infinite reason why we should delight in Him to the utmost. Abraham has been with Christ three thousand years and more. He was glad on earth to see His day afar off; but how glad now to behold Him face to face and sit with Him in heavenly places! And does he grow tired of his Lord's company? weary of drinking of the Fountain of Living Waters all these years? Not at all, nor ever will, for he has got no nearer to the end of the "pleasures for evermore" than when he began.

Suppose a rich monarch, like Solomon, were to invite you to stay at his royal palace and do his utmost to entertain you, would you not promise yourself a world of pleasure? And at first all would be new. There would seem to be employment for a whole life. He would show you all his treasures. He would throw open his picture galleries and pleasure grounds. He would unlock to you his libraries and museums. And what a long time it would take to examine all these! But you would come to the end at last. There would be no new objects of wonder left to surprise with fresh delight. And you would begin to grow tired, and perhaps not feel sorry when the time came for you to change your place again.

But of the rich stores of Jesus Christ there is no end! You will never want anything else to delight in than that which He can furnish. Eternity will not suffice to explore all the pleasing wonders of all the beautiful worlds scattered through His great empire. And then the glories of His Divine character, and the heights of His amazing love, and the beautiful ideas of His glorious mind, are all boundless as immortality, and will abundantly entertain your happy spirit for ever and ever. "Delight thyself in the Almighty, and He will give thee the desires of thy heart."

Fifteenth Sunday.

DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS. DAY STAR.

DAY SPRING. DAYSMAN.

DOOR. DWELLING PLACE. DEFENCE.

Ir is three or four thousand years since God told Abraham that in his Seed, the Messiah, "all nations should be blessed." And yet three-quarters of the world have not yet even heard His name. How is this? I will tell you. Just before He went to heaven, He told His disciples to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. They began; and wherever they went men turned from idols to serve the Living God. But Satan stirred up great persecution, hoping thereby to frighten the followers of Christ from

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their work. But the more they were persecuted so much the more the word of God spread. Satan therefore tried another plan. He tempted them with riches and honour. And soon "the love of many waxed cold," they became worldly, and the work of preaching Christ almost ceased for ages. So that if God had not kept a very small remnant" to be the salt of the earth, it would have been by this time like Sodom and Gomorrah. Of late, however, Christians have waked up again to a sense of their duty. They have scattered the Scriptures, they have sent out missionaries, they have gathered Sunday schools. In these and other ways they are trying to spread abroad the glorious name of the "DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS."

DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS. This grand Title is given to our Lord by the prophet Haggai, chap. ii. 7. His words seem to imply that Christ should come at a time when all nations would be looking for the appearance of some extraordinary person. And so it was; for not only among the Jews but among other nations, there was a general expectation, about this time, of the birth of some great one who should have dominion over all the world. The visit of the Eastern Magi to Jerusalem may be almost regarded as a proof of this expectation. Another proof is seen in the remarkable fact, that Virgil the Latin poet, who lived at Rome a few years before Christ, in one of his poems celebrates the birth of a "lovely boy with auspicious countenance," a "celestial seed" who should fulfil the DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS;-under whose reign he says,—

"The serpent's brood shall die; the sacred ground

Shall weeds and pois'nous plants refuse to bear.

"The jarring nations he in peace shall bind,

And with paternal virtues rule mankind."

Also the renowned Plato, that prince of philosophers, feeling in the dark after some guide, says, "We must wait patiently until some one, either a God or an inspired man, teach us our religious duties and remove the darkness from our eyes."

A few years ago all France was moved at the birth of one who, from the delight expressed, might well be called THE DESIRE of the Nation. The Emperor earnestly desired a son to succeed him on his throne, and his subjects desired it too. One morning at six o'clock their fond wish was gratified. A son was born whose title was King of Rome. Royal births are usually announced by the firing of cannon. On this occasion it had been arranged that if the infant were a princess, twenty-one guns should be fired; but if a prince, a hundred. "At the first report the whole inhabitants of Paris wakened, and the discharges were eagerly counted, till when the twenty-first gun had gone off the anxiety of the people became almost unbearable. The gunners delayed an instant-and a hundred thousand persons held their breath; but when the twenty-second, doublecharged, was let off, the whole inhabitants sprang on their feet" expressing unbounded joy. The news, carried by balloons, flew to

DESIRE OF ALL NATIONS.

