of an humble Christian. Our time and talents would be primarily devoted to our Lord and Master, and so ardent and earnest would be our desire to discharge the duty we owe him, that in the strong and forcible language of scripture, "It would be our meat and our drink to do his will." If we contrast the short and uncertain period of human life, with the endless duration of eternity, and consider how little beyond food and raiment we can enjoy while here, that the surplus will be of no use to us in the world whither we are hastening, and that riches left to children often prove a curse instead of a blessing, it may serve to weaken our attachment to wealth, and moderate us in the prosecution of worldly business.

PROFANE SWEARING.

It is difficult to account for a practice which gratifies no passions and promotes no interest, unless we ascribe it to a certain vanity of appearing superior to religious fear which tempts men to make bold with their Maker. If there are hypocrites in religion, there are also, strange as it may appear, hypocrites in impiety-men who make an ostentation of more irreligion than they possess. An ostentation of this nature, the most irrational in the records of human folly, seems to be at the root of profane swearing. It may not be improper to remind such as indulge in this practice, that they need not insult their Maker to show that they do not fear him; that they may relinquish this vice without danger of being supposed to be devout; and that they may safely leave it to other parts of their conduct to efface the smallest suspicion of their piety.

TEMPTATION.

THE only thing to which men do not appear to be naturally alive and awake, is the state of their immortal souls-They are in the midst of temptations every hour of their lives; and they appear at home when they are surrounded by their enemies. There is no alarm, no watchfulness. They watch against other things-against poverty, sickness and robbery. This state the Scriptures describe to be a kind of watchful sleep, and when the word of God summons the world to Salvation by Christ, it says, "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." And again, Awake to righteousness, and sin not. How many of those who call themselves the disciples of Christ are sleeping this day in security, as if they had no Master that watched, and prayed, and bled, and died for them all? Where is temptation not to be found? In what shape does it not appear ? under what disguise does it not present itself? And what means does it not employ to ruin our salvation? It meets us in the market-places, and thrusts itself into our bargains; it offers gold, it offers silver, it leads us into the house of riot and intemperance; it brings wine and goblets, and says, Eat and drink, for to-morrow you die; it turns us from men to beasts, and having deprived us of our senses and our reason, it puts the weapon into our hand, bids us to commit violence and murder; it sits at our sides at our meals, and joins in our conversations; it creeps in our minds; and poisons our thoughts; it puts venom and impurity upon our tongues; it hides our bibles from us, or it shuts them when we open them.

Sometimes it crosses our path like a serpent: sometimes it steals upon us like a thief; sometimes it comes muffled as a friend; sometimes it rushes upon us like an assassin. It is about our path and about our bed, and spieth out all our ways-how, then, shall any man pretend to say, that he is to sit still and sleep, and that every power of his soul is not to be in arms, with such a spectre as this following him through life?

PRIDE.

THERE is no affection of the mind so blended in human nature, and wrought into our very constitution, as pride. It appears under a multitude of disguises, and breaks out in ten thousand different symptoms. Every one feels it in himself, and yet wonders to see it in his neighbour. Man is a sinful, and ignorant, and miserable being; and these three reasons why he should not be proud, are, notwithstanding, the reasons why he is so. To be proud of virtue, is to poison yourself with the antidote; to be proud of knowledge, is to be blind in the light; to be proud of authority, is to make your rise your downfall. The best way to humble a proud man is to take no notice of him.

SINCERITY.

WHAT is sincerity? And what is sincerity in the belief of an error? Is a feeling or action of course right and approvable, or does it admit of an apology, because it is sincere? Let us look at some things which we do with great and undoubted sincerity. Men sometimes hate one another

most sincerely. But is sincere hatred an innocent exercise? and is it an apology for one man's hating another, if he is sincere in it? Men do sometimes abuse one another with all their hearts, i. e., sincerely, by slanderous treatment of each other's character's. They talk out their feelings of animosity toward each other, just as they are; and their words and actions in so doing are doubtless an exact picture of their inward thoughts and feelings. And the Searcher of hearts sees that they are, really, sincere in abusing one another. But is their sincerity in so doing a sanction for so doing? Have you a right to talk and act as you please, if you will only talk and act just as you feel? Sincerity is a relative term. It asserts good or evil of a being, according to the nature of his actions. Gabriel sincerely loves God: and Satan sincerely hates him. Is there any doubt that the one is holy in his sincerity, and the other sinful? A pious man sincerely believes and loves the truths of God's word; an unconverted man, in different degrees of obviousness, sincerely dislikes the same truths. Is there any doubt that the first is approved of God, and that the latter are justly held guilty and condemned?

THE STREAM OF LIFE.

LIFE bears us on like the stream of a mighty river. Our boat, at first, glides down the narrow channel, through the playful murmuring of the little brook and the winding of its grassy border. The trees shed their blossoms over our young heads, the flowers on the brink seem to offer themselves to our young hands; we are happy

ín hope, and we grasp eagerly at the beauties around us-but the stream hurries on, and still our hands are empty.

Our course in youth and manhood is along a wider and deeper flood, amid objects more striking and magnificent. We are animated by the moving picture of enjoyment and industry passing before us; we are excited by some short-lived disappointment. The stream bears us on, and our joys and our griefs are alike left behind us. We may be shipwrecked, but we cannot be delayed; whether rough or smooth, the river hastens towards its home, till the roar of the ocean is in our ears, and the tossing of its waves is beneath our feet, and the land lessens in our eyes, and the floods are lifted up around us, and we take our leave of earth and its inhabitants, until our further voyage there is no witness save the infinite and eternal.

Redemption by the blood of Christ is the ground-work of the majestic triumphant song of praise in heaven, and a disposition to join in it our chief capacity for, and actual happiness in, time and eternity.

SENSIBILITY.

It is very easy to cherish, like Sterne, the sensibilities that lead to no sacrifices and to no inconvenience. Most of those that are so vain of their fine feelings are persons loving themselves very dearly, and having a violent regard for their fellow-creatures in general, though caring little or nothing for the individuals about them. Of sighs and tears they are profuse, but niggardly of their money and their time.