he shall set the sheep on h. s right hand, and the goats on the leftand these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righte ous into life eternal."

Now therefore a separation takes place, and what before applied to all with regard to nature, will now apply to all only with regard to character.

There is hell. Do not all go to this place? Yes, all the wicked: "The wicked shall be turned into hell, with all the nations that forget God." Their sin is very diversified; and though all go astray like sheep, they turn every one to his own way. The covetous and the cruel, the hypocrite and the profiigate, the scoffer and the formalist, the swearer and the slanderer, are all in various directions going the downward road, and will meet in the same place of torment. There is something inexpressibly dreadful in the thought of mixing with such society. And when we consider the number of the damned, their malignity, their mutual accusations, their hatred of each other, their freedom from all the restraints which check the bad and vile while here, their power to curse and tear each other, under the empire too of the devil and his angels-who would not cry, "Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody

men."

There is heaven. Do not all go to this place? Yes, all the righteous-all who are justified by faith, and renewed in the spirit of their mind. We need not ask where this place is; it is enough to know that Jesus has said, "I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again, and receive you to myself, that where I am there ye may be also." There, out of every period of time, and out of every kindred, and nation, and people, and tongue, he will gather together in one, the children of God which were scattered abroad. Here they differed in thei: outward condition, in their religious opinions and usages, and in the degree of their grace; but they were all one in Christ Jesus, and now they are all one with him. Is this candour and comprehensiveness in heaven an excellency? Let us approach it as much as possible; and as we are all going to one place, let us not fall out by the way. Let us pray, "Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity;" and let us show by our freedom from bigotry, that our prayer is not hypocrisy or formality. Many a persecuting and many a censorious spirit has had liberality enough upon his oily lips, especially at public meetings, who has only scowled hate or dislike towards his differing brethren at all other times. But the Master says, "Out of thine own mouth will I condemn thee, thou wicked servant."

MARCH 7.--"Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me.”— Luke xxii. 28, 29.

THE dying Patriarch said of Reuben, "unstable as water, thou shalt not excel." Stability is essential to excellency. Without it no reputation can be acquired, no confidence can be supported, no usefulness can be insured. Even obstinacy, which is ignorant resolution, is more allied to excellency than versatility. You may bail

upon a rock; cut what can be done on shifting and sliding sand? If a man be one thing to-day and another to-morrow; if he yields to every fresh impression like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tussed; and is governed by circumstances instead of principles; he can never display character, for character is the effect and fame of habit.

Nothing recommends a man more than stedfastness in friendship, especially when the adherence has to struggle with difficulties. This is what our Lord here commends in his disciples-They had " continued with him in his temptations."

If the enemy ever left Christ, it was only for “a season;” he soon returned again to the assault; and urged him even to infidelity, presumption, suicide, and idolatry-How well is it said

But our Lord does not here refer to such temptations, and especially those he endured in the wilderness. In these his disciples were not present—he was alone—of the people there was none with him. In the Scripture temptations do not always, nor most commonly, signify enticements to sin; but any events that morally try us in the way of duty. In such trial his disciples continued with him; they found him poor and despised; bearing the contradiction of sinners against himself; slandered; menaced; and in danger of death. And they were willing to share in the same treatment. They denied themselves, and took up their cross and followed him. They deemed it enough for the servant to be as the master, and the disciple as his Lord.

There are trials now to which they who are with him are exposed. They are called, “the sufferings of Christ;" "his reproach ;” and here his "temptations;" as they accompany his cause, and are endured for his sake. They are not all of a painful nature, or consisting in various degrees of persecution. His followers are often tried in other ways. There are the dangers of prosperity as well as of adversity. The world has its allurements as well as frowns, and is more perilous in its friendship than its enmity. There must be heresies, that they who are of a contrary part may be made manifest. There will always be many who will turn again to folly from the holy commandment delivered them, and will endeavour to draw away others. Happy they, who while the Saviour says, "Will ye also go away?" can answer, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." For, "blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive a crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”

me."

Observe, O my soul, how he insures and amplifies the privilege. "I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed untc The grant is not an estate, a province, a principality, but a kingdom! And observe two things with regard to it. First See the Saviour's authority and dominion: "I appoint unto you a kingdom.” The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: and he has given him power over all flesh, that ne should give eternal life to as many as the Father had given him. The fulness from which he should dispense to the myriads of the saved all the blessings of grace and glory, was the joy set before him,

for which ne endured the cross. It is the fruit of the travail of mi soul, and it satisfies him; it yields i afinite delight to his benevolent heart. And how must the gift be endeared to the receiver when i is conferred by his own dear hand

"The righteous Judge, at that great day,

Shall place it on my head."

Secondly-he is not only the appointer, but the model of the ap ment- -"my Father hath appointed me.' The ground of the Fa ther's appointment of him was indeed peculiar-He deserved it and could claim it. He fulfilled the high and awful condition on which it was suspended, his suffering and death. The cause of the Saviour's appointment of us is nothing meritorious; it is mercy and grace, though founded in his own claims. But the one is as real as the other; and as certain in the accomplishment; and terminates in the same state: and as far as our nature will allow, we shall partake of the same blessedness and honour with himself, though conscious that we have not reached the elevation in the same way. The Scripture cannot be more decisive than it is" we are quickened together with Christ, and raised up and made to sit with him in the heavenly places." "When he who is our life shall appear, we shall also appear with him in glory." "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me upon my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father upon his throne." And herein again we rejoice—as all our happiness and dignity will be received from him, so it will be enjoyed with him-" Where I am there shall also my servants be"-" We shall live together with him."

