First: Introduces a noble man to his friends. Some are very anxious to keep their friends to themselves, and if possible to monopolize their thoughts and their hearts: and some, if they introduce a friend at all, only those of an inferior type. Paul introduces Tychicus "a beloved brother, and faithful minister." You cannot confer a greater benefit on your friends than to commend to their confidence a noble man; the gift of such a man to them is more valuable than lordly estates or mighty kingdoms. Secondly: He introduced a noble man to their friendship entirely for their own advantage. There are those who introduce men to their friends for the sake of getting something from them; but not so in this case. Paul does not ask them to do anything for Tychicus: nor does he ask them to send back through Tychicus any favour to him. . . . He sends Tychicus in order to serve them in two ways. (1.) To satisfy their anxieties as friends. They would naturally be anxious to know something concerning the "affairs" of the man who lived and laboured in their city for three years, and around whose neck their fathers fell in tears when he bade them adieu.* They would like to know how this, their father in Christ, fared, now a prisoner in Rome. To satisfy the natural craving of their hearts he now sends Tychicus-he would tell them all. I should like to have seen Tychicus deliver this letter, and to have heard the thousand eager questions. (2.) To promote their happiness as Christians. "And that he may comfort your hearts." Paul knew well the trials to which the Church at Ephesus was exposed, both from Jews and Pagans. He knew they wanted comfort. The letter he sent abounded with comforting thoughts, and he knew that a loving brother like Tychicus would skilfully and efficaciously apply the healing balm. Here is

II. A type of SPIRITUAL BENEVOLENCE. Paul's heart goes out in well-wishing, and what did he wish for his brethren at Ephesus? No secondary favours, but the highest blessings from God the Father and His blessed Son. First: Divine

* See my Homiletic Commentary on Acts of Apostles in loco.

peace. "Peace be to the brethren." Mark where the peace comes from-" From God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." There is a peace that does not come from that source, a peace that comes from the devil, a moral stagnation of soul-something like the stillness of that murky atmosphere that nurses and forebodes the thunder, the lightning, and the hurricane which spread devastation over sea and land. This is the peace of God. The peace of God is-(1.) Peace of an approving conscience. (2.) Peace of conscious security. (3.) Peace of accordant affections. (4.) Peace of harmonious activities. Secondly: A conjunction of love and faith. "Love with faith." There is a love and also a faith that are not of heaven. Divine love and faith are always united in a good man. Divine faith "works by love," works by love as the labourer works by the sun.

These are the blessings spiritual benevolence desires for men, and they are in truth the germs of all good. Give me these and I want no more. Out of them my Paradise will bloom: they are the Nebula which will one day encircle me with the brightest of heavens. Give the race these, and soon all crimes, sufferings, discords, miseries, will cease. Here is

"Grace be with all

III. A type of CHRISTIAN CATHOLICITY. them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth." Love Him purely, love Him in reality, love Him as He ought to be loved. Wherever they are, in whatever land, of whatever tribe or kingdom, happiness to them! The language of modern sects is grace be to all them that are Baptists, Methodists, Independents, Episcopalians, &c. The language of true Christian Catholicity is "Grace be to all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ "-of all creeds or no creed, churches or no church.

CONCLUSION.-Here end our reflections on this wonderful Epistle. Our walk through this section of the great garden of truth, whose aromas have refreshed, whose beauty has charmed, and whose objects have challenged our thoughts and excited our devout admiration, is now ended. Should others

follow our footsteps with keener eyes and finer senses, more apt to discern the beautiful and the good, they will be able to discover for themselves, and reveal to others, much more than we have done. When we began our walk we were afraid that we should meet some of those grim Calvinian dogmas which certain theologians assured us were there, but we never met their shadow. There are no theological weeds and thistles here. All is free and fresh as nature, as fitted to the human soul as light to the eye and breath to the lungs.

Germs of Thought.