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distant towns and all the nations rejoiced as one man in the gratification of its DESIRE. But never were hopes more vain! There was nothing in that event to justify all this acclammation. Not long after the Emperor was a captive on a desolate rock and the child was carried to an early tomb.

But if a whole nation thus exulted in the birth of a puny infant on whom they thought proper to fasten their hopes because he was an emperor's son, how should the whole world have hailed the birth of the Holy Child, the SON OF THE HIGHEST! But no rejoicings awaited His entrance into life. In His own world He found no better place to lay His sacred head than a stable. And by whom was He thus treated? By His own people, the Jews. Less wonder then that the Gentile world was so indifferent to His claims. But why is He called their DESIRE when they do not even bid Him welcome? 1. Because He really is THE DESIRE of the wise and holy of all

nations.

2. Because He richly deserves to be the DESIRE of all, since He only can furnish that which all feel the want of. For instance, among all nations, in ancient times, there were sacrifices offered up. This practice, whatever it arose from, proves that men everywhere felt themselves to be guilty-that they all believed there was no forgiveness without the shedding of blood:-and that, notwithstanding their sacrifices, they felt their sin was not taken away and so they still continued to multiply them. The grand question they all seemed to ask was,-Where is the ONE TRUE SACRIFICE that will quite remove our guilt? And here is the answer!-BEHOLD THE LAMB OF GOD that taketh away the sin of the World!

3. And then, although but few as yet are prepared to receive Him, yet at length all nations shall call Him blessed and own that He is the very Deliverer they have been waiting for. Go listen at the door of yonder lunatic ward. There lies one calling aloud for medicines and a physician. And yet at his side there actually stands the physician striving in vain to persuade him to take that which will relieve him. He is mad! And thus it is with the people. They cry, Who will show us any good? But, till they "come to themselves," they will not come to Him who alone can give them the desires of their hearts. So was it with the woman of Samaria. Fountain of Blessedness she wished to But, when better instructed, He became all her Salvation and all her DESIRE." What there is further in Christ which men find so suitable to their wants when once the veil is taken from their hearts, we will now consider.

At first she plainly told the have no dealings with Him.

1. They are in darkness and Jesus Christ brings Light. He is the DAY SPRING FROM ON HIGH and the DAY STAR.

2. They are at enmity with God and Jesus is the One Mediator, -the DAYSMAN and the DOOR.

3. They are in danger and He is a DEFENCE and a DWELLING PLACE. Let us glance at these Symbols one by one. The first is the

DAY SPRING FROM ON HIGH who hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet into the way of peace. It Luke i. 78. Darkness is both dangerous and dismal. therefore well describes a state of ignorance and sin. On the other hand, light is safe and pleasant and is therefore a fit image of instruction and purity. As the world is a dreary place without the sun, so the soul is wretched and forlorn without Christ Who is the source of knowledge and holiness. Welcome is the morning light to weary sailors rocking up and down on the tempestuous ocean in darkness and gloom. Refreshing is the dawn to the lonely sufferer in the sick room who, throughout the long night, has been full of tossings to and fro. The rising sun cheers his spirits, and brings round him once more kind faces and soothing attentions. But far more welcome was the coming of Christ the DAY SPRING to the pious Jew. And sweeter still is the light of the DAY SPRING, when it visits the guilty conscience and dispels the dreary clouds of fear. The soul comes forth from its hiding place, and putting on the garment of praise, cries out, " O Lord, I thank Thee, for though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away and Thou dost comfort me."

