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absurd in the highest degree. One of these conclusions is, that the Divine Actor in the material universe can act as if the innumerable requests arising to Him from intelligent beings were not facts at all! They have become indifferent to such facts, and they too easily imagine that He is equally indifferent. How infinitely superior is that science which reveals him as so tenderly kind, that a sparrow cannot fall to the ground, but as it is let down in his omnipotent hand, and which teaches us to believe that we are of much more value to him than many sparrows, so that the very hairs of our head are all numbered! How unutterable too is the gratitude which fills the intelligent heart, when you see that it is really true that, notwithstanding all his holiness and greatness, he does actually listen kindly to your poor requests, and, even in his domain of the material world, does that which he would not do but for your prayer! We desire to put all controversial bitterness far from us, but we must emphatically contend against that false civilization which would rob mankind of the God-given privilege of prevailing supplication.

Our subject does not lead us into Bible or gospel fields directly, and yet how could the poor guilty hearts that beat within us, become the seat of the consolation which prayer gives, were it not for the propitiation of Jesus Christ? It is a great thing to see "through Nature up to Nature's God," but a far, far greater thing to see, up through Jesus, how glad that Heavenly Father is to hear our voices, and how, as the Righteous but Propitiated Ruler, he can be great and yet give us blessing when we deserve cursing. It is in this we find the climax capped in every inquiry we successfully prosecute on the subject of prayer.

J.K.-E.

A DAY WITH JESUS.

A day with Jesus? How much is implied in that! A day with some known patriot, philanthropist, statesman, or hero, would be counted a rare privilege by many, and might involve issues on fame and fortune, might give a peculiar shape to thought, colour to feeling, and direction to life, for all time. A day with any of the leading spirits in literature, in song, or science, would be remembered with interest, talked of with pride, and become the inspiration of some newspaper article or platform speech. It would give the title to some book, and some one would be found writing on "The Men whom I have seen."

There is indeed something in meeting with a fresh mind. It is pleasant to feel the spell that it flings on sense, and brain, and

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heart, and soul. It is bracing to feel the fresh breezes it sends brushing through the whole man; to become conscious of the stirrings of a new life within us, through contact with it. has not felt the charm of this to some extent? There is a mystic energy about the preserved thoughts of the mighty dead. There is stimulus in the thoughts of living authors though we have never seen the writers. But when the living thoughts comefrom the living voice, when they are designed specially for our ears, when they come warm with the feelings of friendship, they mark a day to be thought of-when

the

The leaves of Memory seem to make

A mournful rustling in the dark.

"They abode with Him that day." So it it said of John's disciples when they were introduced to Jesus. The pupils of that rough man of the wilderness were now to sit at the feet of great Teacher. They pass from the twilight into the brightest day. As men in whom strange thoughts were taking shape, and strange feelings were seeking expression, they wished to be with Jesus, to listen to Jesus, to learn of Jesus. There was within them a want that John had not met. There was before them a work which John could not mark off. He had, however, directed their attention to Jesus, and Him they will follow.

But may they have close and intimate intercourse with Him? There is a beautiful simplicity in their question-" Where dwellest thou?" He understood the question. It was not a simple matter of politeness, nor an easy way of beginning conversation between parties who were strangers to each other. It was no unhallowed curiosity either. It was no mere desire to see his surroundings. He saw the desire that prompted the words. It was not the power that sceptres symbolize, that they were in search of. It was not the wealth that too often withers up the heart, that their hearts were longing for. The genius that can make "the canvas glow, the marble breathe," was not the thing they were looking for. And the Saviour knew it, and attracts them to him. The spell of his look and word is already on their hearts. They approach him with confidence. His tones are not just like the battle words of their old master. His looks are softer, kindlier, than the flashing glances from the Baptist's eye. They had spent many days with John, they are now to spend a day with Jesus.

It was with no ordinary mind, then, that these men met, that day they spent with Jesus. The thoughts of that mind were to be the light of the world. They were to give law to all the ages. They were to find embodiment and expression in myriads of pure and beautiful lives. They were to find illustration in many a calm and triumphant death. Genius was to kindle at their fires. Nations were to rise or fall in proportion as they imbibed or resisted

their spirit. Progress was to be secured only as they became its living force. For their dissemination, all that is grand in material structure, all that is mighty in associated hearts and minds, all that is possible to pen, pulpit, and platform, was to be laid on the altar. It was with the Master- Mind of the world these men spent that day. There would be little vain conversation on his lips. There would be few words to no profit with him. The men who, under him, were to mould the ages, were in his presence, and he must shape them for their work. Seeds of immortal things must be thrown into their souls. The spirit of abiding calmness, of unconquerable courage, of indomitable perseverance, must be breathed into them. They were to be the men to bring back souls to him. Ah! what memories of that day have these men still! What pictures do they gaze at! How much do they owe to that meeting!

May not we, too, spend a day with Jesus? May we not spend every day with him? Is he not with the writer and with the reader? Is he not with us always? Will it not be so to the end of the world? If it will, then we, too, may feel the power of his company every day.

