Exodus xx. 12.-"HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER: THAT THY DAYS MAY BE LONG UPON THE LAND WHICH THE LORD THY GOD GIVETH THEE."

1953. The Fifth Commandment.—An apt reply.—An old schoolmaster said one day to a clergyman, who came to examine his school, "I believe the children know the catechism word for word." 66 'But do they understand it? That is the question," said the clergyman. The schoolmaster only bowed respectfully, and the examination began. A little boy had repeated the fifth commandment," Honour thy father and thy mother," and he was desired to explain it. Instead of trying to do so, the little boy, with his face covered with blushes, said almost in a whisper, "Yesterday I showed some strange gentleman over the mountain. The sharp stones cut my feet, and the gentleman saw they were bleeding, and gave me some money to buy me shoes. I gave it to my mother, for she had no shoes either, and I thought I could go barefoot better than she could."

Loving Obedience.-A noble little fellow was once tempted by some of his companions to pluck ripe cherries from a tree which his father had forbidden him to touch.

"You need not be afraid," said one of his companions; "for if your father should find out that you had them, he is so kind that he would not hurt you."

"That is the very reason," replied the boy, "why I should not touch them. It is true my father would not hurt me; yet my disobedience would hurt my father, and that would be worse than anything else."

1 Peter i. 7.-"THAT THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH, BEING MUCH MORE PRECIOUS THAN OF GOLD THAT PERISHETH, THOUGH IT BE TRIED WITH FIRE, MIGHT BE FOUND UNTO PRAISE AND HONOUR AND GLORY AT THE APPEARING OF JESUS CHRIST.

1954. Trial of Faith.-When a founder has cast his bell, he does not at once put it into the steeple, but tries it with the hammer, and beats it on every side, to see if there be a flaw. So when Christ converts a man, He does not at once convey him to heaven, but suffers him first to be beaten upon by many temptations, and then exalts him to his crown.

Psalm xli. 3.
LANGUISHING

66 THE LORD WILL STRENGTHEN HIM UPON THE BED OF THOU SHALT MAKE ALL HIS BED IN HIS SICKNESS."

1955. The Three Pillows.--When I visited one day, as he was dying, my beloved friend Benjamin Parsons, I said, “How are you to-day, sir?” he said, "My head is resting very sweetly on three pillows-infinite power, infinite love, and infinite wisdom." Preaching in the Canterbury Hall in Brighton, I mentioned this some time since; and many months after, I was requested to call upon a poor but holy young woman, apparently dying. She said, "I felt I must see you before I died; I heard you tell the story of Benjamin Parsons and his three pillows; and when I went through a surgical operation, and it was very cruel, I was leaning my head on pillows, and as they were taking them away, I said, Mayn't I keep them?" The surgeon said, "No, my dear, we must take them away.” But," said I, "you can't take away Benjamin Parsons' three pillows; I can lay my head on infinite power, infinite love, and infinite wisdom."-Hood's "Dark Sayings on a Harp."

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Habakkuk iii. 3.-"GOD CAME FROM TEMAN, AND THE HOLY ONE FROM MOUNT PARAN." (Also Deuteronomy xxxiii. 2; Judges v. 4.) 1956. Teman and Paran.-Teman is the name given to the region extending from the south of Palestine to Mount Sinai ; Paran is the name of a mountain in the wilderness of Paran, also south of Palestine. Dr. Henderson (on the Minor Prophets, at this place) remarks:-" From Sinai occurring along with Seir and Paran (Deuteronomy xxxiii. 2), and with Seir and the country of Edom (Judges v. 4, 5), it is probable that Habakkuk here alludes to the regions to the south of Palestine generally, as the theatre of the Divine manifestations to Israel, only, specifying the two points nearer to that country." Teman in the one clause is parallel to Paran in the other, as God is to Holy One, according to the style of Hebrew poetry. God came down on the top of Sinai, and thence displayed His glory before his people, and marched with them through the wilderness towards the Holy Land. The prophet refers, in the highest style of poetry, to the Lord's former favours bestowed on the Israelites, as encouraging the hope that he will bless his people still.-Sunday School Times.

John xv. 4.- "" ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU. AS THE BRANCH CANNOT BEAR FRUIT OF ITSELF, EXCEPT IT ABIDE IN THE VINE; NO MORE CAN YE, EXCEPT YE ABIDE IN ME.

