THERE is a holy jealousy in Christ, which makes it impossible for him to dwell in a divided heart. The withdrawal of the light is coincident with darkness. So, when we feel a sinful ambition or appetite growing over us, if we look up, we will see the Lord sadly moving away.

ERROR first attacks Christianity from without; but when it is conquered, it slides in disguise within the camp, so as to distract the faith it could not overthrow. Thus Judaism, when it was foiled in its outer assaults, crept inside, and putting on the christian garb, led astray multitudes whom it could not conquer. The Judaizing spirit has ever since had its hold within the church; and asceticism has established a Levitical code in place of that the Lord abrogated, and substituted an altar sacrifice for that of the cross.

SERVING GOD.

It is the law of heaven that you shall not be able to judge what is wise or easy, unless you are first resolved to judge what is just and to do it. That is the one thing constantly reiterated by our Master-the order of all others that is given oftenest. "Do justice and judgment;" that's your Bible order; that's the "service of God: " not praying nor psalm-singing. You are

So

told, indeed, to sing psalms when you are merry, and to pray when you need anything; and by the perversion of the Evil Spirit we get to think that praying and psalm-singing are "service." If a child finds itself in want of anything, it runs in and asks its father for it: does it call that doing its father a service? If it begs for a toy or a piece of cake, does it call that serving its father? That with God is prayer, and he likes to hear it: he likes you to ask him for cake when you want it; but he doesn't call that "serving him." Begging is not serving: God likes mere beggars as little as you do. He likes honest servants-not beggars. when a child loves its father very much, and is very happy, it may sing little songs about him; but it doesn't call that serving its father. Neither is singing songs about God serving God. It is enjoying ourselves, if it is anything: most probably it is nothing; but if it is anything, it is serving ourselves-not God. And yet we are vain enough to call our beggings and chantings "Divine service." We say, "Divine service will be performed' (that's our word;-the form of it gone through) at eleven o'clock." Alas! unless we perform Divine service in every willing act of life, we never perform it at all. RUSKIN.

GOING TO SEA.

"GOING to sea "enters almost every boy's head,-every boy, I mean, who lives in or near a sea-port, where he visits ships, and paddles in boats. It must be partly owing to the fine sight a full-rigged ship makes, her tall masts tapering to the sky, her flag fluttering to the mast-head, and her white sails spread like wings. And then, ships go to those far-off lands we read of; they go where oranges grow, they go where the Japanese live, they go where whales are harpooned. And to sea a great many boys will go, in spite of all their friends can say; the hardships and dangers are nothing to them; they long to brave them. Ah! boys can say so who have not tried them. But if a boy loves the sea, and if his parents do not object, let him go, and God's blessing go with him. We want

good sailors, as well as good landsmen.

Not long ago a gentleman down on a wharf in one of our ports crossed the plank to a trim looking little brig, and went on board. A boy stood near the bulwarks, looking into the water.

"Well, my boy," said the gentleman, "Who is your master ?"

"The Lord Jesus Christ, sir," answered the boy, looking brightly up.

“Ah, I am glad of that; when did you enlist ?"

"Two years coming the fifth of December, I enlisted at the Bethel, at Lordon; kept with him ever since, and always mean to. There's my sailing orders, sir," taking a small sea-worn Testament from his pocket.

"You find that compass, chart, rudder, and all, I suppose," said the gentleman.

"It puts me on the right track, sir, and no mistake," answered the boy quickly. "And what does it point to ?" asked the gentleman.

"Jesus Christ, the bright morning star. It shews me I must have a quick conscience and a right mind. Faith is my spy-glass; and I try to lay hold on the ropes of prayer."

"Do you know where the shoal-water is, and the sunken rocks on which sailors sometimes run aground before knowing it ?"

"I try to keep a good look-out, sir," answered the boy. "I know where the shoals of bad company are, and that's about the most dangerous; we give 'em a wide berth, I can tell ye."

66

Well, you find the Lord a good master ?" said the gentleman.

"Good, very good, sir," replied he; "He is a merciful Saviour; he was my mother's Saviour."

At that instant a shrill distant whistle was heard. The boy jumped up. "That's for me, sir," and away he skipped like a squirrel. He joined an old sailor on the wharf, and they were soon lost in the busy crowd. "There's a nice young fellow,"

said the gentleman to himself, "may the salt never lose its savour." Man our merchantmen with such crews, and our shipping list would not have so many lost and missing ships in it.

