so.

they toil not, neither do they spin; yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." Man might have been endowed, without his effort, with sufficiency and splendour, had the Lord chosen that thus it should be. But it is not Divine Wisdom has judged it best to be otherwise, and Divine Love has ordained that the earth should yield its riches and be abundantly supplied only by the exertion of labour. The fields teem with plenty when cheerful toil has ploughed, and sown, and harrowed, and weeded them. The mines yield their gems, their metals, and their marbles, only to hard work. The fibres adapted for clothing are transformed into useful and brilliant textures, only when thoughtful art, plodding science, and persevering industry have spun and woven the dull threads into forms of exquisite delicacy, and covered them with shapes and hues of beauty. The blessings of civilized life are all the result of work inspired by energy and directed by intelligence. Without work the human race could never have been sustained, and would quickly perish. With work the barren wilderness soon smiles with waving corn, lovely flowers, blooming fruit-trees; cities and states are formed, commerce unites nations in friendly interests, arts flourish, sciences spread, philosophy, literature, religion expand themselves and bless mankind.

In Paradise man was placed, not to be idle, but to dress and to keep it (Gen. ii. 15). It is an error of ancient date, and quite destitute of support from truth, that work was the penalty of man's fall. It is rather man's likeness to his Maker ; for by work man becomes a kind of creator. Painful, toilsome work, work with the sweat of the brow (Gen. iii. 17), overwork, may be attributed to the fall, but not the cheerful activity of loving labour. The Lord is a worker. He works in creation; He works in redemption; He works in our regeneration. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handiwork." The angels are all workers, though of higher businesses than ours. Their active ministries, all from love, are of innumerable varieties. He maketh His angels spirits, His ministers flames of fire. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth for them who shall be heirs of salvation? All good men are workers either with head or hand; only the evil, desire to live upon the toil of others, and render no service in return,-to absorb and not to give. The Creator ministers to all. Creation reflects its

Maker in this; each part ministers to the other. The sun pours out its heat, light, and actinic power-its morning splendour and evening glory for all. The atmosphere bears its health, breezes, not only to supply all living things with life and vigour, but it is laden with the perfumes of innumerable flowers, and offers a magnificent feast of odours rich with grateful fragrance. The mountains yield both soil and streams, and lessons of majesty, and might, and silence. Each tiny stream that dances down the mountain side, and pearls with diamond drops its neighbour shrubs and blades of grass, is also a bright worker. The trees bear, the flowers bloom for others. The earth, from all her fertile bosom and her wondrous deeps, yields treasures,-all for others. Each creature, each plant, each atom, has a use by which it stands in relation to others, and imparts uses, and receives them in return. The kingdom of the Lord is a kingdom of uses. One grand purpose stands out in that constitution of things which makes it necessary for man to work-it is to bring out in him this likeness to His Heavenly Father, to initiate Him into the blessedness of doing good. Hail, then, O ministry of work, all-hail! Thine is the godlike province of leading out the young immortal to nobleness and service; to draw him from apathy of self to genial ministry; from barrenness to plenty; from pining helplessness to self-help and helpfulness for others; from the destitution of ignorance to the riches of knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. Thine is it to make of emptiness a scene of beauty, a banquet of abundance, a store-house of plenty, a paradise below, and a preparation for a paradise in heaven!

The necessity for usefulness, and the love of use, are therefore both from the Allwise. And, when we survey the innumerable varieties of talent, and endowment, which go to make the wondrous perfection of graceful human life, we cannot doubt that these varieties of good and glorious gifts which enable some to supply the nutriment or the embellishment which others need, and all mutually subservient to each, and each to all, are also from Him, who is the author of every good and perfect gift (James i. 17).

It was said of Bezaleel, the director of the tabernacle work of the Israelites in the wilderness, "I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning

works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship......and in the hearts of all that are wisehearted I have put wisdom, that they make all that I have commanded thee" (Ex. xxxi. 3-6).

And, indeed, may we not ask, if the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom to devise works in precious stones, and metals, and wood, and all manner of workmanship, were the inspirations of the Divine Wisdom then, must they not be from the same adorable source now? Whence but from Infinite Wisdom, can any interior light be derived? "That is the True Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world " (John i. 9).

