have taken place, without my consent, concurrence, or knowledge! Great God, what am I in the world? An insect-a nothing! In the morning, O Lord, thou Great Being! unto thee will I look up.

A. We are getting very tired of our minister. For sailing; councils have been held; and on the opposite my part, I have received no benefit from his preach-side of the world, in broad noonday, what revolutions ing for a year past. He never touches my feelings, and the fact is he often preaches me to sleep. We must try to get rid of him, or the church will go down. B. I am very sorry to hear that there are grounds of complaint against Mr T., for he certainly appears to be a very good and conscientious man. I have been told by those who have been in his family, that he is a man of much prayer, and that he by no means neglects his study.

A. Well, it is just as I tell you. I go to church regularly, and I come away just as I went. It seems as if I had feeling while he is preaching.

B. Did it over suggest itself to your mind, that the fault was sometimes more in the hearer than the preacher?

A. How can that be? I am always in my pew, and surely it must be Mr T.'s fault if I am not benefited.

B. Will you suffer me to ask you a few questions?
A. Certainly.

How many of my fellow creatures have spent the last six hours in praying in vain for one hour's sleep! How many in racking pain, crying, "Would to God it were morning!" How many in prison! How many in commission of great crime! How many have been burnt out of house and home! How many have been wrecked at sea, or lost in untrodden ways on land! How many have been robbed and murdered! How many have died unprepared, and are now lifting up their eyes in torment!--And here I stand, a monument of mercy, "the living," to praise God. In the morning, O Lord! thou gracious and merciful being, unto thee will I look up. I will bemoan the vices, and sympathise with the distresses of my fellow creatures. I will try this day to show my gratitude to my Preserver, by taking care not to offend him.— Robinson.

WARMTH FOR THE COLD.

I HAD a letter and comfortable tidings from my dear B. Well, then, have you not, during the past year, father (Philip Henry), as also four directions how to greatly enlarged your business?

A. I certainly have.

B. Has it not required so much of your attention, that you sometimes have to go out in the morning without secret prayer, and even without calling your family together for social worship? And are you ot often so hurried and fatigued at night, that you irop into your bed without first going to your knees o implore a blessing? And still further, does not he reading of one chapter in the Bible now satisfy ou for several days? and are you not sensible that he world has got full possession of your mind? A. Who told you this? I am not disposed to make ou my father confessor,

B. You need not. Answer the questions to your >wn conscience. Presuming, however, that I am ot far wrong in my surmises, I ask you frankly, if t be not possible that poor hearing, rather than poor reaching, is the true cause of your not being edified inder the ministry of Mr T. He is no worker of niracles. How can you expect the good seed to take oot in your heart which you have been filling with weeds all the week? You take six days in stupifying your conscience by devotion to the world, and complain that he cannot, in one hour, raise your thoughts to heaven. You ask too much. Mr T. is not omnipotent. He cannot melt stones. harden yourself against instruction, the fault is your own.-Presbyterian.

MORNING THOUGHTS.

If you

keep warm within in this cold season.

1. Get into the sun, that is Christ. Under the beams of this blessed Sun of righteousness there are warmth and comfort.

2. Walk to the fire, that is, the word of God. "Is not my word like fire?" How many warming, comforting passages are there!

3. Keep in motion and action; stirring up ourselves and the gift and grace of God that is in us.

4. Christian converse and communion. How can one be warm alone?-Life of Mrs Savage.

NOVEL-READING.

So long as the slightest shade of uncertainty rests upon a question, we are not fond of dogmatizing; but there is, at least, one deliverance about works of altogether confident. Did we hear of any one acfiction, in the safety and soundness of which we feel quaintance who had now bidden his conclusive adieu to them all, we should not have the slightest apprehension lest either the moral or intellectual of his nature should at all suffer by it. Did we hear of him, on the other hand, much and greedily addicted to the perusal of them, we should tremble for the deterioration of both.-Dr Chalmers.

Fragments.

ACROSS the night of Paganism, philosophy flitted on like the lantern fly of the tropics-a light to itself, and an ornament; but, alas! no more than an ornament, of the surrounding darkness.-Coleridge.