Did you ever think of the thick darkness which for three days shrouded the land of Egypt in the time of Moses? It was a darkness which might be felt; and while it lasted, "they saw not one another, neither did any rise from his place." The clammy fog weighed down their spirits and put out their lamps. The labourer in the field and the traveller on the plain groped about in despair. The king in the palace and the trader in the market, each sat silent and horror-stricken till the gross darkness passed away. Three days they waited ere the sun appeared. But dismal as was that thick gloom, it was but a faint image of the darkness which covers the nations of the world on which the light of the gospel has not yet shone. A far deeper gloom broods over their souls, sin in the heart, ignorance in the mind, and sorrow and sadness in the spirit. "I am very ill," said a rich Abyssinian to a missionary, “and I will tell you the cause. I lived in sin till I became afraid of God's anger; I did not know how to get rid of my burden but tried many things. And first, I left my home and went among wild beasts, living all the while on roots, like them; but I found no peace in that way. Then I stood in a cold river for many hours every day. Then I bound a chain round my ancle till I was lame. After that, because my body was the cause of my sin, I wounded it with stripes till I was covered with sores. This has destroyed my health.” "But what did you do all this for?"

"I did it all to please God."

"Ah! it is all of no use! you will find no relief so! God is not pleased with such things as these!"

"What!" cried the trembling man, "Is it indeed all in vain?" The missionary explained the way of salvation, and showed him

how the sufferings of Christ, and not our own, can take away the burden of sin. He listened and exclaimed, "How have I groaned to be delivered from the burden of sin! And now you tell me Jesus Christ says, Come to Me and I will give you rest;-I will give up all other hopes from this time and go to your Saviour."

It is to deliver men from such darkness as this that the DAY SPRING FROM ON HIGH hath visited us. The missionary who instructed the Abyssinian "was not that Light" which could relieve Him, "but was sent to bear witness of that Light." And as the poor wanderer listened and believed, the glorious Light shined into his benighted soul. Thus we read of a "Light shining in a dark place, to which we do well to take heed till the day dawn and the

DAY STAR arise in our hearts." 2 Pet. i. 19. By the DAY STAR rising within the heart, is meant the inward knowledge of the Saviour. And His rising in the heart at the "dawn of day," refers to the gradual entrance of light into the mind;-His "goings forth are prepared as the morning." We learn from these words of the apostle that we are to take heed to the Bible as to a sure guide; yet not to expect salvation from it, but from the glorious Saviour to whom it directs us. So our Lord said to the Jews, "Ye search the Scriptures; it is well,-they testify of Me; yet ye err if ye think ye have eternal life in them, but will not come unto Me that ye might have life." Let me illustrate this.

Just now I spoke of the gloom of Egypt during the three days' darkness. But all that time the sun shone as usual in Goshen where the children of Israel dwelt. "They had light in their dwellings." Imagine that you were passing through Egypt just at that dismal time. And suppose the darkness had continued-not three days only-but three weeks; and still it grew thicker and blacker, and no hope of dawn remained. As you sit on the ground in despair, suddenly a light flashes through the gloom. It is an Israelite from Goshen bearing in his hand a torch. He lifts you up and says, "Come with me, I will light your steps, and show you the way out of this dark land into one where there is sunshine." You gladly follow him. As you go along, the torch shows you the way and the dangerous places you must avoid. You travel on and there appears a little glimmer of daylight. Presently you see the dim form of a pyramid or a group of palm-trees; and still your path shines more and more unto the perfect day; and at last you reach the lightsome land of Goshen where all is sunshine.

Now, take that benighted land for an emblem of your natural state of sin. The kind Israelite is a minister of God. The torch in his hand is the Bible which shines like "a lamp in a dark place." The pleasant land of sunshine to which it will lead you is a state of favour with God-the "land of Beulah," on which the Sun of Righteousness shines all day long, and wherein all the people of God dwell. Now you would not value the torch only as it led you to the sun; so your