Those who dwell in the everlasting thought themselves once upon earth t "wise, but became fools."* The impo worship in which they find themselves t the rivetting upon them of that habit with which they treated GOD's worship "when they knew GOD, glorified Him n neither were thankful; but became va imaginations, and their foolish heart ened." †

We advantage not GOD by our sa thanksgiving, but we advantage oursel gifts of GOD are given to us in a way from that in which they are given to orders of creation. They are given merely as gratifications for the time no but as means whereby we may glorify G so doing attain the full development of nature which is ours by regenerationfind its full satisfaction only in these a munion with our FATHER. It is our p the covenant of CHRIST-it is the earr glory as the members of CHRIST, th bring unto GOD acceptable sacrifices

giving for mercies received. By nature we can add nothing to the glory of GOD. O the marvel of condescending grace-the creative word which empowers our nothingness! By grace we can even add to the glory of GOD! The humblest, poorest, weakest of us can. As the glory of a father is in his children, so is is the glory of our FATHER in heaven to be manifested in His saints* -in "the revelation of the sons of GOD."† We glorify Him as the recipients of His bounty-setting forth before Him in grateful devotion those gifts which He has given to us. To forget that we are renewed in grace for the very purpose of advancing the glory of GOD by the use of His gifts, and to give Him the honor of the lips alone, as thinking He can need no more from us, is to adopt for ourselves no new form of religion indeed, but a form which has been of little use to those who have adopted it-the religion of one to whom a great talent was given by GOD, but of whom it is said, "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."‡

The first unprofitable servant in this world of

* 2 Thess. i., 10. ↑ Rom. iii., 19.

+ S. Matt. xxv., 30.

ours was Cain. Why was he unprof was because of some fault in the sac he offered. Those persons who thi act of sacrifice matters little, should the cause of Cain's rejection. We a that he was a worse man in any other Abel was. He was rejected because o his manner of worship. He had not s GOD as Abel had; and thought appa one kind of gift would be as acceptabl another. The Apostle expressly tells outer gift was the token which proved faith of Abel. "By faith, Abel offere a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, obtained witness that he was right

testifying of his gifts." "The LORD unto Abel and to his offering; but un to his offering, He had not respect solemn warning which GOD has cause served to us in the brief record of family. Through want of faith, Cain also in the largeness of his offering excellent sacrifice' means, according sense of the original words, a larger

larger whether in quantity or quality. He does not seem to have thought it necessary to give GOD the best thing he had. He gave something indeed as a sacrifice to GOD, but the best apparently he kept for himself. S. Paul's phrase gives authority to the ancient interpretation of the words in which GOD expostulated with Cain. The rendering of those words, according to the old Greek translation, is this: "If thou makest not a right division of the sacrifice,”—implying that the fault had lain in not dividing rightly what should be for GOD, and what for himself. The outer sacrifice of thanksgiving is the expression of the faith of the giver, and if it is little, it is an expression of little faith. A little faith will bring an unworthy offering, and find no reward. In the bounteous dispensation of GOD, even our sacrifices of thanksgiving shall be steps onward to further gifts which He has in store for us, if we offer them aright; and "he that soweth little shall reap little, and he that soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously. Let every man do according as he is disposed in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for GOD loveth a cheerful giver."* In Cain's sacrifice there was an

* 2 Cor. ix., 7.

acknowledgment of GOD's dominion, a did well-he offered well. It was the t of faith which was wanting to it, and t gift was small, and the offerer was cas

When Noah came out of the ark, h full of thankfulness to GOD, and t counted not the small number of ani were left him as stock for the replenis earth. He builded without delay an the LORD, certainly for the purpose of his thanksgiving for his deliverance, an of every clean beast, and of every clea offered burnt offerings on the altar; an smelled a sweet savour."*

It was as an oblation of thanksgiving poured upon the ground the water fo so much thirsted, which had been bro by the self-sacrifice of his followers. to be of so much value, that it shoul given to the LORD. He gave it ami need.

O my brethren, how apt are we may give to GOD those things we d ourselves! The gift of superfluities