not gone to Christ her! Take off your pride; strip off your sinful orments; survey your real character; consider your

real wants; look unto Jesus, according to the picture. drawn of Him in the Scriptures; think; pray; continue in these, and you shall find yourselves on the move towards Him, whom you love. And you shall come to Him by faith; and feeling that you are in His Presence, you shall receive of Him that boon, for the which He called you aside from the world. But this brings us to the character of them, whom Jesus invites, and who avail themselves of the invitation.

"I am

He invites all! Yes, go not away, saying, not invited." You are invited. I invite you. I, the ambassador of Christ, in His name, and by His authority, I invite you. I was sent here on purpose. Jesus Christ, through me, His poor unworthy servant, yet His servant. Jesus Christ invites you to Rest. Besides, excuse me, there are marks about you, unless I am grievously mistaken, which point you out, as the particular sort of people, to whom the gracious Saviour addressed His words. Did you not say, just now-"We have offended against Thy holy laws; we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us?" Did you mean what you said? Or is it only a ceremonial you go through once a week, to keep up appearances?

Sin is a heavy load. Yes, a very heavy load. How it pressed to death our blessed Saviour! You have confessed that it is a load to you. Besides, you have exposed to the gaze of my thoughts, tokens of private