O! the grandeur and the littleness, the excellence and the corruption, the majesty and the meanness of man!-Pascal.

When we are to execute the fierce anger of the Lord upon our sins, yet we are kind-hearted and spare Agag-the reigning sin, and the splendid temptation.

Our heart is impatient of seeing its own stain, like the elephant which tramples in the pure stream and first troubles it, then stoops and drinks, when he can least see his huge deformity.-Ibid.

THE solemn stillness of the morning, just before break
of day, is fit and friendly to the cool and undisturbed-Jeremy Taylor.
recollection of a man just risen refreshed and in per-
fect health. Let him compare his condition with
half of the world, and let him feel an indisposition to
adore and admire his protector, if he can. How many
great events have come to pass during the hours I have
reposed! I feel my insignificance. The heavenly
bodies have moved on; the great wheels of nature
have none of them stood still; vegetation is advanced;
the season is come forward; fleets have continued

Death ends not the life of Christians, it only ends their sins.-Ambrose.

Some Christians resemble the moon rather than the sun; less heat and less light, and subject to many changes.

THE CHRISTIAN TREASURY.

37

THE ANGELS' TEXT;

A Sermon.

BY THE LATE REV. AUGUSTUS WILLIAM HARE, A.M.*

LUKE ii. 14.—“ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will toward men."

SUCH was the text of the angels on the night of our Saviour's birth; and to that text our Saviour's life furnished the sermon. For it was a life of holiness and devotion to his Father's service, a life spent in doing good to the bodies and souls of all around him; and it was ended by a death undergone on purpose to reconcile man with God, and to set earth at peace with heaven. Here is a practical sermon on the angels' text, the best of all sermons-a sermon not of words, but deeds. Whoever will duly study that practical sermon, whoever with a teachable, inquiring heart will study the accounts of our Saviour's words and actions handed down in the four Gospels, will need little else to enlighten him in the way of godliNevertheless, since it has pleased God that faith should come by hearing, and hearing by the multitude of preachers, I will say a few words to you on each of the heads into which this, the angels' text, divides itself.

ness.

The first words of it are, Glory to God! and a most weighty lesson may we draw for ourselves, from finding the angels put that first. A world is redeemed. Millions on millions of human beings are rescued from everlasting death. Is not this the thing uppermost in the angels' thoughts? Is not this mighty blessing bestowed on man the first thing that they pro'claim? No, it is only the second thing: the first thing is, Glory to God! Why so? Because God is the giver of this salvation; nay, is himself the Saviour, in the person of the only- | begotten Son. Moreover, because in heavenly minds God always holds the first place, and they look at every thing with a view to him. But if this was the feeling of the angels, it is clear we cannot be like angels, until the same feeling is uppermost with us also. Would we become like them, we must strive to do God's will; as it is done in heaven; that is, because it is God's will and because we are fully persuaded, that whatever he wills must needs be the wisest and best and rightest thing to do, whether we can see the reasons of it or not. We must have God ever in our thoughts,

From "Sermons to a Country Congregation."

just as most men have themselves ever in their thoughts. I do not mean that we should be always considering what God is like; any more than a selfish man is always considering what he himself is like. But the selfish man does every thing with a view to self, to his own pleasure, to his own interest, to his own profit and convenience, and no more dreams of crossing his own wishes, or his own will, than of cutting and maiming his body. This, you must be well aware, is the way most men look to themselves Now I would have you look to God exactly in the same manner. But why say, I would have you? The Bible would have you, Jesus Christ would have you, make a habit of trying to obey and to please God in every thing, and thereby offering and devoting to him all your daily doings. Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, you should do all to God's glory. Then will you be like the angels, who began their text with Glory to God!

The next branch of the text is, Peace on earth. Our Saviour is especially called the Prince of Peace, because his great purposes were to bring down peace to man, and to plant and foster peace within man. He brought down peace to man; for he came with a message of free pardon from the Father to proclaim that God was willing to reconcile the world to himself, and would not impute their trespasses to men, if they would only turn to him and believe in him. Had not Jesus brought us this blessed message he would not have been the Messiah. For it was prophesied of him in the Psalms, that he should speak peace to his people, and to his saints (lxxxv. 8); and again in the prophet Zechariah, "He shall speak peace to the heathen" (ix. 10); and more strongly still in that sublime passage of Isaiah, where the prophet says, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God: speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished." Here is a plain proclamation of peace: for the warfare is said to be accomplished, or to be at an end. But when war is over, peace begins. This, however, is not all. The prophet adds how the war was

to end: "her iniquity is pardoned." From these last words we learn that the war is a war with God; and that he puts a stop to it by a pardon. Well then might the angels sing, Peace on earth! when He was appearing upon earth who was the ambassador of peace with Heaven.

