beloved Son! "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting." This is written of Thee. Innocent Lamb of God, obedient even to the lowest depths of humiliation, thou hast borne the sins of the world! Well may such an obedience make good my disobedience: such an obedience has truly ascended up as a sweet savour before God, and by this willingness we are sanctified," and are "made accepted in the beloved."3 The anguish, the pain, the shame, were all undeserved by Thee. Thou has borne them wholly in the stead of my guilty soul, which alone deserved to bear them. Thou wast willing to stand in my place, where the sinner stands; but still more wondrous grace, thou has unhesitatingly permitted me to stand in thy place, where the children of God do stand. Thou hast made me a member of thy body; and all that thou possessest, my precious Saviour, thou art willing to share with me, thy joys and thy sorrows too. How can I venture to appear upon the steps of thy throne, among God's children! We can reform the future, but who can reform the past! Guilt calls for punishment in my heart. But I have been healed by his wounds. I may venture, yea, boldly venture, to lay myself, as the poorest of his children, but yet as a child, upon my Father's heart. Saviour! thou hast suffered much for me, let me suffer once more with Thee. In thy sufferings for our sins we see how black, how great they must be to have occasioned so much suffering to Thee, and we learn how deeply we should mourn them. "Sinner, come to Calvary, Sit beneath the Saviour's cross, Thy heart must be more hard than stone." If the lust of the flesh assail me, I will think how Christ gave his body to be scourged, and pierced, and bruised for me. If pride assail me, I will lift my eyes and behold how they mocked my Lord, and spat upon him, numbered him with murderers, and slew him on the cross. If the natural man refuse to yield to that which opposes its own will, I will think how my Jesus allowed himself to be bound and led away captive. If my spirit begins to murmur in hours of sadness or sickness, I will think how patiently Jesus bore the crown of thorns and the cruel nails. If hate and envy assail me, or revengeful desire, I will think how my Lord Jesus cried with many tears, and prayed for his enemies. When we view sin in the sight of Golgotha and Gethsemane, how soon does all making light of it disappear; for there we see what bitter fruits it bore. Never is devotion so full, so rich in blessing, as when we stand in spirit under the cross of our Lord; and no prayer, no psalter, is so edifying as the sacred story of the Saviour's passion. Then the sufferings of Christ produce a great, a noble effect. The old man is annihilated; it is nailed with Christ to his cross; it is buried in his grave. We must ever bear in mind, that it was not the sins of the Jews alone which were borne by the holy Child of God: my sins, and the sins of all the sons of Adam, are there disclosed. For in my own heart have I not the same roots of sin as were in theirs? Do I not carry in my bosom a heart which naturally hates the light as they hated it? Can a human heart remain altogether cold in view of that which even a man has done for it? So under the cross of Christ I feel but this: Alas, it was my sinful heart which brought him to the cross, and I repent! It was in this way that (2) Heb. x. 10. (3) Eph. i. 6. (1) Isaiah 1. 6. even the Jews were alarmed as with a clap of thunder, when Peter exclaimed in the assembly, "Him whom YE HAVE CRUCIFIED." And three thousand, conscience-stricken, cut to the heart, came trembling to ask the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" To those who know and love the Saviour, no other call to repentance is needed than the exhibition of Christ's cross. The declaration of the truth, that as a race we are so altogether blind and corrupt, that in the midst of our race, and by the children of our race, the innocent Lamb of God could be brought to the ignominious death of the cross-must not this strike to the heart of every man, as it did to the Jews, when every one enquired, Oh, what can we do, we who have hated the light? Here, too, I perceive in what respects my sorrow for sin is pure. It lies in this, that sin slew Christ on the cross. And while in the cross of Christ I perceive the greatness of sin and its abominable nature, my sorrow loses the poignancy which it had when the law first revealed to me my sinful state. My sorrow for sin becomes the sorrowing of love. I feel not only the wounds in my heart, I also feel the tears in my eyes. Cross of Christ! I shall carry thee with me wherever I go. In all the business of the day, the view of thee shall guide me, as if a solemn bell were sounding in my ear to warn me not to make light of sin. Sorrow for sin can no longer crush me; my sorrow is the sorrowing of love; it cannot crush, for Jesus died to save. The pangs which our sins occasioned him have become our salvation from sin: his nails are my jewels; his crown of martyrdom my crown of honour,-a crown in which I may dare appear when I enter the city of God and the assembly of the saints. O Lamb of God, slain in thy innocence, to bear the sins of the world, enable me to regard this and every day as a day of grace! Thy suffering is verily a baptism from which a man always emerges into newness of life. The spectacle of thy death shall ever teach me anew what sin deserved, but it shall also teach me the preciousness of that blood by which I am now reconciled. Leprous as I was, and still am, in part, it tells me that with a free and unveiled face I dare meet the eye of God and all his creatures. And having learned from thee what love is, thou shalt also teach me what it is to love my brother man. Pardon has come to me,pardon be with all, yea, pardon and forgiveness to all, who have wronged I have no debts against my fellows, since my own debts have been remitted and nailed unto the cross. O Lamb of God, slain in thy innocence, to bear the sins of the world, let me spend this and every day of my life as a day of grace! me. INDIVIDUAL DUTY. BY THE REV. JAMES SMITH. Occupy till 1 come."