hour, and to give them the victory over their last enemy. How often does He give a visible triumph to His servants. in a dying hour! Fears are taken away, joy abounds, Jesus is present to conduct them over the flood. Fear not, then, O timid soul; be careful for nothing; as thy day thy strength shall be.

"Shudder not to pass the stream,
Venture all thy care on Him;
Him whose dying love and power
Still'd its tossing, hush'd its roar.
Safe as the expanded wave,
Gentle as the summer's eve,
Not one object of His care

Ever suffer'd shipwreck there."

With this

Jesus is alive for evermore. answer every unbelieving doubt with which Satan would harass and distress you. Jesus, your Saviour, has the keys. of hell and of death: trust in Him who liveth, and was dead, and is alive for evermore. Believe that He will fulfil His promise, and you shall not be dis

appointed. "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

"The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and praised be the God of my salvation."

"Our Saviour, Advocate, and Friend,
On Thee our lives and souls depend;
The keys of death, and worlds unseen,
Firm in Thine hands have ever been.
Thy pierced hands our feet shall lead,
Safe in Thy steps through death's dark shade."

[9TH SUNDAY.

"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil;

And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."-REV. II, 2, 3,

It is a great consolation to the Christian to know that his Saviour is omniscient; that He knows everything concerning him, his every thought, his every desire, his every motive. For, although he is conscious of much imperfection and sin, he is conscious also of the sincerity of his desire after holiness and for the glory of God. And his Saviour knows this too. He can appeal to that Omniscient One, whose eyes are as a flame of fire; and can say, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee." And he hears the sweet response, "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience; and that thou hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."

Jesus knows what man does not. He knows the difficulties you have to encounter, both from within and from without; He knows all the temptations you have to suffer; He knows the amount of labour and patience those things cost which men, perhaps, account it easy for you to undertake and go through with. Oh! let this encourage you on your way to the kingdom of glory! Jesus knows all your trials by the way. Great stress is here laid upon the patience of the saints. Christ especially notices their patient labour, their continuance in well-doing, their going on from Sabbath to Sabbath in their labour of love, for His name's sake. He knows, too, that it is not their own glory which they are seeking, but Iis. He says:"I know that for my name's sake thou hast laboured." It is but too true that self-seeking mingles with this desire for the glory of Christ; but it is not the motive of action with the Christian. you fear that it is? Oh! humble and

Do

tempted believer, try yourself, then, by this test,—“If no glory should accrue to Jesus from this or that work, would I go on with it? Would I thus labour only for my own glory? Should I patiently continue the course in which I am now if Jesus knew it not?" Oh, no; it is not your own glory, but Christ's, you are seeking, however imperfectly, however weakly.

Jesus knows that you have not fainted, that you have persevered, that you are persevering, and that you will persevere unto the end. From His throne in glory, where He has provided a place for you to sit with Him, He says:-"I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience; and that thou hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted."

"Christian, seek not yet repose,
Hear thy guardian angel say,
Thou art in the midst of foes,

Watch and pray.