and thirty-fold. And shall we not aspire to such height of attainment, that we may even here glorify the riches of the fulness of Christ, who has said that this is the privilege of believers: "He that believeth on Me, out of his inmost soul [for this is the meaning, the same as in Psalm xl. 8], shall flow rivers of living water."-Rev. A. A. Bonar. SACRAMENTARIANISM. "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst."-John vi. 35. UR Saviour used expressions concerning Himself which might be turned to another meaning than He intended. He did not guard His words by saying, "I am like bread, and faith is like eating and drinking; " but He said, "I am the bread of life; " and " except a man eat My flesh and drink My blood there is no life in him." He did this not only because from His own sincerity of heart it was not in Him to be for ever fencing around all His speeches, but also with a set purpose, because His speech was so plain that if any man misunderstood Him it would be the result of his own perversity of mind, and not the effect of any obscurity in the Lord's language. Thus by fixing a low and sensual meaning upon elevated spiritual language, the men of His time would be discovered to be none of the Lord's chosen, and "the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed." While He was preaching, His words were like a refiner's fire, bringing out the pure metal, but separating it from the dross, and making that dross to appear the worthless thing which it really was. It would clearly appear that men hated the light when they perverted the clearest expressions of the Lord of light into foolishness or mystery. Our Lord's mission was not so much to save all whom He addressed, as to save out of them as many as His Father gave Him; and He used His mode of speaking as a test those who were His understood Him; those who were not His and were not taught of the Father, viciously put a literal meaning upon His spiritual words, and so missed His divine teaching. To this day the memorable expressions of our Lord in this chapter remain a stumbling-block to some, while they are full of glorious instruction to others. We see the world every day parting more and more definitely into two camps,-the camp of the chosen of God, to whom is made known the mystery of the kingdom, the babes in grace who read the simple teaching of the gospel and rejoice in it; and, on the other side, the carnal host who hear the word, but look no deeper than its outward letter, to whom it becomes a "savour of death unto death," because they pervert the Lord's spiritual word to a carnal meaning, and straightway heap unto themselves abounding ceremonies, and pierce themselves through with deadly errors. I scarcely think that the prominence of sacramentarianism now-a-days is to be altogether regretted; it is only a more clear and manifest severing of the precious from the vile. There is a division as marked as between death and life, and as deep as hell, between the spiritual Church which believes in Jesus, and the carnal Church which believes in sacraments; between the regenerate who look to Christ upon the cross, and the twice dead who believe in a piece of bread and pay reverence to a wine cup. The Saviour spake in symbols, that the proud might hear in vain, that hearing they might not hear, and seeing they might not perceive, executing upon that self-conceited generation which rejected Him the judicial sentence of the Lord: for their hearts were waxen gross, their ears were dull of hearing, and their eyes had they closed.-Rev. C. H. Spurgeon. (Compare Matt. xi. 25; xiii. 13-15; Acts xv. 14; 1 Cor. ii. 14; xi. 19; 1 John ii. 19; iv. 6; John ix. 39-41; 1 Pet. ii. 7-9.) SLOVENLINESS IN DRESS. HE great folly of the age, says a contemporary, is extravagant dress. Granted. But there is no light without a shadow, no picture without its reverse. "Extremes meet" is the English of a Latin maxim, and no opposing follies more closely approximate than those of slovenliness and excessive dress. Indeed, they are sometimes united in the same person, when the habitual sloven is finest of the fine on the gala-day. If overdressing is chiefly a woman's weakness, slovenliness is oftenest a masculine one. Slovenliness in the young too often is the index of other bad habits, while it is a failing which frequently renders age, venerable in itself, repulsive. Mr. Smiles, in one of his useful works, says, "Men may show their disregard for others in various unpolite ways, as, for instance, by neglect of propriety in dress, by the absence of cleanliness, or by indulging in repulsive habits. The slovenly, dirty person, by rendering himself physically disagreeable, sets the feelings of others at defiance, and is rude and uncivil only in another form." David Ancellon, a Huguenot preacher of singular attractiveness, who studied and composed his sermons with the greatest care, was accustomed to say, "That it was showing too little esteem for the public to take no pains in preparation, and that a man who should appear on a ceremonial day in his nightcap and dressing-gown, could not commit a greater breach of civility." Like Mr. Smiles, he ranks carefulness of dress with politeness of manners. And we commonly find them associated. There is a want of politeness in slovenliness, as there is a certain rudeness in the vulgarity of overdress. With men, a slovenly dress frequently excludes from desirable society. In a subordinate position a good exterior is a sine qua non. It has been aptly remarked that only a millionaire can afford to be shabby, but a man who has to make his way must wear a good coat. The advice of Polonius to Laertes in this holds good "Costly thy habit as thy purse can buy, But not expressed in fancy; rich, not gaudy; 1 We can scarcely believe in the industry, ability, or good qualities of slatternly women. Neat and agreeable dressing is indispensable for them. The influence over a household of a neat mistress is very great. The children also are neat; the servants follow suit and are neat; the house is orderly and well arranged. A woman may be plain, and no longer young; but if her attire is clean and tidy, she may be very pleasant to look upon-pleasanter by far than her beautiful young neighbour always in a slatternly déshabillé, save when she is got up for the occasion. Her husband is glad to return home and contemplate the home picture. Unconsciously, perhaps, he finds repose in the well-ordered establishment. On the contrary, a slatternly woman, surrounded by noisy, unkempt children, and a disorderly household, gradually drives her husband to feel less comfort at home than elsewhere, and she sits down at last to bewail in vain the fate she has brought upon herself. Nor is this the whole extent of the evil. Children of slovenly parents, especially a slovenly father, fall under the ban of society; they are either slighted or shunned altogether. Though free from the same error, they have difficulty to make their way in the world. There is a prejudice against them that "like produces like " (as it often does). Their parents have not made friends, and there are no friends so valuable to us in life as the friends of our parents.-Leisure Hour. DAILY STRENGTH. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."-Deut. xxxiii. 25. "As thy days, thy strength shall be;" Cold and wintry though they prove, THE GOOD SAMARITAN. "But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, and went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out twopence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee."—Luke x. 33-35. OW kind the good Samaritan thieves! Thus Jesus pities fallen man, [ceives. When, sorely wounded, nearly slain, Men saw me in this helpless case, But He whose Name had been my scorn Gently He raised me from the ground, And took upon Him all the cost. I wait till He again shall come wwwwww TESTIMONIAL TO A MOTHER.-Mr. John C. Green, of New York, has made some magnificent donations to the Princeton College, of which Dr. M'Cosh is president. He first built a beautiful lectureroom at a cost of £20,000. Then he erected a magnificent library at £20,000, and presented £16,000, the interest to go for repairs. and the purchase of books. The last foundation is a scientific school, with endowments for professorships at a cost of £40,000. With other donations, the entire sum contributed amounts to £125,000. Yet this gentleman, in his deed of gift to the college, refuses to call it by his own name, but attributes whatever love of learning he may have to his mother, to whom he dedicates it, and calls the gift the "Elizabeth Foundation." ASKING A BLESSING.-It is said of Matthew Henry, that no journey was undertaken, nor any subject or course of sermons entered upon, no book committed to the press, nor any trouble apprehended or felt, without a particular application to the mercyseat for direction, assistance, and success. It is recorded of Cornelius Winter, that he seldom opened a book, even on general subjects, without a moment's prayer. The late Bishop Heber, on each new incident of his history, or on the eve of any undertaking, used to compose a brief prayer, imploring special help and guidA late physician of great celebrity, used to ascribe much of his success to three maxims of his father's, the last and best of which was, "Always pray for your patients." ance. |