-Luke xix. 13. "It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners:" and it is equally true and faithful, that he is gone to receive a kingdom, and intends to return. We have his word and his Spirit; but, as the man, we have not his presence, for he is at his Father's right hand, expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. We are recognised as his, and are required not only to confess him, but to be employed for him. To every christian he has given some (1) Acts ii. 3 talent; and to every one who has any talent, he says, Occupy till I come. دو Here is AN EVENT referred to, the second coming of Jesus. He is now absent, but he will return. His coming is certain, for he has pledged his word; it is necessary, for the present state both of the world and the church requires it. When he will come is unknown. He intended it to be a profound secret. That period is not made known either by himself or his servants. It is concealed for wise and holy purposes. It may be immediately, or it may not be for a long time to come. We can fix no date, and if we are wise we shall not attempt it. It is one of the secret things which belong to the Lord. All we have to do is, to keep it constantly in view, act in full prospect of it, and be ready at any time for it. It will never be anything but a mercy to the diligent, devoted, and decided servant of God. Not to know when he will come, but to be ready for his coming, is my business and yours. His coming, whenever it is, will be sudden. As a thief in the night the Son of Man will come,-when men are crying, Peace and safety,-when the virgins are slumbering and sleeping, when some have the talent wrapped up in the napkin and put carefully away, he will come. Sudden as the lightning's flash, will Jesus the second time appear. It will be solemn. The last trumpet will sound. The heavens will pass away with a great noise. The dead in Christ will arise. He will appear in the clouds, and all his holy angels with him. The convulsed elements, the rising dead, the noise in the ex panse, and his appearance in his own glory, and his Father's glory, will make it most solemn. It will be magnificently glorious. Unequalled in grandeur, splendour, and majesty. Now he appears, not as the babe in Bethlehem, not as the man of sorrows, not as the thorn-crowned king, not as the crucified Nazarene, but as King of kings, and Lord of lords, and as the Head of his body the church. Robed with light, and crowned with glory, his very countenance will strike terror into his foes, and make them cry for the rocks to fall on them, and the hills to cover them, and hide them from his piercing eye. "Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also that pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." Hence, also, his own words: "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk_naked, and they see his shame." "Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing." Here is A COMMAND,-" Occupy till I come." The Lord gives talents to the whole of his servants. To some five, to some two, and to some one. Or he distributes his money; each receives a pound, and each is expected to turn it to account. The talents are to be employed in order to be improved and increased. He that hath, and employs his talent, improves it; and to him that hath employed and improved it shall be given, and he shall have abundance. We may know what we have, but we do not know what it may become if diligently employed. The industrious tradesman may begin with a very small capital, but by "tact and push" he may become one of our merchant princes; born in a hired cottage, he may end his days in a mansion of his own; in youth obliged to borrow of others, in age able to lend to many. So it is in Christ's kingdom,-we rise by degrees, and rise only by diligence, devotedness, and zeal. Every servant has some talent,-not one is left without: if he has not five pounds he has at least one, and that one is to be employed. Some have a talent to teach children to read, and to unfold to their minds the gospel of the blessed God. This is an important talent,-not so splendid as some, but perhaps quite as useful. Its place is not the napkin, but the school-room. It is to be feared, that while there are many of our schools languishing or kept small for want of teachers, there are many in our churches and congregations who have this talent, but consider themselves exempted from the command to use it. They are too "respectable," that is, they are too proud. They work too hard in the week, that is, they may spend all their energies in the world and for the flesh, and then be excused because none are left to be employed for Jesus. They are-but time would fail to notice the innumerable excuses made for idleness, pride, selfishness, and carnality in its thousand forms. If you can teach, and do not, be sure, on good grounds, that your Lord does not want you, or expect you, to teach. If you did teach, but have given it up, be sure that you have your Lord's warrant, signed by his own hand, for quitting the field. Children are growing up in ignorance, young people are going to hell in droves, and you wrap your talent in a napkin, and spend your Lord's day in self-indulgence and criminal ease. This is not obeying the command, "Occupy till I come.” Some have a talent for preaching,-village preaching, or occasional preaching, but not for the pastoral office, and they are required to preach : but because they have not a splendid gift, they settle down, and the poor villagers may go to hell if every one acts like they do. We know how the flesh cries out, The distance is great, the weather may be bad, the cottage-room is inconvenient, the congregation is small; or, I have tried, but seem to have preached in vain. Look at Jesus