How much those "who go down to the sea in ships" might do for precious souls in all parts they visit, were they but themselves renewed! Do you ever pray for sailors?

ONE GENTLE WORD.

I MAY, if I have but a mind,
Do good in many ways:
Plenty to do the young may find,
In these our busy days.

Sad would it be, though young and small,
If I were of no use at all.

One gentle word that I may speak,

Or one kind, loving deed,

May, though a trifle, poor and weak,
Prove like a tiny seed;

And who can tell what good may spring
From such a very little thing?

Then let me try, each day and hour,
To act upon this plan:
What little good is in my power,
To do it while I can.
If to be useful thus I try,
I may do better by-and-bye.

The Watchmen of Ephraim. Edited by JOHN WILSON. London: W. Macintosh, 24, Paternoster Row. Price 1s. quarterly.

AMONG a number of able articles we find one by the Rev. R. Govett, M.A., baptist minister, of Norwich, entitled "The English language derived from the Hebrew." This is Mr. G's. second article, and treats of names in the vegetable kingdom, his first being on the names of animals. We have only room to give one instance.

"Our word Branch takes its rise from the Hebrew BRACH, to reach across,—a bar, a cross-beam, N being added as in former instances, to strengthen the root. Bark is derived from BOOK, to roll round. Hence comes our Book, which was formerly a roll or scroll. The R is added by the Chaldee. Sap owes its origin to the Hebrew ZaB, to flow: Gum to the Hebrew GaM, to join together." Page 42.

As such dissertations are principally beneficial to the learned, we regret that Mr.

Govett has not used the Hebrew characters and given authorities. For instance, GAM is used as a participle, conjunction, and adverb. Now a conjunction is a word which joins together as do sometimes adverbs and participles-as Gen. iii. 6-" and did eat and gave ALSO (GAM) to her husband." If that be the meaning, then some other conjunctions, adverbs, or participles would mean gum, which would entirely destroy the force of the reasoning. We have great faith in Mr. Govett's scholarship, but there is danger in this department of literature of running into fanciful analogies. We sincerely thank him however for these learned articles, and trust they will be published separately.

Sermons for All Classes. By T. M. MORRIS, of Ipswich. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row; Ipswich: Rees and Gripper.

MR. MORRIS believed that from various causes, many poor people and working men habitually absented themselves from

the services of the sanctuary. Having called the attention of his people to the fact, he proposed an experimental remedy, to which they heartily agreed, namely to make the sittings on Lord's-day evenings free to all comers, and to invite all classes to attend. The result was a perfect success, and these fourteen sermons having been preached on these occasions are now committed to the press with the hope of extending their usefulness.

Some eloquent and worthy brethren have attempted the improvement of the working classes by separate services in halls, assembly rooms, &c., by grotesque and comical announcements, as "Five shillings and costs, &c. We confess we never had much faith in these movements, pure and benevolent as were the motives of these brethren. We seemed to hear the language of Nehemiah, "I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down," as a constant rebuke to all such movements on the Lord's-day-the day especially appropriated for worship and not for popular and witty lectures. We rejoice to find that Mr. Morris strikes out, in our estimation, a far better plan, while his sermons are plain, earnest, forcible

appeals to the hearts and consciences of his hearers, and whether we agree with all his utterances or not, we believe good must be done by such works of faith and labours of love, in which we rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. Other ministers may derive good from this experiment whether they agree in doctrine with the respected author or not.

Watts's Psalms and Hymns. (Part 6.) By

J. BRABHAM. Pitman, Paternoster Row. THE above collection does much credit to the painstaking compiler. We have gone over all the tunes in this number, and highly approve of them as a whole. They are neither heavy on the one hand nor fanciful on the other-two faults very common in modern psalmody.

The Choral Cyclopædia. (Part 6.) Pitman, Paternoster Row.

WE can cordially recommend this valuable work, both as to contents and price. Many of the tunes are the essence of real music, and yet simple enough to be sung by all classes. We sincerely wish Mr. Brabham all success.

THE IRISH CHURCH.-The Suspensory Bill has reached the House of Lords, where the Lord Chancellor has given notice of a motion for its rejection. It is said that the Peers will reject it by a majority of 100. So much the better for the question at issue, and so much the worse for the House of Lords.