Inan.

But Jesus was not content with proclaiming He further made it one of his peace to man. prime objects to plant and foster peace within Peace was his legacy to his apostles. 'My peace I leave with you," were his words to them the night he was betrayed. But what kind of peace? Truly every kind which man can enjoy peace of conscience, such as a man enjoys who knows his sins to be forgiven: peace of heart, such as a father may feel even in the hour of his bitterest sorrow, if he knows that the child whom death has just taken away s only sleeping, as the daughter of Jairus lept, and that Christ will hereafter come to vake him; peace of a mind at ease about vorldly matters, such as befits persons who have been taught that only one thing is really eedful to a reasonable and immortal spirit, hat our heart and treasure should both be in heaven, and that, with regard to our earthly vants and wishes, every thing here below is in he hands of God, who cares for us, has no pleaure in afflicting us, and has promised to make ll things work together for our good, if we will only love and fear him; lastly, peace and union between brethren, that we may all make up one body under Jesus Christ our head.

This is the fourfold peace which our Saviour came to plant and foster in the hearts of men. Now let each of us ask himself with all seriousness, Do I feel any thing of this godly peace? Ask yourselves, for instance, whether you have the peace arising out of the humble hope that your sins are pardoned. But remember, it is impossible to arrive at this, without being first convinced of sin. He that knows not the danger and the misery of being at war with God, will not feel the blessedness of being at peace with him. Ask yourselves again, whether you have the peace of heart and mind growing out of a thorough trust in God through Christ. Do you look to him as a child looks to its parent for the fulfilment of all your wishes? When he thwarts you, do you bow down? When he chastens you, do you kiss the rod? When he blesses you, do you ascribe the blessing to the only Author of every good gift? When he takes away some object of earthly love, which has struck its roots so deep into you, it tears

your very heart to part with it, do you, instead of weakly sinking under the blow, or proudly hardening yourself against it, do you meekly sorrow over it, with a patient and hopeful sorrow, like men who know that the spirits of such as die in the Lord are blessed; and that it is good for the departed to be taken away, though it is bitter for the survivor to be left behind?

There is still another kind of peace, concerning which you should examine yourselves: I mean, peace and union with your Christian brethren. Let each ask himself whether he feels any thing of that. It is no common goodfellowship, it is no weak tie that will suffice. We are to love our neighbour as ourselves: so says Christ. We are to love him, not in word only, but in deed and in truth: so says St John. We are to be one with our Christian brethren, so as all to make up one family. Nay, this is not enough. St Paul's words are still stronger: he would have us all be as it were one body, one in interests, one in affections, one in heart and mind and soul and spirit. This can only be brought about by our emptying ourselves of ourselves, that the love of Christ may flow into us, and fill us all with the same affections and desires. Have we thus emptied ourselves ? But it is useless to ask the question. Of course we have not. This is the last and highest step toward Christian perfection, which a man is allowed to take here below: and of course we have not taken it. But have we ever so much as made the attempt? Have we ever begun to fight against our own selfishness? Have we ever determined to deny ourselves, to mortify ourselves, to esteem others better than ourselves, to look not only to our own feelings and interests, but also to those of others? Have we ever begun to seek this peace and union, far as we may be from having attained to it?

If we have not done so, if our hearts cannot bear us true witness that we have any of these different kinds of peace within us, what share have we in Christ's coming? What good is it to us that peace on earth has been proclaimed, if we are still lying under God's wrath, still a prey to eating cares, still tossed about and torn by raging passions, so that our hearts are full of war? The same holy book, which tells us in one place that the angels proclaimed peace on earth, tells us likewise in another place, "There is no peace, saith God, to the wicked." Yet, brethren, though Christ may have failed on all former occasions to bring home peace to some He of you, let him not fail of doing so now.

