For those who, from age or sickness, are not able to take an active part in the business of life, from whom the world and its interests seem gradually slipping away, this hope is the best possible consolation; for it tells them of something much better than youth, or health, or worldly good fortune, for which they may fit themselves here. If we try to fancy what this world would be without a hope of something better hereafter, the prospect will indeed be gloomy; our miseries here will seem to come with no purpose, our greatest pleasures will give little satisfaction; but when we remember that the life to come will never end, and that it will be perfect happiness, we must see that it really matters but little to our true welfare what the events of our lives on earth may be, so long as we make safe the future of our souls in Heaven. If we would make this safe, we must give up our lives to God's service, and must do all we can for His honour and glory; we must not be satisfied with living mere quiet, respectable lives, but we must pray (for we all can pray), and try to help others to do what is right also. The sick, the aged, and the poor can do this, even if there be little else they can do: they have it in their power to make their troubles a blessing to themselves and all around them, by showing by their words and deeds that they know how to be patient and to be thankful for all God's mercies, and that they think more

of reaching the glories of Heaven, for which they hope, than they do of gaining riches, or health, or strength, for this present world; and if they do make a proper use of their time of trial, they may be quite sure that they will not be deceived in their hope. When death comes, it is but a little step from earth to Heaven or Hell. We may well pray to God to give us such wisdom as will lead us to seek Him now before it is too late; for those who honour Him, He will honour, and they who despise Him shall be lightly esteemed.

HUMAN NATURE PRONE TO SIN.

WE

E are told by the prophet Jeremiah that man's "heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked," and the daily experience of our lives proves to us the truth of his words. At the beginning, when man was placed in the perfect happiness of Eden, he disobeyed God who placed him there and chose his own way rather than His; and since Adam's time the same kind of thing has gone on, God ever giving men good things, blessing their labours, and watching over their safety, and men ever making light of His goodness and showing themselves ungrateful for His care. Can we

E

wonder, then, that God shows how hateful such behaviour is to Him, by sending men trouble and sickness, and thus depriving them of some part of the earthly happiness which might be theirs but for their sins? It is true that we cannot always say that this or that trouble comes in punishment of this or that sin, but we can be quite sure that all trouble is the fruit of sin of some kind, and when sorrow, or sickness, or the infirmities of age come upon us, we should look upon them as a call from God to consider our ways and prepare for that great day when we must all appear before Him to give account of our lives; for if we accept our trials humbly as from the hand of God, whether or not they be sent as punishment, they may turn out very useful to us, and help us on our way towards Heaven. And if we think how little security there is about worldly means of enjoyment, how short a time they last, and how soon we tire even of what we like best here, we ought to see that it is really good for us to have to bear trials if they may be the means of drawing our attention away from over-much love of the world, and leading us to seek for that Heavenly dwelling-place, where will be no sickness, or infirmities, or sorrow, but joy and peace for all eternity. We should all like to reach so happy an end of our earthly labours; most of us look forward to it and hope it may be ours at the last but it will not be ours unless we

sincerely try to win it-unless we make the service of God and the welfare of our souls our first and our constant care.

Let, then, the weakness of your body remind you of the far more serious weakness of your soul; think how often you have given way to temptation in time past, and how eager is your great enemy the devil to lead you from the right way; think that even now you are tempted to be impatient and to lose your faith in God's. love to you. And while you pray to Him to give you strength to bear all that He sees fit to lay upon you, and to make you worthy of the happiness of His eternal kingdom, thank Him also that He visits you even with troubles, if only His visitations bring you nearer to Him and help to prepare you for that rest which remaineth for the people of God.

HUMAN WEAKNESS AND WILFUL

SIN.

IN has its root in the heart of man; it does

SIN

not come in from outside by sight or hearing, the devil puts it into our hearts, and our hearts receive it, and too often find their delight in it.

It is true that we all have to meet with temptations of one kind or another, but there is no sin in being tempted, the sin is in listening or giving way to temptation, for if our hearts were not evil, and naturally inclined to wrong, nothing could force them to consent to evil-doing, nor could anything force us to lend our hands or tongues to sin.

How, then, is it that we do so often fall into sin? It is for one of two reasons: either because we are so weak that we cannot help giving way in the time of trial, or because we do not wish to do the thing which is right; there can be no accident in the matter, either weakness, or wilfulness, or both, must be the cause of all sins, and, unless they be resisted, sin will be our ruin.

Now, in a greater or less degree, we all have sinned: we all are weak and we all are wilful, unless, by God's grace, our weakness has been turned into strength, and our wilfulness has given place to a desire to do the will of God. But whether this be so or not, we have done so much that is wrong, that we deserve punishment at God's hands, and that punishment most assuredly will be inflicted on us if we do not repent and ask for God's pardon. He is not extreme to mark what is done amiss, and He will readily forgive us if we pray to Him with a real sorrow for what is past, and a real desire to do better for the future; but our sorrow must be that we have offended Him to whom we owe so many blessings, not merely