thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. v. 14, 15). Such is the language of the child of God. "We love Him because He first loved us." We desire to give up ourselves a living sacrifice unto Him.

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my heart, my life, my all!"

But many are not prepared to say this. Some are dead in trespasses and sins. What is your state, dear reader? It is a solemn thing to hear of such wondrous love, passing the love of woman, and not participate in it. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." You are not bidden to do some great thing, but simply look and live. Wash, and be clean. Believe, and be saved. Place no difficulty, then, in your own path. You have a free offer; accept it as freely.

Faith, simple trust, has been called the soul's venture. Be persuaded to make it. It is well known that when the only boat was on the point of leaving the sinking ship "London," in the wild Bay of Biscay,

A lady was

there happened to be room for one more. asked to go; but, seeing the terrible leap she must take in order to reach the boat, she was afraid, and drew back. The crew then pushed off, on which the poor lady sprang forward, and cried out, "I will give you a thousand pounds if you will take me with you." It was too late. She did not make the venture. Let it not be thus with you. Bring all your imperfections, your sins, and your follies, and come to Christ. Venture all upon Him. He has paid the debt of sin. Therefore, it need not keep you back. If you only trust Him He will allow no impediment to come between you and salvation. "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter iii. 9).

Your misery

Your guilt weighs nothing with me. I make no account of. Your deserts I heed not. I know that death is the wages of sin, and these wages you have earned; but I find, also, that "love is strong as death."

XI.

"My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruits thereof two hundred."-CANT. viii. 12.

HE root of all salvation is the Lord Jesus

Christ; the fruit of all salvation is holiness

of life-heavenly energy showing itself in practical Christianity. Most of the Epistles observe this important feature of truth. The root strikes deeply down in the early portion of the letter, and the fruit unto holiness ripens at the close. There is no son who does not work in the vineyard. A thousand different modes of labour are before them, but each child does something.

The passage under notice shows our individual responsibility, "My vineyard, which is mine, is before me." What a contrast to a verse in the first chapter, "They made me keeper of the vineyards, but mine own vineyard have I not kept!" I was placed to watch over others, but sinfully and carelessly neglected myself.

When prematurely brought forward, this is frequently the case with the young Christian. Full of ardour, they become keepers of the vineyards of others; but later experience leads them to say, "Mine own vineyard have I not kept."

The celebrated Daniel Webster was once asked what he considered the most important subject which had occupied his attention? He replied, "My individual responsibility before God." Alas! that it engages so little of ours. Like Adam, we cast our faults upon others, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." The father of men did not accept his personal responsibility.

We read in Luke x. of one who came to Jesus, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" The reply was soon given. But he, wishing to justify himself, said, “And who is my neighbour ?" He was unwilling to accept his personal responsibility. In 1st Samuel xv. a like truth is brought before us. God sent Israel's king to destroy the Amalekites. When Samuel came to meet him, Saul said, "Blessed be thou of the Lord I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear ?" Saul replied evasively, "The people spared the best of the sheep and of the

:

oxen to sacrifice to the Lord thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed. Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on. And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel? And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord? And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."