to our profit, and we shall be able to perceive that God has sent it upon us, not in anger but in mercy-employing it as an instrument to guide us in the way to Heaven, to bring us, indeed, nearer and nearer to Himself. But besides the fact that sickness is one of those means which our heavenly Father uses to draw our minds away from the contemplation of earthly things, it teaches us to consider the uncertainty of life, and so we are led to place our trust in Him in whom we live, and move, and have our being.

When sickness overtakes us, we shall do well to remember that it is sent unto us by God; yet, at the same time, we must not forget to use those means for our recovery which He in His mercy and wisdom hath placed before us. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up," saith the Apostle; and since God is the Lord of life and death, no one can measure the healing virtue of those medicines which may be applied to our relief, if, with a hearty faith in God's providence, we, with our friends, pray for a blessing to attend them. The nobleman in the Gospel received his son back out of the very jaws of death, in answer to his urgent appeal to Christ—“Come down ere my child die ;" and God's arm is not shortened now. His ear is as ready to listen to the prayers of His people as in the days of old; and doubtless there are many living who have been preserved

through what otherwise would have been mortal illness, and restored to health in answer to the faithful and sincere prayers of their friends.

Let us look upon sickness, then, as a visitation from God, sent upon us to draw us to Himself, to teach us the vanity of life, to quicken our faith and trust in His mercy, to open our hearts to his loving-kindness and protection; so that under all the circumstances attending it, whether we live, or whether we die under the affliction, our souls may realize the truth of those words, that "all things work together for good to them that love God."

REV. T. F. BIGG.

SPIRITUAL ENERGY.

HE life of this world is only ours for a time:

TH

for some it is longer, for some shorter; but for none is it so long as to be compared with the life of the world to come, which shall last for ever and ever. We know not why we were made: we cannot tell why it pleased God to make the earth and all that is in it; or why He has placed us where we are; nor is it right that we should inquire into such matters as it seems good to Him to keep secret from us. But though there is so much that we do not know-so much, per

haps, which we should like to know, we do know what our work here ought to be-namely, to prepare ourselves for the life beyond the grave.

This is no time for idleness, no time for resting from our labours, for on our work here depends the future of our souls; the present is the season in which we must bestir ourselves, if we desire to obtain rest hereafter, and the crown of glory which fadeth not away. If we knew that earthly riches, or honours, or happiness were to be won by labour, should we not try with all our powers to win them? Do not men even now make these the objects for which they live, though they well know that the stroke of death must take them away for ever? and shall we refuse to labour for those heavenly riches which we may all gain, which God freely offers to us all? It is true that nothing we can do will ever make us worthy of the happiness which God offers us in Heaven. We are all by nature so evil, so far gone from the righteousness in which man was first made, and from which he fell, that we can never hope to deserve the prize set before us as the object of our lives; but though we may not deserve anything good, yet God has mercifully found a means by which we may be purified from all the sins which now defile us, and may be presented clean before Him. He has given His only Son to die for our sins, to take all the burden of them upon Himself, and to be our guide

in the way that leads to life everlasting. And it rests with us to decide, each for himself, whether we will make the best use of the help and strength He gives, and work with Him to obtain for ourselves a happiness which will be so much better than any in this world, that it will never end. And if we do determine to choose the happiness of Heaven rather than of this worldif we do make up our minds to give up all that God may require of us-we must not be surprised or offended because we find the way of righteousness to be not all smooth, or because trials, sickness, or troubles still attack us; for these are to be looked for by all as long as we remain here, and indeed may often be useful (however hard they are to bear) in preventing us from giving way to the temptations which always attack those who are over-happy and prosperous.

When, therefore, affliction comes upon us, we should try to make it serve for the good of our souls, as God intends it to do: first asking ourselves whether it has come by our own fault, and, if it has, thanking God that He is pleased to punish us here, while we have still time for amendment; but if we are unable to see any fault in ourselves for which it seems a fitting penalty, still receiving it with humility, as making us in some degree companions in suffering with our Blessed Lord Himself, who, for our sakes, took on Him all the sorrows and pains of

human flesh; and after a life of suffering and toil passed through the cruel trial of death on the cross, in order that we and all other sinners might have rest and forgiveness in His kingdom of Heaven.

SUBMISSION IN SUFFERING.

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HE troubles, the sorrows, and the sicknesses which come upon all men at one time or another of their lives, are just so many witnesses of the care our Heavenly Father is taking of our souls. He suffers our bodies to be sick that our souls may gain health; He allows us to be vexed. and to weep now, that we may be so much the more comforted hereafter. Therefore when it pleases God to afflict us and to shut us off from our usual labour, we ought to make the best use of our time, if we have never done so before, and to try to find out all the ways in which we have offended or are offending God. If we do this we shall be astonished to find how sinful we have been; the more we think, the more sins will come to our remembrance which had long passed away, and we shall learn to see what mercy it was that took away our health before it took away our judgment, and humbly to pray to God to give us the help of His Holy Spirit to

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