prosperity of the Christian church, and lives and dies with a consciousness and a hope, than which the Divine munificence itself affords, in the scenes of mortality, nothing more glorious and delightful.-Leif child.

THE HEART HARDENING.

On a winter evening, when the frost is setting in with growing intensity, and when the sun is now far past the meridian and gradually sinking in the western sky, there is a double reason why the ground grows every moment harder and more impenetrable to the plough. On the one hand, the frost of evening, with ever increasing intensity, is indurating 'the stiffened clods. On the other hand, the genial rays, which alone can soften them, are every moment withdrawing and losing their enlivening power. Oh take heed that it be not so with you! As long as you are unconverted, you are under a double process of hardening. The frosts of an eternal night are settling down upon your souls; and the Sun of righteousness is hastening to set upon you for evermore. If then, the plough of grace cannot force its way into your ice-bound heart to-day, what likeli hood is there that it will enter in to morrow?McCheyne.

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT.

In the prophet Hosea, the gift of the Spirit is compared to dew: "I will be as the dew unto Israel." Now it is peculiarly true of the dew, that it moistens everything where it falls; it leaves not one leaf unvisited, there is not a tiny blade of grass on which its diamond drops do not descend; every leaf and stem of the bush is burdened with the precious load: just so it is peculiarly true of the Spirit, that there is not a faculty, there is not an affection, a power, or passion of the soul, on which the Spirit does not descend-working through all, refreshing, reviving, renewing, recreating all. And if we are really in Christ Jesus, abiding in him by faith we are bound to expect this supernatural power to work through our understanding; for if we be not led by the Spirit, we are none of his. But the more implicitly we lean on this loving Spirit, is it not plain as day that we all the more implicitly follow the guidance of our own understanding; for we lean upon the Spirit of grace and of wisdom, who is promised to guide us into all truth, and guide our footsteps in the way of peace. But we do not throw away our understanding, because it is through that understanding alone that we look for the guidance of the Spirit.-Me Cheyne.

DIVINE POWER AND HUMAN AGENCY.

In a mill where the machinery is all driven by water, the working of the whole machinery depends on the supply of water. Cut off that supply, and the machinery becomes useless. Let on the water, and life and activity is given to all. The whole dependence is placed upon the outward supply of water: still, it is obvious that we do not throw away the machinery through which the power of the water is brought to bear upon the work. Just so in the believer: the whole man is carried on by the Spirit of Christ, else he is none of his. The working of every day depends upon the daily supply of the living stream from on high. Cut off that supply, and the understanding becomes a dark and useless lump of machinery: for the Bible says that unconverted men have the understanding darkened. Restore the Divine Spirit, and life and animation is given to all-the understanding is made a new creature. Now, though the whole leaning or dependence here is upon the supply of the Spirit, still it is obvious that we do not cast away the machinery of the human mind, but rather honour it far more than the world does.-McCheyne.

THE GLORY OF THE CROSS OF CHRIST.

The cross of Christ is an object of such incomparable brightness, that it spreads a glory round it to all the nations of the earth, all the corners of the universe, all the generations of time, and all the ages of eternity. The greatest actions or events that ever happened on earth, filled, with their splendour and influence, but a moment of time and a point of space; the splendour of this great object fills immensity and eternity. If we take a right view of its glory, we shall see it contemplated with attention, spreading influence and attracting looks from times past, present, and to come: heaven, earth, and hell, angels, saints, devils. We shall see it to be both the object of the deepest admiration of the creatures, and the perfect approbation of the infinite Creator; we shall see the best part of mankind, the church of God, for four thousand years looking forward to it before it happened; new generations yet unborn rising up to admire and honour it in continual successions, till time shall be no more; innumerable multitudes of angels and saints looking back to it, with holy transport, to the remotest ages of eternity. Other glories decay by length of time: if the splendour of

this object change, it will be only by increasing. The visible sun will spend his beams in process of time, and as it were grow dim with age; this object hath a rich stock of beams which eternity cannot exhaust.

It is impossible fully to describe all its effects, unless we could fully reckon up all the spiritual and eternal evils it prevents, all the riches of grace and glory it purchases, and all the divine perfections it displays. It has this peculiar to it, that as it is full of glory itself, it communicates glory to all that behold it aright; it gives them a glorious robe of righteousness; their God is their glory; it calls them to glory and virtue; it gives them the Spirit of God and of glory; it gives them joy unspeakable and full of glory here, and an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory hereafter.-Maclaurin.

THE LOVE OF CHRIST.

Comparisons can give but a very imperfect view of this love which passeth knowledge. Though we should suppose all the love of all the men that ever were, or shall be on the earth, and all the love of the angels in heaven, united in one heart, it would be but a cold heart to that which was pierced by the soldier's spear. The Jews saw but blood and water, but