1957. Life in Christ.-"Just where I was sitting there stood a great elm tree, with clusters of green ivy climbing up it, and clinging round to it close to the tree, and clasping it more lovingly than even its natural branches did. But yet the ivy was not one with the tree; it only made use of the tree for ends of its own. It had its roots, with which it drew up sap out of the earth; it had a life of its own, and leaves of its own, and flowers of its own; while the branches of the elm had no life but the life of the tree, and no leaves nor sap but what they received from their parent. Ay, and it is possible for a man to be near to the Saviour, leaning on Him, and clinging to Him, and yet, after all, to be only ivy instead of a branch in Himself.

"And I noticed not far from the elm a sturdy poplar, and there hung on it a green sappy mistletoe. Thinks I, there is yet another sermon to me. That little growing thing is still nearer to its tree than the ivy is to its elm, for it drinks the very sap of the poplar, and lives, in a way, on the poplar's life. And yet it is not a part of the tree. It has a life of its own, and roots of its own, and flowers and berries of its own. . . . And we may seem to be in Jesus, growing in Him as a mistletoe grows on the poplar, or growing beside Him, and climbing up on Him, as the ivy climbs on its tree; but unless we be branches in Himself, and live by His very life, bringing forth His fruits to His glory, we shall be cut off and cast into the fire."-" Orfie Sibbald and his Difficulties."

1 Corinthians xiii. 4.-"CHARITY SUFFERETH LONG, AND IS KIND.' 1958. Hiding the Faults of Others.-A painter was once engaged upon a likeness of Alexander the Great. In the course of his battles, Alexander had received an ugly scar on the side of his face. The artist was desirous of giving a correct likeness of the monarch, at the same time desirous of hiding the scar. It was a difficult task to accomplish. At length he hit upon a happy expedient. He painted him in a reflective attitude, his hand placed against his head, while his finger covered the scar. Christians are not without their failings, their scars, but do not dwell upon them; in speaking of them to others adopt the painter's expedient, and let the finger of love be placed on the scar.

Gems.

51. The Christian Life.-As all things that have life court whatever helps and solaces, and succours it, and shuns injurious influences, so the believer applies to all the appointed means for the support and nourishment of his life, and guards it from the attack of all adverse powers, within and without.-Dr. Leifchild.

52. Earnest Prayer.-You know when you shoot your arrow, if you wish to aim high you must send it with force from your bow; and so, if you wish the arrow of prayer to reach to heaven, you must send it out in the earnestness of your spirit.—Union Magazine.

53. Goodness will be Seen.-Fancy the bright sun saying, "Now I must appear bright to-day;" or the Atlantic saying, "Well, to-day I must appear great." Why, they are bright and great! Be, and you will appear.Rev. Thomas Jones.

54. The Effect of Trouble.-You can imagine thistle-down so light that when you ran after it your running motion would drive it away from you, and that the more you tried to catch it, the faster it would fly from your grasp. And it should be with every man, that when he is chased by troubles, they, chasing, shall raise him higher and higher.-H. W. Beecher.

55. Hardness of Heart.-Like as if the clearness of the sun do happen to shine upon the eyes of him that is blind, his eyes are not made clearer thereby, but rather more dim; or, if we do shout or speak loud in the ears of him that is deaf, his hearing is nothing thereby quickened, but rather more dulled; even so if any man shall propound and speak the truth to him whose heart is hardened, he is not made anything at the better by it, but afterwards conceiveth more hatred against the truth.— Robert Caudery, 1609.

56. Character.—Our characters ought not to be like that coat of many colours which the old man gave to his son Joseph, but all of one colour,pure, spotless white.-Dr. Guthrie.

57. Death. As the waters that sank the men of the old world raised up Noah in the ark, so death, which sinks sinners into hell, raises the saints up to heaven.-John Mason.

58. Creation.-Creation-so far at least as concerns this world-has been compared to a pyramid. Beginning with the mineral, passing upwards into the vegetable, and rising into the animal kindom, we find man standing upon its apex, the crowning work of God.

1959. The Gate of Justice.-"The gate being here mentioned in connection with the administration of justice, it may be well to notice a custom which so frequently comes under our observation in the Old Testament-that of public affairs being transacted and causes tried at the gates of towns. In the Scripture we see transacted at the gate such business as the purchase and sale of lands (Gen. xxiii. 18); the transfer to another of a right of marriage, involving the conveyance of an estate (Ruth iv. 1-10); with nume rous passages, in which the same place is described as the seat of justice (Deut. xxi. 15; xxv. 7; Psa. cxxvii. 5; Prov. xxii. 22; xxxi. 23; Lam. v. 14; Amos v. 12; Zech. viii. 16, &c.). The cause commonly assigned for this is, that as the Hebrews were chiefly an agricultural people, going out in the morning and coming back at night, it was convenient for them to have their affairs determined as they went or returned. The same circumstance rendered the SEPTEMBER, 1868.

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