THE CHURCH RATE ABOLITION BILL has emerged from the Select Committee of the House of Lords substantially unaltered. The abolition of compulsion is retained in its integrity; and the clauses for enabling the Church to raise funds by voluntary contributions for the maintenance of the fabric and services, appear to be honestly devised. The committee seems to have prudently had its eye on the future, when the Church will be thrown upon its own resources, by proposing the formation of "church trustees" in each parish, who shall be a corporate body to receive all funds entrusted to them for the expenses

of the building and worship, and to hand them over to the churchwardens for expenditure. No doubt the clauses will need watching, to guard against the danger of social oppression.

A PROPOSED UNION between Evangelical Churchmen and Dissenters against Ritualism has been recently set on foot at an influentual Conference at the West End of London. About 80 persons were present, including Nonconformist Ministers. The object of the meeting was "the promotion of Christian union and the removing from the Prayer book of those forms and phrases which are used to sanction Romanism and are a great hindrance to the Church of Christ." appears that a number of ministers and others have been engaged at weekly meetings for more than a year in revising the Sunday services, the offices for Baptism, &c., and the Catechism, with the view of removing Romanizing passages, and so of

It

producing a reformed Prayer-book. Various resolutions were passed in accordance with the object of the meeting, which was addressed by Lord Ebury, the Earl of Chichester, Dr. Fry, Dr. King, Rev. Newman, Dr. Angus, &c., &c. We wonder whether these zealous Protestants really think it possible to obtain their end without the disestablishment of the Church of England.

THE GOVERNMENT EDUCATION BILL.-Under the pressure of circumstances the Government have withdrawn their Education measure. The result will be the continuance, for a time at least, of the present exclusion of Congregationalists, Baptists, and all thorough Dissenters from Government grants. By the withdrawal of the Bill there is a diminution of the proposed estimate for the year to the extent of £60,000, £14,768 of which was intended to be given to schools not having certificated teachers, which are now excluded from all aid. In the discussion which took place in the House it was evident that compulsion is not yet likely to be enacted. Local rating, combined with Government aid and children's pence, seemed to find general favour on all sides.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES. -At the great Conservative Banquet in the City on June 17th, the Premier took occasion to state that the destruction of the Irish Establishment would fatally separate the exercise of authority from the principle of religion. The "Times," commenting on this statement, the next day in its foremost leading article, had this remarkable sentence: "If the Irish Establishment be abolished tomorrow the exercise of authority would be neither more nor less connected with religion than before. If the exercise of authority be connected with religion, it will be because our legislators are imbued with the principles of our common Master, and not because of the endowment of any particular body of Christians; and this influence will survive when disestablishment has taken place." We call this sentence remarkable because it shows how light is breaking in upon the public mind on the question of Church Establishments. It is the A. B. C. of Dissent, and when so influential and far seeing a journal as the Times is found enunciating such sentiments, it may be taken as good evidence that the very principle of Establishments, of which the Irish Church is but a bad specimen, is loosening its hold upon the most intelligent minds of the country.

THE STOCKWELL ORPHANAGE. The progress of this enterprise is one of the most remarkable instances of voluntary liberality in our times. Commencing with a donation of £20,000 from one lady (Mrs. Hillyard), followed by one of £2,000 from an unknown friend, the funds have increased to the sum of £29,775 14s. 1d. Fourteen separate orphan houses are to be forthwith built on the ground, six of which are already completed. The foundation stones of two of the houses were laid on Whit-Monday in the presence of a large assemblage, by Mr. John Aldis of Reading, and Mr. A. B. Goodall, the cost of which (£1,200) has been raised by various Baptist churches as a present from the body to Mr. Spurgeon, or rather to themselves through Mr. Spurgeon, seeing that they are to be appropriated solely to the orphan boys of deceased Baptist ministers. Until our churches look after the life-assurance of their ministers such a provision will be much required.

ROME, aggressively, was never so strong as it now is in the United Kingdom. Everywhere it seems to be increasing, building new churches, schools, priories, and convents. We are constantly meeting with persistent sisters of mercy who are on a begging mission for new schools. They go from house to house, and shop to shop, at least in London, and will not take "no" for an answer, asking purely on benevolent grounds just for sixpence, and making no mention of their faith. Dr. Manning has great hopes for the future of Romanism in this country, and is frequently telling the Roman Catholics so, which stimulates them the more in their aggressive efforts. He smiles at the miserable imitations of Popery in the Established Church, while he inwardly chuckles at the extent to which they are doing his work. Our only hope and prayer is that the prestige of their position in a State Church may be soon withdrawn from these dishonest men, by the cessation of Established Churches in the United Kingdom, which would give an impetus to evangelical truth, and bind together good men in the Establishment to good men out of it, more than anything since the time of the Reformation.