c. It was intended to guide our faith | body of Christ? For we being many to the Lord's second appearance. "Till are one bread and one body: for we he come." One of the most interesting are all partakers of that one bread." aspects of the supper is this. It con- 1 Cor. x. 16, 17. We attend to it as to nects Christ the crucified one with a family festival. In it we all show Christ the glorified-the dying sufferer ourselves members of one great comwith the reigning, judging Lord. While munity of which the head is Christ. We it turns us backward to behold all that identify ourselves with the whole body Jesus endured, it invites us to look for- of the faithful; and teach the world that ward also to all the glories in which he however we may differ in our views is to be robed. It assures us that he concerning certain subordinate matters who once was here, though we saw him of Christian doctrine and practice, yet not, will again appear among men; that we are all one in Christ. May the time he will wear our nature; that he shall soon arrive when the world shall see the be glorified in his saints and admired oneness and believe! When a really among all them that believe; and that united church shall be the answer of we shall reign with him then. What a that prayer with which our Lord closed thrilling thought! What a stay for the the institution of this supper, "That soul driven hither and thither by the they all may be one; that the world storms of life! What a light in dark- may believe that thou hast sent me!" ness! What a well-spring of ever-living joy! Sorrowing believer! Approach the table of thy Lord with thankfulness and hope! Thy heart is bitter as gall. Thy troubles descend on thee as sweeping hail. Weary and sore-footed thou walkest from day to day. Friends are few. Sympathy is slow and chary of its relief. And to swell the whole, Satan and thy sins distress thee. See, brother, in that bread and wine a pledge that the Friend who died for thee has not forgotten thee, and that he will come again. Here his voice speaking through those emblems, "Till I come.' Patiently, joyfully endure all the Lord may appoint; "for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." "And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

d. It was intended to set forth the fellowship we have with Christ and with one another. " The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the

e. It was designed to be a valuable auxiliary in the divine life. All divine arrangements have this for their end. While we disclaim every thing like sacramental efficacy, yet we deem it possible to go too far in another direction. We believe that in the Lord's supper as in baptism, or any other act of divine service or worship, there is an adaptation to promote the spiritual good of the receiver; the good, however, depending not on the person who administers it, nor on the ordinance itself, but on the state of mind of the receiver at the time. It serves to deepen our views of the enormity of sin-to enlarge our conceptions of the Divine character-to humble us before the throne of God-to fill our hearts with divine love, and to securé à general advancement of the spiritual life. "The Lord's supper," says an old writer, "is a medicine to the diseased and languishing soul; and therefore men must as well seek to purify and heal their hearts in it, as to bring pure and sound hearts to it."* All who rightly approach the

Willam Perkins.

table can well understand the lines of the Lord. But let a man examine him

them, the edge of our delight is rebated. | farther prospect of Christ entertains the But the longer you know Christ, and mind with a fresh delight. He is, as it the nearer you come to him, still the were, a new Christ every day, and yet more do you see of his glory. Every the same Christ still."

THE UNPROFITABLE SERVANT.

A SKETCH.-MATT. XXV. 24-30.

BY THE REV. SAMUEL HARRIS BOOTH.

mercy. It was a subterfuge. But he was punished. And our question is, on what principle was he punished? He was condemned as "unprofitable." He had done nothing. He had attempted nothing. He was therefore pronounced "unprofitable." He had been clothed and fed at his lord's expense; but he had given no service in return. He was like a drone among bees, adding nothing to the stores. Like a branch without life, which not only deforms but endangers the tree, so this servant was a moral excrescence, for he imperilled the morality of his fellow servants, while he was himself an encumbrance. He was like ground which, since it grows no wheat, may perchance grow thorns. At least, it is unprofitable ground. And therefore he was condemned to be cast out from this service, where industry and fidelity were essential elements of character.