But a day with Jesus! Not a long time that! Let us not, however, trouble ourselves with questions about whether that day was long or short. Long enough doubtless to awaken echoes that are heard yet in the souls of these men. Short enough when measured by the wishes of their hearts. But time as well as space has its denser portions. Earnest souls measure life by lieart-throbs. There is more real life spent in an hour sometimes, than in years at other times. Life is in experience. In some mighty sorrow, in some big joy, in some divine victory, in contact with some master-mind, in the formation or realization of some noble purpose,-it is in these great acts of soul a man

Can crowd eternity into an hour,

Or stretch an hour into eternity.

But this was the first day with Jesus, and, as such, was fitted to write its history in their souls. The first day in the Christian school, at the feet of the Great Master! This was a considerable advance upon their former position. They had gone up higher. They were standing on a loftier plane of things. Doubtless there was wonder in their eyes; surprise, and grief, and gladness, in their hearts. Wonder, at the strange things that fell from his lips; gladness, at the thought of the privilege they enjoyed; grief, that they knew so little of their new Teacher. How pleasant is the memory of the first day that we spent with Jesus! Years have passed, changes have taken place, we have not done all we promised, we have not achieved the possible, we are not what we hoped to be. Yet looking back, and fixing on

that first day, we say "How sweet the memory still"! And though conscious of short-coming, we can still fling ourselves at the feet of that same Jesus and cry, "By the grace of God, we are what we are." We were strangers to God, but Jesus took us in; lost, but he found us; condemned, but he pardoned us; slaves, but he set us free. In the "book of days" there is none so bright to us as that.

A day with Jesus where he dwelt. Places have their interest. Much of the sight-seeing of the world arises from this fact. Men are ever turning aside to see great sights. The birth-place of some man of genius, of power, and of acknowleged worth, is attractive. The home of the illustrious draws attention. The place where the great man fought, and fell, or conquered, where he is buried, where his deeds of valour are recorded, is attractive. The ground is hallowed which the good man treads. In long years after, his sons may see the fadeless pictures and hear the deathless echoes of his deeds. The place is rendered famous. The place where intellectual life awoke, where moral feeling was unsealed, where hope was kindled, and peace bestowed, must ever be interesting to the soul.

The place where these men spent their first day with Jesus must ever be dear to them. We know little about it. We can guess, however, that it would be no mansion-house, no palace, no princely home. It would be in harmony with his whole life and character. He who lay in the manger, who toiled with his hands till the day of his ministry came, and who, in after days, had no where to lay his head, would have no grand receptionroom for his first disciples. There would be simplicity, we should imagine, and tidiness, and order, and taste.

It would not be appearances that would impress the disciples. There would be nothing there to excite the hope of ease, of affluence, or luxury. They could hardly expect much of this world's things by following Jesus, if they were to be guided by his circumstances. It was the soul and not its surroundings that the eye of Jesus rested on; and there would be little where he dwelt to produce any other thought in the minds of these men. The beauties in the Saviour's character required not the hot-bed of favouring circumstances. He rose above the adventitious. He dwelt amid the real, not the artificial and visionary, the spiritual, not the material things of life.

And yet, as we think of it, there would be no blush on the cheek at the poverty of that dwelling place; no apology for the absence of the things the world esteems. Life was too real, too earnest, for that. The future work to which these men were called, would not admit of that.

Is not the place interesting to us where, for the first time, we

met with Jesus?-where for the first time we opened up our heart, where we poured out all our love, where we pledged ourselves to be for ever true to him,-is not that place interesting to us? And may not the place where the reader reads these lines, be interesting, if they carry his thoughts up to Him with whom he shall abide for evermore?

R. M.-G.

PRACTICAL EXPOSITION

OF THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS.

VERSE 2.-in all his house.

The inspired writer had, in the first two chapters of the Epistle, compared our Saviour Christ Jesus with angels,-those spiritual beings, high and holy, who had so much to do with the Jewish dispensation, and who have probably considerably more to do with the world in general, than many people are apt to imagine. As the result of this comparison, he exhibits Jesus as far transcending in power, and virtue, and glory, the whole angelic host.

It might naturally be expected that whosoever should concede that our Lord Jesus is superior to angels, would have no difficulty in admitting that he must also be superior to the highest and ablest and holiest of mere men. Man is "a little lower" than the angels; and he who transcends angels must undoubtedly transcend all mere men. Nevertheless, as there was one man, who, in the estimation of Hebrews in general, towered in preeminence above all his fellow-men, and who, in the influence and authority of his institutions, filled their thoughts and commanded their unbounded reverence and submission, the inspired penman deems it wise to specify him by name and to bring our Saviour into comparison with him. This pre-eminent man was Moses, certainly one of the greatest of mortals, and, to the Jew, the very ideal of a Legislator, Administrator, and Mediator. It is to him that the inspired penman refers in the immediately preceding part of the second verse of this third chapter. We quote the whole of the first and second verses :"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was in all his house."

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