Subject: THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES AND THE TRUE PREACHER.

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about: and behold there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry.”— Ezekiel xxxvii. 1, 2, &c.

THIS passage was intended to set forth in a most impressive manner the degradation of the Jews in Babylonian captivity, and their restoration through God, by the instrumentality of Cyrus. The prophet was now with the captives, and delivered his prophecies on the river Chebar, about six hundred years B.C. I shall use the passage as the picture of a true preacher of the Gospel.

I. THIS PREACHER HAD A FINE CHURCH TO PREACH IN. It is in "the midst of the valley." It is abroad in open nature. His Church is encircled by the hills, and over-arched by the heavens; its roof and floor and walls are ornamented by the great Architect of the universe. The true preacher of Christ has open nature for his temple. He need not be confined to the buildings of man's hands, or tied to the conventionalities of society. Wherever men are, on the valley, the hill-tops, the sea-shore, the high road, or in the market-place, he can open his mission, he can deliver his message. Thus Christ

and His Apostles preached. Their ministry was not confined to "temples made with hands." The Gospel matches nature in (1.) the freeness of its spirit; (2.) the universality of its provisions; and (3.) the unconventionality of its forms.

II. THIS PREACHER HAD AN AFFECTING CONGREGATION TO ADDRESS. The valley was full of bones, "very many and very dry." No indication of life was seen, even the flesh was gone, nothing but blanched bones. Unregenerate men are everywhere represented as spiritually dead-"dead in trespasses and sins." The principle of life, which is supreme love to God, is extinct. Unregenerate souls are like dead bodies in many respects. First: They are the creatures of the outward. While there is life in the human body it has a power to appropriate the external to its own use; but when life has departed, the external elements make it their sport. It is so with unregenerate souls. They are the creatures of circumstances. Secondly: They are loathsome to the eye. The human frame that is beautiful in life becomes so offensive in death, that love seeks a place to bury it out of sight. Unregenerate souls are loathsome to the eyes of all who are truly and spiritually alive.

III. THIS PREACHER HAD A DIVINE SERMON TO DELIVER. "And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? and he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." The preacher was the mere mouthpiece of God. He said what God told him to say, nothing more, nothing less. In his sermon-First: He appealed to His dead auditory. This showed his strong faith in God. His own reason would suggest to him the absurdity of his work, but he trusted God. God commanded him and he did it. Secondly: He appealed to heaven. "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." From heaven the power came, and that power he invoked with all the earnestness of his nature. Thus with the true preacher of Christ. His words will be

powerless unless made powerful by the mighty Spirit. "Not by might nor by power."

IV. THIS PREACHER HAD MARVELLOUS RESULTS TO WITNESS. "As I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." First: The results were what he worked for. The efforts he exerted were for resuscitation, and resuscitation came. Every true preacher will get, to some extent, that for which he earnestly labours. Secondly: The results were gradually developed. "Bone came together, bone to his bone." This was the first stage. "The sinews and the flesh came up upon them, the skin covered them above." This was the second stage. Then the breath

came into them. This was the third stage. "And they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army." This was the consummation. Here is―(1.) Motion-bones moving. (2.) Organization-bones knitted together and covered with flesh. (3.) Vitality-the organization animated. (4.) Exertion-stood on their feet "a great army." Under every true preacher the work in a congregation goes on something in this way: there is motion, a little stir, and excitation of the faculties. There is organization the man has taken the form of life. There is lifea little spiritual animation, but no exertion. There is exertion— he stands up as a soldier. The moral resurrection of souls is completed only in the last stage.

Let us

CONCLUSION. Let us go forth in our work unencumbered by conventionalities; let us be as natural as nature. deliver God's message to the dead, trusting to His power to give it effect. Let us invoke the aid of His quickening Spirit, then we may expect to effect some amount of resuscitation in the world's vast valley of dead souls.*

* For illustration see "Pulpit and its Handmaids," page 60.