himself, when he went through the towns and villages preaching. Did he flinch because of weather, distance, inconvenience, or even want of success? No, his Father's will was his rule; and to glorify his Father's name was his highest end. Look at the apostles, persecuted, defamed, made a spectacle and a gazing-stock to angels and to men; did they throw up their commission, wrap up their talent in the napkin, and ingloriously quit the field? No, they all acted upon the principle which caused one to exclaim, in reference to bonds and imprisonment, "None of these things move me; neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry that I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Over kind wives, and over tender parents, by persuasions keep many at home for their own gratifi cation, who ought to be employed in publishing the good news of a free salvation to poor ignorant sinners. The flesh, which ought to be crucified, is indulged; the devil, who ought to be resisted, is attended to; and so the work of the Lord is neglected, and our villages and hamlets are left in darkness, ignorance, and death. How many sit and hear sermons month after month, who ought to go out and preach them! If they can preach one sermon a week, and there is any place needing the gospel at hand, they ought to preach it; and if they can only preach one sermon a month, they ought to do that. How different would be the state of the villages of England if every christian had laid out his talent instead of laying it up! Reader, could you speak of Jesus, in plain English, for twenty minutes, to a dozen or a score poor cottagers? Is there any village, or back street, or dark district, in your town, where you may so speak? If so, do you use your talent? If not, are you justified in burying your Lord's money in the earth? Are you attending to his command, "Occupy till I come"? Some have a talent for writing, and they could write letters full of simple gospel, accompanied with pointed appeals, loving exhortations, and urgent entreaties. To such, Jesus says, "Occupy till I come." Some can engage in vocal prayer,—this is a talent, and should be employed. Nor should a nervous feeling, or fear of not shining before others, cause any one to wrap it in the napkin. Some have a talent for singing,-God has given them a voice, an ear, and grace in the heart, and this talent should be used for God's glory. Some have a talent for conversation,they can interest and impress others when they talk with them; they should be careful to speak of Jesus, and try and win souls for him. Some could, by visiting and persuasion, induce persons to attend public worship who neglect it; and they should endeavour to crowd the house. Some have money, that is a talent, and God requires that we use it for him. Reader, I know not what talent you have; but you have some. It may be only one, or it may be several. Are you using your talent for Jesus? Are you filling a place in the field, performing a work in the world, or, in the words of the text, are you occupying until Jesus comes? Every talent brings with it responsibility. It is given us for the good of others. We are bound to use it. We must give an account of what we have done with it. Every one of us is bound by the command of Jesus. He is our lawful King. We are his subjects, whom he has redeemed by his blood from a fearful doom, that we may do his will, glorify his name on earth, and then reign with him in heaven. We are bound to use our talents, the whole of them,-and to use them industriously, hopefully, and because our Lord requires us to do so, and will soon come, demand an account, and reward every one of us according to his works. Authority,-his authority,-binds us, but gratitude should constrain us to do all we can for his glory and praise. Reader, what has Jesus done for thee? Dost thou know? What art thou doing for Jesus? Are you ashamed to say? What might you do? What has Jesus promised you? Can you guess? Nay, it is so great and glorious, that it has not entered into the heart of man to conceive. Can you expect so much from him, and yet manifest so little love, and be satisfied to do so little for him? Take down the napkin, unwrap the talent, put the money into the bank, and get the interest ready against the Master comes. Can you teach? Let the next Lord's-day find you in the Sunday school. Can you preach? Look out for some neglected village, or blind lane or alley, and begin at once to "Tell to sinners round What a dear Saviour you have found." Villagers do not want long, dry, tame, tedious discourses; they love something short, plain, pointed, warm from the heart, full of Christ, and corroborated by the man's own experience. Better interest for fifteen minutes, than speak sixty without. Can you write? Write at once to one or more with a view to save the soul. Can you pray vocally? Be sure and be regular at the prayer-meeting. Can you sing? Let the church and congregation have the benefit of your voice. Can you converse? Visit on purpose to speak of Jesus. Can you induce children to come to the Sunday school, or adults to come and hear the gospel? Try. Begin at once. Let no one near you have to say, "I was never asked to go to chapel. No one ever invited my children to the school. No one ever spoke to me about my soul." Have you money? Give a fair proportion to God's cause, to carry on his glorious work in the world. This will be to carry out the Lord's command, "Occupy till I come.' Let each one of us ask,-First, Do I know what talent I have? Have I examined? Did I ever try if I could teach, preach, pray, sing, write, converse, or induce persons to seek the salvation of their souls? Secondly, Do I realise my responsibility for the use of the talent or talents with which the Lord has entrusted me? Thirdly, Am I zealously employing my whole talent for the Lord? Fourthly, Am I expecting my Lord's return; and, therefore, endeavouring so to live, so to act, and so to work, |