MARCH 8.-" And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die."-Gen. xxx. 1.

HERE we see a little of the evils of polygamy. How hard is it to maintain an equality of satisfaction where there are different claimants feeling alike in their pretensions! Yet if there be a partiality of regard, either real or supposed, what can be expected but discord and wretchedness? How much more agreeably did Isaac and Rebecca live together, according to God's original appointment, than poor Jacob with his two wives! What could ever justify a practice at war with morality and the happiness of domestic life, the fountain head of society?

Observe Rachel's ill-humour. Bodily charms with the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit would be irresistible; but a pretty face and a gentle temper are seldom found together. Rachel was beautiful; but because she bore Jacob no children, like her sister, "she envied her." There is nothing against which we should more guard ourselves than envy. It is a quality the most unlovely and diabolical. Envy is grief, not at another's wo but another's welfare. It is the rottenness of the bones; it is the bane of self-enjoyment; it is quarreling with God for making another to differ from us. It is awful to think how naturally prone we are to this vice-" The spirit tha is in us lusteth to envy.'

See her intemperate desire. "And she said unto Jacob, Give me

children, or else I die." There was no harm in the wish for offspring. They are the natural privilege of marriage. And many have supposed that the Jewish wives wished so much to be mothers, as the promise of God entailed the richest blessings on the posterity of Abraham, and because from his seed according to the flesh, the desire of all nations was to descend. This probably had some influence; but the principal thing was the respect attached to fruitfulness. In a more refined and improved state of society, intellectual and moral qualities are sufficient to obtain distinction; but in the earlier and ruder ages outward and corporeal attributes are chiefly re garded. In their modes of living too, children were an advantage and a defence. Hence the language of Scripture: "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; the shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Hence the conception after barrenness in the cases of Sarab and Manoah's wife, and Hannah and Elisabeth, drew forth such joy and praise-But what could be so censurable as the inordinate language of Rachel-"If my wish be not gratified, I shall offer violence to my life, or fret myself into the grave. In some way or other it will prove my death."

But ah! what ignorance of the future, and of her real welfare, does she here betray ! "Who knoweth what is good for a man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow?" How little was Lot aware of the fearful consequences arising from the indulgence of his wish in the choice of the vale of Sodom vell-watered, and looking like the garden of the Lord! The Jews outained quails in answer to their pettish request; but he gave them their heart's desire, and sent leanness into their souls: while the flesh was between their teeth, the wrath of God came upon them, and they died of their intemperance. They would have a king; and he showed his resentment not in denying but gratifying them. "He gave them a king in his anger, and took him away in his wrath." So here; Rachel says, Give me children or else I die"--and she died not in the failure of her desire but in the accomplishment of it, falling a victim to her second pregnancy: "And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Ben-oni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jaccb set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day." And among other things engraven upon it is this-Let you desires be under the government of reason and religion. Extort nothing from God. As to spiritual blessings indeed we cannot be too importunate; but with regard to temporal we cannot be too resigned. We are allowed to ask for any comfort pertaining to this life, but we must ask submissively and conditionally. We must implore it only if it be good for us; and wɛ must leave the determination of this to him that knoweth all things.

:

This toc is the surest way to succeed. God sees that while we are in a high fever of desire he cannot safely indulge us; but he is never unwilling to gratify us when he can do it without injury--For he "hath pleasure in the prosperity of his people."

MARCH 9.-"And God shall wipe away all tears from. their eyes.". Rev. xxi. 4.

UNLESS we knew something of the world of glory, we could not desire it or prepare for it. Yet what we know is comparatively little: and it is rather negative than positive. In our present state, our liveliest feeling of good is the absence of evil; and of pleasure is the cessation of pain. And therefore, conformably to an experience well understood by every child of Adam, the happiness of heaven is held forth to our hopes as an exemption from every kind and degree of sorrow-and "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

Tears and sorrows do not always go together. Some people have a plenitude of tears, whose emotions are by no means deep and durable. Others can seldom weep; yet they feel, and feel the more, because their grief wants utterance. Persons in great anguish are commonly beyond weeping. This is seen in criminals preceding their execution.

When it is said, "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,” t is taken for granted, that the eyes of his people are no strangers to them now. Grace does not exclude the sensibilities of our nature, but increases as well as refines them. We read of "them that mourn in Zion." And it is said, "they shall come with weeping." Religion costs a Christian a thousand tears in addition to those which he inherits as a man-for "man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upwards."

Of the tears they so frequently shed, we may remark in particular, five sources. Those which arise from secular afflictions-such as difficulties, perplexities, and failures in business; and changes, reductions, and privations in outward circum tances. Those which arise from social trials-whether sympathy in sorrow, defections in friendship, or relative bereavements. Those which arise from bodily pains, indispositions, and decays. Those which flow from moral imperfections, and which are the most distressing to a pious mind And those which spring from the sins of others; for rivers of tears run down their eyes, because men keep not God's law.

But of whatever kind their tears may be, the promise insures the removal of them. The removal has three characters. It is divine "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." He alone can do it. But he is all-sufficient, and the God of all comfort. Even here, "when he giveth quietness, then who can make trouble?" It is complete-" God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes”Who can tell what will be the last drop of the briny flood. But it will be shed. And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.'

دو

It is future "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." He wipes away many even now: but the days of their mourning