COMMENTS.-Jubilate.-Opening Latin word of Psalm 66, read on this day in the Ancient Church. This Gospel properly belongs to the Easter season which celebrates the accomplished resurrection of the Lord, foretold by Him

in it.

16. A little while.-About one day; from Thursday evening, when the Lord was speaking, till Friday, when He would be crucified. Not see me. Because of His death. His body would be in the grave; His spirit, in the words of the Apostles' Creed, "descended into hades," or as He Himself says, gone to the Father. And again, A little while From His death to His resurrection. Ye shall see me. After "He rose from the dead." I go to the Father. Not to the realm of the dead simply; but to the Father's own world of life and glory. Hence His power to return as in the resurrection.

17. Of late the Lord had repeatedly spoken of His approaching departure to His disciples. They were slow to understand it. What, however, now seems to have been darkest in His saying was the declaration that they should see Him again a little while after His departure in death, and connecting this with His going to the Father. His resurrection lay as yet beyond their conception.

18. We cannot tell. Their interest was wrought up, but the saying was at that time yet too mysterious for them.

19. Jesus knew. He may have noticed their inquiring among themselves, and their solicitous disposition. Then here, as often elsewhere, we must not overlook His divine insight into the thoughts of His disciples, and of men generally. To this point of attentive thinking about the matter the Lord had, doubtless, sought to bring them, so that His further statements might find lodgement in their minds, and prepare them, to some extent, for the events referred to, when they should come. I said. He repeats, no doubt with emphatic tone and mien. The terms were to be firmly riveted upon their attention.

20. Verily, verily. Most solemn affirmation, common in Jewish speech. Weep and lament. When His apprehension, trial, crucifixion and death should take place, and they should see

Him no more.

The world. In the

widest sense the elements of evil and unbelief; but, in its immediate sense, the rulers of the Jews, the Scribes and Pharisees, and the wicked rabble generally. He had called them out of the world, represented by these, and which now hated Him and them. Shall rejoice. Though also only for a little while, when the Lord, triumphing over it, would return. So always in this life, the disciples of Christ and the men of the world do not rejoice at the same time. Your sorrow. Also only for a little while. Turned into joy. At His resur

rection.

21. The sorrow of the disciples was like that of a woman, not only great, but also full of doubt and fear. In the resurrection of Christ lay, in a sense, a new birth for man, and thus for the disciples.

22. Now. His conduct for several days past, and His explanatory addresses brought about this state of mind. Their hopes of an earthly kingdom, to be founded by their Master, were cut off, and darkness seemed to enshroud the immediate future, their finely wrought pictures of temporal power and glory had been shattered, and they could not yet lay firm hold of the eternal forces which were drawing nigh in their stead. I will see you again. Tender words of comfort. Your joy no man taketh from you. It will base itself upon my resurrection, and partake of its immortal character, with God and man at peace.

Personal Influences.

Upon the higher Alps, the snow is sometimes piled so high, and so evenly balanced, that a crack of a whip, or the shout of a voice, may give sufficient vibration to the air to bring down the whole mass upon the travelers below.

So, in our moral world, there are souls just hovering over the abyss of ruin; a word, or even a look from us, may cause them to plunge down into the depths from which there is no return; or a helping hand stretched out to them in the moment of peril may lead them back to the safe, sure paths of virtue and peace.

Knowing that we have such power, shall we not humbly pray, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil?"

BEGIN, betimes, to teach your child the Holy Scriptures. There is nothing like it for the tender, simple heart of childhood. Daniel Webster said: "From the time that at my mother's feet, or on my father's knee, I first learned to lisp verses from the Sacred Writings, they have been my daily study and vigilant contemplation. Great credit is due my parents for instilling into my mind an early love of the Scriptures." It is wonderful how the Word of God has been preserved and its circulation and teaching prospered. But three hundred years ago a body of Romish priests made a great fire in Earl street London, and burned every copy of the Bible that could be found, and then congratulated themselves that the last Bible was destroyed. To-day, on the very spot where this fire was built, stand the great buildings of the British and Foreign Bible Society, where the Bible is printed in one hundred and seventy-eight different languages; and it may almost be said that an additional copy comes from the press at every tick of the clock.

THE times are hard, and work and money scarce. Many people must curtail expenses somewhere. Strange to say, some very good people begin retrenchment at the wrong end. Instead of dropping some of their luxuries, extra sumptuous feasts, needless eating and drinking, and wearing all kinds of fineries and jewelry, instead of plain and cheaper clothing, just as serviceable as the more expensive, and wearing it three or six months longer than usual, which by a little mending and brushing can easily be done, using their limbs instead of street cars and expensive livery vehicles, they stint the blessed cause of Christ. Many a dollar could be saved in a year without inconvenience or discomfort. They fare sumptuously every day as before, but try to make up losses and the falling off of incomes by withholding what belongs to Christ and His Church. They stop giving to the poor and to benevolent objects generally, on the plea that they must curtail expenses. One perhaps excuses himself on the ground that he has lately met with losses. Like the Sunday-school boy to whom his mother had given two pennies, one for the poor heathen and one

for sugar plums. Happening to lose one of these he used the other for sugar plums, on the plea that the one he had intended for the heathen had been lost.