THE ANGELS' TEXT.

has come to you once more to-day. Once more have we been permitted to hear the story of his birth, the message of the angels, the song of the heavenly choir. We have followed the shepherds to the humble stable; and our souls have looked on the wondrous babe, the Son of God, the Maker of the world, lying, where none of you would suffer a child of yours to lie, among | the cattle in a manger, and all to bring us peace. Will you again refuse the precious gift which he has come from beyond the stars to offer you? Accept it this time for his sake, for your own sakes. Begin now, whatever you may have done heretofore, to seek his peace, and to pursue it.

There is a third part of the angels' text, namely, "Good-will to men :" and a very important part it is. For it sets forth the ground of our salvation. It was no excellency or merit❘ of ours that drew our Saviour down from heaven: for we were full of nothing but demerits. It was the wretchedness of our fallen state, the seeing how impossible it was for us ever to recover by our own strength, that moved Almighty God in his infinite loving-kindness to send his Son to rescue and redeem us. He saw that there was none to save therefore his own arm, the arm of God, brought us salvation; the righteousness of God was manifested to sustain us. Well then might the angels proclaim goodwill to man at Christ's birth; since his birth was so great and wonderful a showing forth of God's good-will to us. For herein, as St Paul tells us, "God commendeth, or showeth forth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."-(Rom. v. 8.) the same purport are the words of St John: "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."-(1 John iv. 10.)

39

serpent's head,-the prophecy to Abraham, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed,-the prophecy of Malachi, that the Sun of Righteousness should arise with healing on his wings, these and all the other prophecies which speak of the Messiah's coming, are now fulfilled. The eternal counsels of the Lord are now about to take effect. His faithfulness, his truth, his righteousness, his mercy are coming down from heaven to dwell among men, that men may see with their bodily eyes, and hear with their bodily ears, the goodness of their Father and their God, who has brought to light a marvellous way of reconciling his justice with his mercy, and of proving himself the eternal and implacable enemy of sin, at the very moment when he is most forgiving to repentant sinners. It is this union of goodness, of wisdom, and of mercy, that we now proclaim and announce to you, under the name of good-will to men.”

Now, to apply this part of the angels' text to ourselves, have we any proper sense and feeling of this good-will? If we have, we shall be humble; inasmuch as we are saved, not by our merits, but by the love of God, in spite of our manifold demerits. We shall be thankful; for: surely kindness like this ought to fill our hearts with gratitude. God's love toward us should beget in us love toward him. Above all, we should be full of faith, trusting that he who has begun so excellent a work will bring the same to good effect,-that he who for our sakes gave his only Son to live a poor and humble life, and to die a painful and shameful death, will toTogether with that Son freely give us all things.. We cannot suppose it was a pleasure to the Son of God to suffer the pains of infancy, the labours and mortifications and trials of manhood, the pangs of a cruel death. It was no pleasure to him to quit the glories of heaven in order to dwell in lowliness and contempt. Why then did he undergo all this? From good-will to save man. And think you he will leave this salvation imperfect, and so render his incarna tion, and birth, and human life and death, of no avail? O no! he must desire to finish his work; he must be anxious to make up the crown he has toiled and bled for, by placing in it all the jewels, all the souls he can gather. He will never be wanting to us, if we are not want

But though this love of God for his sinful creatures is worthy of all gratitude and praise, the good-will declared in the angels' text means something more than mere love. The word which we translate good-will is a word very full of meaning, and signifies that mixture of goodness and kindness and wisdom which leads to good and wise plans. The good-will then in the angels' text is no other than the great and mereiful purpose of our redemption: and had one of the angels enlarged on the text, we may conceive him expressing himself after the following to ourselves. ing manner:-"This night, O man! is our Father and your Father carrying into effect that wonderful plan which he has prepared ever since the fall of Adam. The prophecy to Adam, that the seed of the woman should bruise the

Thus have I spoken to you on the angels' text, and in so doing have spoken of man's salvation. The end of the whole is God's glory; the means is peace on earth; the sole motive is goodness and loving-kindness to us miserable