And if we have rightly drawn the conclusion from the very constitution of the world, that the Creator's intention is to form man into His own image, to make him happy in being useful to others, as He is infinitely happy in being infinitely useful, for He ministers to all; to countless heavens and to the meanest worms, through all the vast chain of being; then, must not his daily life have the weightiest bearing upon his mental constitution? Will it be all the same for his everlasting condition, whether six days out of seven he is doing justly, or acting fraudulently? In the slow formation of character, will the selfishness which is busy in his daily acts, or the prayers and meditations of Sunday, be the most potent? Will what a man thinks and says in pious hours or moments affect his perpetual states, or what he loves and does in his daily operations? "Blessed are the dead," it is written, "that die in the Lord, from henceforth. Yea, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them;" or, more correctly, follow with them (Rev. xiv. 13). Those who die, take their works with them. But what works? Not the outward results which appeared before men. The things they manufactured, the buildings they erected, or the treasures of art they produced, are all left behind. But was there not an inner series of works going on in the soul which through thought after thought, affection after affection, motive after motive, effort after effort, they were building themselves up to become characters noble, loving, truthful, benevolent, and adoring; or were desecrating themselves to become characters domineering, defiant, self-seeking, fraudulent, mean, sensual, polluted, and insane? THESE WOKKS WILL FOLLOW WITH

THEM. "He who is holy will be holy still; he who is righte ous will be righteous still; he who is filthy will be filthy still; and he who is unjust will be unjust still " (Rev. xxii. 11).

Piety and faith are constituent of practice; but deeds are the embodiment of the whole man. A man is what he DOES, when he acts unforced. The temper he indulges when no one is present by whom he cares to be controuled, exhibits his real spirit. The uprightness with which he does his work when no checking eye is over him, or the dishonesty with which he deals and slights his obligations where he can, these display his real character. These already announce the rising angel, or the partly formed infernal. By their fruits ye shall know them." So taught the Great Teacher, our Divine Saviour Himself. "Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that DOETH the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. vii. 17-20).

Whenever man's final judgment is described in the Sacred Scriptures it is always announced to be according to his works: not to the exclusion of piety and faith, but including these. If the works of a man are sincerely good, his piety will be sincere and his faith sincere; if his works are dishonest, his piety will be dishonest, and his faith hypocritical. Hence, what a man's work is, so is he altogether. And, hence, the sufficiency of the divine judgment, being a judgment of works, as undoubtedly it is always represented by the Great Judge Himself. "I, the Lord (Jehovah) search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to every man according to his WAYS, and according to the FRUIT OF HIS DOINGS (Jer. xvii. 10). "Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, for thou renderest to every man according to his WORK (Ps. lxii. 10). "I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you ACCORDING TO YOUR WORKS (Rev. ii. 23). "And behold I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his WORK shall be" (Rev. xxii. 12). In the sublime representation of judgment given in the 25th chapter of Matthew, the Judge is represented i

as saying to the sheep on His right hand, "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have DONE it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have DONE it unto Me." And to the goats on His left hand, Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye DID it not unto the least of these, ye DID IT NOT to me." What they had DONE in life fixed their destiny on both sides. Doubtless, because it had before fixed their characters. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things DONE IN HIS BODY according to that HE HATH DONE, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. v. 10).

The religious life, according to the Scriptures, is beautifully simple, rational, and complete. It is, to use the talents with which the All-Good has endowed us, and do no evil. We are shown what evil is by the Divine Commandments.

The law of life is sometimes given in the Divine Word by illustration, by example, and by parable, and sometimes by a single sentence; but it is always clear, and always reasonable. It is the absolute law of happiness. The virtues it commands are the essential foundations of well-being and peace. The evils it forbids are the certain causes of misery. God's Commandments are easy in themselves; and if we obey sincerely and from our hearts, they soon become easy to us. It is delightful to learn of the Lord Jesus, who says, " My yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Human devices have made false virtues. Burdens have been laid upon man in the name of religion that are no duties at all in the sight of the Most High; and just as these human contrivances are multiplied the real duties of true religion are lightly esteemed.

To a large class in Christendom it has been represented that a higher perfection could be attained than that of the ordinary obedient Christian, by abstaining from marriage; and to the priesthood it has been made compulsory, as if the highest perfection was not the truest obedience to the ordinations of the Creator. The result of this war against that central source of all excellence and well-being, the sacred love of marriage, has been not blessedness, but untold impurity and misery.

Others have taken themselves from active life, and made a virtue of standing day and night on pillars, living in caves, fasting excessively, multiplying rayers and religious cere