the bodily presence of our Lord, but we may lean upon Him in a spiritual sense by faith at this sacramental feast.

To lean upon the bosom signifies the most intimate friendship and strongest affection. It is never permitted, or ought not to be, except among the nearest family connections and such as are called bosom friends. It implies mutual confidence and an unbosoming of thoughts, cares, and feelings without reserve.

If we are conscious of any estrangement or separation by our own fault, let us return and ask forgiveness. If conscious of coldness of affection, even as we would bring a cold material body to the rays of the sun or of a fire, so let us bring our frozen hearts to be warmed within the influence of the glowing love of Him who redeemed us and died that we might live.

Commit yourselves anew to Him. Lean again upon Jesus' promises, His sacrifice and intercession. Exercise a new act of faith as you thus lean upon Him. Approach Him with your supplication, and let no other trust intrude.

Are any here for whom Christ died yet total strangers to His love? You have been invited to a feast. Why are you not ready to partake?

How may we know that Christ loves us? John knew

it. Paul knew it, and said, "I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Gal. ii. 20.) Every believer may thus join with Paul and with all Ephesian Christians in saying, "Christ also hath loved us and hath given Himself for us" (Eph. v. 2); and "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed to Him against that day." (2 Tim. i. 12.) We often judge of the love of others to us by their words, their gifts, their deeds, especially of self-sacrifice. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down His life for His friends." (John xv. 13.) "He that spared not His own. Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things." (Rom. viii. 32.) How may we know that we love Christ? We have no doubt that the beloved John loved Jesus.

Can we give

or recognize similar evidence in our own experience and practice? There is a mutual relation and connection which gives mutual assurance. If we have a well-attested and consistent assurance that we love Christ, we have an assurance that He loves us.

If we have satisfactory and experimental evidence that He loves us individually, we have an equal assurance that we love him. If, with Paul, we can say, Christ loved me and gave himself for me, this assurance must be accompanied by love to Him.

Now, as John, especially in his first epistle, dwelt so much upon love as a Christian grace and one of the evidences of having passed from death unto life, &c., I commend anew those chapters to your study and meditation, and as a means of help to self-examination, comfort, knowledge, and assurance that ye may have life through His

name.