their hearts to God, and be saved, simply because they will not, others do not believe the record God has given of His Son, and continue exposed to the damnation of those "that believe not." Others again, mistrust the motives of the pious, who seek to lead them from the way of death, and think they want only to bring them into bondage; and as the mariners had power to remain on the wreck and be drowned, so the sinner has power to continue in his sins and be damned. Awful power! fearful responsibility! and yet if man be not free, "how shall God judge the world?"

The Church, however, as a Spiritual Life-boat, continues her benevolent excursions, and daily lands some saved ones at the port of glory; and when she shall have made her last trip, through that tempest that shall make a wreck of earth, then shall arise from countless myriads the song of triumph and of praise :—

"Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power,

Be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne,
And unto the Lamb, for ever and ever."

"For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."-1 COR. iii. 16. "If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household ?"-MATT. X. 25.

OBEDIENCE AND WISDOM.

Here is Self-Will, so called by men below,
Struggling alone his upward path to go;
Though steep and rugged he will persevere;
The way he knows is right, then wherefore fear?
His friends and foes alike pronounce him mad;

His friends are sorry, but his foes are glad;

One pulls him by the skirt to keep him back,
Another runs before to cross his track;
One with a club resolves to stop his course,

And, right or wrong, to bring him back by force;

M

But they are wrong, and wrong the title given,
Self-will on earth-Obedience is in heaven.

Next Folly-nicknamed-here is seen to rise
And climb the path that leads to yonder skies;
Honours and shining gold his pathway cross,
Yet he esteems them but as dung and dross;
Old fashioned things prefers, o'ergrown with rust,
And stars and garters tramples in the dust.
Judging the man by earth's aeknowledged rule,
The lookers on denounce him for a fool;
The world is wrong again, the man is right;
His name is Wisdom in the realms of light.

In this picture, on the one hand, is seen a man urging his way up a steep and rugged path; his name is recorded. He is opposed, still he doggedly perseveres; friends and foes alike are astonished at his proceedings. The former are grieved, the latter rejoice at the prospect of his certain ruin. Some of his friends are determined to arrest his progress; one seizes hold of him by the skirt, another, more intent, tries to get a-head of him in order to stop him; a third, yet more violent, pursues him with bludgeon, and is determined, if fair means fail, to employ force. Nevertheless, he obstinately persists in the path he has chosen; he believes it to be right; he will not give in. They employ threats and promises, but all to no purpose; out of all patience with him, they use up a whole vocabulary of opprobrious epithets. He is self-willed, obstinate, stubborn, &c.; one by one, however, at length they leave him, and go about their business, and the man, no longer molested, goes along the way which to him appears to be right, and which he is determined to follow.

On the other hand, one is seen pressing forward up a rough and difficult pass; his name also is apparent. On his path lie stiered profusely, Riches and Honours, of various kinds; there is the trumpet of Fame, with Stars and Garters, and many other things of equal value: these appear to be at his command-he may ride in a coach drawn by six beautiful horses, and yet he prefers to toil and tug along that rough road on foot. This strange conduct excites the scorn, ridicule, and laughter of those who behold him; they denounce him as a fool-they know that they would act very differently, and they are wise men. The man, however, regardless alike of their scorn and jests, goes his own way; and after awhile, they go theirs.

The traveller, here called Self-will, represents the Christian, or man of Piety, in every age; the steep and rugged way, Christian conduct; the traveller's opponents, the Christian's adversaries, or men of the world. The Christian is one who is anointed with the Spirit of Christ; he receives a heavenly call; he is not disobedient thereto; he knows in whom and in what he believes. The path he is commanded to follow may be a difficult one, very difficult to flesh and blood; it is a new and strange way; it is so to himself in many respects, but God has called him to walk in it-he will obey. He walks by faith, not by sight, merely. His friends become alarmed at his conduct, and at first approach him with tenderness, beseeching him to give up his new-fangled notions; though he loves them sincerely, he cannot, he dare not yield to their solicitations. They remonstrate, they threaten, but all in vain; he is determined, nothing will move him; he even invites them to go with him; nothing would give him greater satisfaction than to have them for companions; they will not be persuaded, and, mourning over what they consider his self-will and stubbornness, permit him, at length to have his own way.

Others of a more hostile character, but equally blind, who know nothing of the Christian's motives and aims, who put darkness for light, and light for darkness, call sweet bitter and bitter sweet, beset the man with foul and abusive language. They revile and slander him, they maltreat and persecute him; they believe him to be an obstinate, stupid fellow-one who will have his own way at all hazards.

The man of God endures all things, and hopes all things; he prays for those who oppose him; he gives them good advice and tells them, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." But God sees not as man sees; Heaven approves of his conduct : hallelujahs resounded above when fist he started on the way; new shouts of angelic applause might have been heard, when he persisted to walk in it. God has enrolled his name among His obedint ones, and when earth's records, doings, and opinions, shall be no more, he will receive, amid ten thousand thousand witnesses, the welcome plaudit of "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

A wonderful example of what the world calls self-will, lived many yeas since. An old man, who knew nothing about the business, took it into his head to turn shipwright and build a ship. Such a thing had never been heard of: of such enormous dimensions, too,

that it was very clear there could not be water enough to float it; and a thousand idle things was said about the old man and his wild and wilful undertaking. Yet he was self-willed; day after day found him at his work-he knew what he was about-he knew who had commanded him; he doubted not but that there would be water enough to float his ship by and by, nor was he mistaken. His obedience had its full reward, and the lone Ark, floating majestically on the world of waters, testified that it is better to obey God than man.

The man Folly, his path, and the treatment he meets with, serves also to illustrate Christian character. The Christian is called to forsake home and friends, houses and lands, riches and honours, whenever they in any measure stand in the way of duty. The heavenly commission he has received makes it incumbent on him to deny self, to take up his cross, to bear the yoke, and to become a pilgrim in the world. He is faithful to his calling. Pleasure courts him, but he einbraces her not. Wealth entices, but he consents not. Honours and glories solicit him, but all in vain. He rejects them all. He will not have a clog to his soul. He is free, and he know the value of his freedom. The poor slaves of sin and earth knows no more of the man and his pursuits, than of the angel Gabriel and his employments in paradise. To them, this spurner of gold, this rejector of honours, this trampler on earth, is a fool and a madman: he is beside himself, and so he is denounced accordingly. They judge of him and his conduct by the rules of earth, but he follows another standard. As well might the oyster buried in the sand attempt to pass judgment on the towering eagle when he flies on the wings of the storm, mounts and mingles with the new-born light, and rejoices in the boundlessness of space.

He

The Christian rejects what he knows, upon the authority of Truth, and the God for truth to be worthless in themselves, unsatis factory in their nature, and transitory in their continuance. receives and holds fast what is invaluable, satisfying, and eternal. And when the light of the last conflagration shall reveal the secrets of all hearts, and declare the value of all things, then will it be seen that the Christian has governed himself according to the rules of the highest Wisdom.

Thus it was with the man of meekness; He gave up a kingship and royalty, and formed an alliance with a troop of slaves; He relinquished the splendours of a court for the terrors of a desert; a life of luxurious ease for one of peril and fatigue. By the men of his generation His conduct was regarded as foolish and absurd, but His