ing down and rendering homage to Christian men who may be possessors of large fortunes, or occupiers of eminent civil positions, or great patrons of public institutions; but it is not the Christian man in them that is thus honored,—it is the wealthy, the influential, the grand man. The Christian element seldom awakens real respect in worldly souls, even when associated with worldly grandeur;—it is often despised, and sometimes ridiculed, when associated with poverty.

The other thing that strikes us in this passage is :

Secondly That there is, notwithstanding this tendency to despise, a strong reason for honoring the humblest Christian. Christ here assigns cogent reasons why "the little ones" -the most obscure, and the most feeble-should not be despised. "For I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven," &c.

There are two reasons in this passage why the humblest disciples should be honored:-They engage the services of the heavenly angels, and they are precious to the Everlasting Father.

I. THEY ENGAGE THE SERVICES OF THE HEAVENLY ANGELS. "In heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father." There are some who suppose that by the word "angels" used here, we are to understand human souls in the heavenly state. It is true that the term "angel" is used at least once to designate a human spirit. Some of those who dwelt in the house of Mary, the mother of John, when Rhoda told them that Peter was at the door, exclaimed with astonishment, "It is his angel!" (Acts xii. 15.) But I do not see sufficient reason to regard Christ, in this passage, as speaking of the spirits of these little ones as their angels;-though in a· sense their spirits, as redeemed do now behold the face of God. I accept here the generally received idea, namely, that Christ refers to the guardianship of angels.

Adopting this view there are two thoughts to be observed, in order duly to appreciate the force of this reason for honoring poor disciples.

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"Their

First: They have their own guardian angels. angels," (ayyeho autav.) That angels minister to the good is abundantly taught in other parts of Scripture. Thus, for example, we read, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." We read, "He shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways." We read, that they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. We read also of various services which angels have rendered to certain good men both in the Old Testament and the New. But I am not aware of any other place, besides the passage before us, where the idea is given, that the good have their own angels; that each true disciple has some angel or angels specially devoted to his service. The idea (1) Is reasonable. If angels minister to men at all, must they not have some method of action ?—something like a division of labor amongst them? Great as they may be, they are still finite, and can finite beings attend to all alike? Impossible. They must have their own spheres. Moreover, judging from analogy, may we not suppose that as amongst men there is a mental sympathy which gives different men a special interest in certain individuals, and thus qualifies them to render special service, so there may be mental sympathy between some angelic spirits and certain men which does not exist between others, and which induces and enables them to render service to them which they render not to others? In the Church here below, the man that can teach and edify one class of mind is often utterly incompetent to render any service to another class. Hence a great preacher in one Church would scarcely be tolerated in the pulpit of another. There is nothing therefore unreasonable in the idea suggested by the passage; on the contrary the idea beautifully harmonizes with the natural conclusions of our own judgment. The idea is not only reasonable, but (2) Delightful. How energizing and uplifting the thought that if we are the true disciples of Christ, however weak in mind, frail in body, poor in cir

cumstances, we have still an angel guard! Whilst the great ones of the world have honorable men for their retinue and guards, the "little ones" of the Church are attended by glorious angels.

"How oft do they their silvery bowers leave,

And come to succour us who succour want;
How oft do they with golden pinions cleave
The flitting skies like flying pursuivant.
Against foul fiends to aid us militant,

They fight, they watch and duly guard,

And their bright squadrons all around us plant,

And all for love,-and nothing for reward."

Secondly: Their own guardian angels are in high favor with the Sovereign of the universe. They "do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." In Eastern countries, kings were wont to live in pavilions concealed from public notice. The few who occasionally were admitted to their presence, were regarded as most signally honored. Christ, perhaps, here hints at this circumstance, in order to express the dignity of those spiritual intelligences who are the guardians of the good. They are admitted into the immediate presence, of the Supreme Sovereign, they behold His face-nay, they do always behold His face. It is not on set occasions, nor at distant intervals, but "always." One of their number said, "I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God." They stand shining in the beams of his countenance, glowing with adoring love, and awaiting his behests.

Here, then, is a forceful reason why you should not despise these "little ones." Each has his guardian angel, and each guardian angel is ever in the conscious presence of the Everlasting Father. Ye empty worldlings, who speak in language of scorn and contempt of these "little ones!" take heed, "for in heaven their guardian angels do always behold the face of the Everlasting Father!"

II. THEY ARE PRECIOUS TO THE EVERLASTING FATHER. Their salvation was the object of His Son's mission to

First the world.

"For the Son of man is come to save that which

was lost." That humanity is "lost,"-gone from its original sphere of being and action, admits of no debate. The fact is patent to universal reason, and palpable to universal consciousness. Materially, intellectually, morally, socially, the world is gone astray. Christ comes to restore it. "God

sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." Humanity is diseased in every organ and in every limb. He is the Great Physician who will restore it to more than its former beauty of form, robustness of vigor, and buoyancy of being. Humanity is a shattered and wandering orb in the Creation; He is the moral Creator, who restores it, brings it back to its orbit, and makes it keep the time, and heighten the blessedness, of the universe. How precious then must those whom Christ came to save, and for whom He sacrificed Himself, be to the Everlasting Father!

Another suggestion here which shows their preciousness to the Great Father is :

Secondly: The restoration of even one of them is a source of inexpressible delight. "How think ye? If a man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine and goeth into the mountains and seeketh that which is gone astray?" &c. Christ here recognizes a fact in the history of human consciousness, which is this, the power of one restored object to awaken for the time, more delight than any number of unlost ones. The parents, who out of a large family have one little one laid on a bed of sickness, and brought nigh unto death, will rejoice more over that child the day it leaves with restored health its chamber, and begins to take its place with its brothers and sisters again, than over all the other healthy members of the family. This is human nature, and and appeals to it. (See Luke xv.) perhaps, our world which may be the of millions, will awaken more delight than any ninety and nine, or any number of unlost

Christ knew it, For this reason, only one lost out in the universe

ones. It will be the restored prodigal at the table of the Great Father of the universe.

Another suggestion here which shows their preciousness to the Great Father is :

Thirdly: The ruin of the least of them is repugnant to the Infinite mind. "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." If the "little ones," as some suppose, refer to infants, it is a beautiful thought, and one as true as it is beautiful, that it is not God's will that one of the little infants should perish. The Infinite is benevolently interested in individual souls, and in the least of individual souls. He sees in one infant soul, germs which eternity will unfold in scenes of ever-heightening wonder. If true of infants literally, it is equally so of children figuratively;-His humble disciples. It is not His will that they should perish. Blessed be Heaven for the declaration that it is not the will of our Father that one of the "little ones" should perish. I like it; it chimes in with that unbounded benevolence which seems to flood the great universe of material nature; I like it, for it accords with the most generous sympathies of my poor heart for the unhappy race to which I belong; I like it, for it gives the lie to those theological blasphemies that come from some modern pulpits representing the Almighty Father as predestinating the ruin of certain souls; I like it, for it inspires within me glowing hopes concerning that future of humanity when mortality, moral as well as material,-"shall be swallowed of life."

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From what I have said on these words of Christ, How forceful does His prohibition appear! "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones. Despise them not! They have their angel guards, they live at Bethel, and from their feet a ladder reaches to the opened heavens by which these guardian angels come and go. Despise them not, they are precious to the heart of the Great Father of souls ;-" He that toucheth them, touches the apple of his eye."