As the result of this wrong reasoning the different objects of charity and religion are left to languish for want of support. Religious papers are stopped, whilst the secular and often trashy journals are retained. Money is too scarce to buy good religious books, but not too scarce to buy bad literature. Curtail expenses, but see well to it that you begin at the right end.

Our Book Table.

TREASURY PICTURES; or, Readings for the Young in the Sunday-school and Family. Compiled by J. David Miller. SEEKING AND FINDING. From the German, by Lewis Henry Steiner.

Both these works have been issued by the Reformed Church Publication Board,

907 Arch Street, Philadelphia. The first is a neatly bound volume of 144 pages, compiled from the pages of the "Child s Treasury," designed more particularly for the smaller children of the Church.

The second is another of Dr. Steiner's volume of 346 pages happy translations from the German, a The funds for its publication were contributed by Mrs. Barbara Kuhns, of Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pa. We regard this work as a valuable accession to our Sunday school literature. The late Dr. Hoffman, of BerThe young daughter of a wealthy, fashionlin, commends it highly in a short preface. able family is introduced into "good company, elegant life, high-bred society." She plunges into social gaieties. "Party followed party, ball followed ball." She soon feels a painful sense of the emptiness thirsts for something better. and vanity of fashionable life. Her soul With a friend she visits the Bethany Institute, near Berlin. She sees how cultivated ladies, after sacrificing home and fortune, here devote their life to the nursing of the sick and dying. She seems to breathe a heavenly air, and after a severe conflict with her parents, joins the happy band. The with her. One of the sisters nurses her place is quiet, but her unrest she brings during a severe illness, and gently guides her nearer to Christ. Again she returns to her friends, to a wealthy aunt, but takes her Saviour with her. A merciful Providence teaches her much in the school of sorrow, and subdues her into a meek and up this book with a view of skimming over gentle handmaiden of the Lord. We took a few pages here and there, and read half of the volume before we laid it aside.

VOL. XXVII.

NO. 5.

of Strasburg.

BY THE EDITOR.

"I am fond of people, and that every one feels directly, young and old. I never demoralize any one - always seek out the good that is in them, and leave what is bad to Him who made mankind, and knows how to round off the angles. In this way I make myself happy and comfortable."-Goethe's Mother.

The venerable city of Strasburg has played a prominent part in European history-in European literature, too. Its location near the Rhine has made it a bone of contention between Germany and France for centuries past. Although strongly fortified, the Alsatian plain around it affords no mountain protection. Within a few miles of the Rhine, its tall spires can be seen from the deck of the passing steamers. Its long and painful siege during the late Franco-German war, the destruction of many of its historic structures, was but one of many instances in its checkered history, where its unfortunate location entailed ruin upon its inhabitants.

Its founding dates back to the Romans. For almost two thousand years has it been the metropolis of this charming Alsatian country. Its merchant princes, and men distinguished in letters and the fine arts have helped to give it a European fame. In the sixth century its renowned Cathedral or Münster was founded, now one of the noblest Gothic edifices in Europe. Its spire, 468 feet high, is the highest in the world. It is 24 feet higher than the pyramid of Cheops in Egypt, and 140 feet higher

Steinbach was its architect. He died in 1318, when it was only about half finished. It was continued by his son, and afterwards by his daughter, Sabina. buried within the Cathedral. This whole family of architects are

The spire is open stone fret-work, an unroofed skeleton of a structure. The winding stairway coils around the open outside. Surely we must ascend this famous spire. A laborious up-hill work it is. On a platform, two-thirds of the way up, is a station for the watchmen, who are to look out for foxes. From here the people in the squares below around the church look like little children, and large horses scarcely as large as donkeys.

We press upward a little higher. The view is vast and grand, but trying to the nerves. Should your foot slip, might you not fall through the open fret-work, and make your last long leap on the hard pavement below? And the whole thing is so delicately built, you can hardly see how it could avoid being blown over by every sweeping storm. And a fatal sweep might just happen to come when you are at the top. In short, your mind runs in search of horrid possibilities, and you shudder at the bare thought of them, and hasten down to the more stable earth.

Strasburg is the seat of a celebrated University. This is more than three hundred years old, and has been the nursery of not a few men of genius. The medical department of the University has for more than a century been celebrated throughout Europe.

A hundred years ago, one afternoon, toward evening, two weary travelers