THE character of the "unprofitable to escape from punishment through his servant," with his reception and his doom, involve lessons which it would be well if we laid to heart. This man who had received the "one talent" was a servant as truly as those who had received more. He shared with them protection and support. The nature of the trust committed to him he understood and confessed. But the accusation he brought against his lord is not borne out by the facts of the case. He called his master "a hard man," but the master was justified in entrusting property to the care of his servants, and equally justified in expecting some rereturn while the manner of his reckoning with them and the way in which he rewarded fidelity prove him to have been both wise and kind. Or, supposing the charge to have been true, then selfinterest would have prompted more strenuous efforts on the part of this servant, fearing the consequences of his master's avarice, which would only the more certainly fall upon him, if this trust were neglected. Or, again, if he feared the loss of this talent through the uncertainties of commercial speculation, then he might have deposited the money where not only the principal would be safe, but whence he would receive interest for its use, and thereby have been prepared to return his lord's property "with usury." The fact is, he knew the benevolence of his lord, and instead of fear at his severity he hoped

This rapid review of the character and destiny of this servant has developed this principle, as one by which men will be judged, "the absence of good, irrespective, if that were possible, of positive evil;" or, in other words, "the negation of good, will be sufficient to condemn any man." Now what sort of a character is this, which will be condemned for the "omissions" with which he may be charged? It were instructive, if we could sketch such a man. He

is one who, having abilities of some kind | I do to glorify Christ? It is not his and of some degree, takes no deliberate | last thought at night, what have I done

step that will dishonour God; but he
neglects to do anything that may pro-
mote his glory. In this proper sense,
he has done nothing good. He is not
an atheist. He is not even an un-
believer, for he knows there is a God,
and he will confess at once that Christ
is the only hope of salvation. But his
religious convictions have no greater
intensity than this; for he lives practi-
cally as though the religion of Christ
were a simple question of fact, involving
no truth, and having no other relation
to his eternal welfare, than the death of
Cæsar, or the destruction of Carthage.
"Yes, yes," he says, and he goes on his
way with no principle changed, no
passion subdued, no affection enkindled.
Or, since this character may be found
in our congregations, perhaps in our
churches, we superadd another feature to
the sketch, and remind ourselves that
this man has his seat in the sanctuary,
and it may be his name among the pro-
fessed people of God. But there the
matter ends with him. For if you follow
him into his counting-house or his shop,
you will there find him immersed in his
ledger or his wares. His thoughts are
of gain, but not of God. The deity of
self, or the mere spirit of business, has
excluded the Supreme. He does not
labour that God may be glorified. He
will think no more of His honour when
he has doubled his property than he did
before he was worth a penny. This
man has not robbed any of his fellows.
He has gotten all "honestly," as men
would say. He has even abstained from
getting when by so doing he would pre-employing his talents.
vent the ruin or injury of others. He
does not defy or insult society.
His
moral tone none can decry. His children
welcome him as he returns home or
quits his business for the day. But he
is not on the Lord's side. It is not his
first thought in the morning, what can

for Him? He has no religious instruc-
tion to impart. There is no savour of
the divine life in and around him. He
does not, either by his words or his
Christian bearing, rebuke sin when he
meets with it. He cannot, at least he
does not, point to the cross when the
soul of any one about him is in trouble
for salvation. There is no family altar
in his house, or if there be, the worship
presented there is like the body with-
out life; "the form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof." His reli-
gious dress sits ungainly upon him.
Men think him happier when the sub-
ject is not named. Perchance he can
discourse to you learnedly on the
sciences, and he can lead you poetically
"Through nature up to nature's God;"
but ask him of the life in Christ, and he
will stammer and say, "Yes, it is true;"
but when a painful silence has passed
he will resume the theme so ungraciously
interrupted. He will even talk of the
accessories of divine things-of preachers

VOL. XV.-FOURTH SERIES.

of congregational statistics-of civil and religious liberty-of educationand of missions; but test him below the surface, and attempt to elicit one response on personal piety, and you have smitten that man speechless. And when you have left him, he may think you personal, or, more charitably, he may call you an enthusiast.

This man is not disabled from action. He has the same faculties as his fellow servants, perhaps developed in a higher degree than in other men. He has intellect. He has opportunities for No impedi

ment, but such as are common to all, resists him. He has the same precepts to guide him. He has the same promise of the Holy Spirit to help him in the discharge of his duty. The reward promised to every faithful servant of Christ, is held out to animate his faith

4 Q

WAYSIDE PREACHING. BY MRS. EMILY C. JUDSON.