man is a military service,-both long and diversified. Thou must act the part of a soldier, and perform without reserve whatever thy supreme commander may require, even anticipating, if possible, his will." It is even supposed by some of our great scholars that our name Sacrament, for the Lord's Supper, is borrowed from the oath of a soldier to his general-Sacramentum-by which he bound himself to follow his general's standard and obey his orders. Do you not remember David's heroes? They heard the king express a wish that some one would give him water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which was before the gate, and immediately they broke through the warrior host of the Philistines, and drew water out of that well, and brought it to David. Oh, is there any one of us willing to do so arduous, so perilous, so glorious a service to please God? Can we say of the trials and sorrows and labors of this life, as Paul did-"None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have received of the LORD JESUS." Acts xx. 24. [See these quotations in Witsius.]

V. Do we really believe in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord? Then we cheerfully submit to be disposed of by Him as our true and only Sovereign. If He is our Lord, then we are his property, and there is no one to hinder Him from doing what He will with his own. "Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay?" Strive to remember, dear brethren, in your heavy losses and bereavements and afflictions, the noble examples of cheerful submission set us by Aaron and Moses, Eli and David. Besides, it is not only wicked, but it is in vain to contend with the Providence

WE ARE GOD'S PROPERTY.

65

of the Almighty. It is wicked, for to set up our judgment in opposition to God's, is to asperse his government, and say we know better than He does, or we are better than He is. It is wicked and vain. "Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth; woe unto him that striveth with his Maker."

And Job says, "I know that Thou canst do every thing, that no thought can be withholden from Thee. Nothing is too hard for Thee." Although, then, you fret and vex your soul, yet you cannot change or control the ways of Providence; but by submitting, acquiescing, you can make them all subservient to your happiness. Even the heathen teach us, as I have just said, that it is the part of every good man to receive the will of the gods as best, and to follow their appointment without murmuring. Very few Christian poets have surpassed the following lines from Cleanthes, which I copy from Witsius :

"Father of all! Great Ruler of the sky!

Thy power I own, thy wisdom still descry.
Whate'er the paths through which thou'rt pleased to lead,

With joy I follow, and obey with speed.

Were I to fret, and act a wayward part,

Follow I must, though with an aching heart.

Fate leads the willing, drags the unwilling soul;

Tranquil, the good; the bad, compelled to howl."

Epictetus, the philosopher, furnishes us also with a beautiful paragraph on this point:

“I have surrendered my inclination to God. Is it His will that I should be sick of a fever? Then it is my will also. Is it His will I should give my attention to any thing? It is my will too. Is it His will I should earnestly desire any thing? Then I do earnestly desire it. Is it His will I should obtain the possession of any thing? Then I am

so inclined.

Is it His will that I should not obtain it?

Surely it is enough to say with Seneca, "A man should be pleased with whatever pleases God." "To a good man there is nothing evil, either living or dying. What then shall I think when God does not afford me the means of subsistence, or the power to live? What else, but that as a good commander he sounds a retreat for me? I submit, I follow, commending my Leader, and praising his works. I came into the world when it seemed good to him, and now I retire when He pleases; and while I lived, this was my employment, to praise Him alone or with many, rendering thanks to God for all things, blaming nothing whatever that is done by Him."

Have we received Christ as our Lord? Are we happy in the thought that He is supreme, commanding and disposing of all things? Can we say cheerfully with our Hymn

"He that formed me in the womb,
Ile shall guide me to the tomb;

All my times shall ever be
Ordered by his wise decree.

Times of illness, times of health,

Times of penury and wealth,

Times of trial and of grief,

Times of triumph and relief,

Times the tempter's power to prove,

Times to taste a Saviour's love;

All must come, and last, and end

As shall please my Heavenly Friend.
Thee at all times will I bless;
Having thee, I all possess ;

How can I bereaved be,

Since I cannot part with thee?"

THE BLESSED USE OF TRIALS.

67

And are we striving to be conformed to His will, who said: "Not my will, but thine be done," that we may know the power of his resurrection and be conformed to his death? Then we have the blessed hope that we shall be raised in the resurrection of the last day, and our bodies be made like unto his own glorious body. Cheerfully therefore and with courage let us fight on, and faithfully perform all our duties, and suffer, all the evils our heavenly Father sees best to send upon us.

"Trials must and will befall;

But with humble faith to see
LOVE inscribed upon them all,
This is happiness to me.
God, in Israel, sows the seeds
Of affliction, pain, and toil;
Trials make the promise sweet;

Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to his feet,

Lay me low, and keep me there."

IV.

JESUS "CONCEIVED" AND "BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY."

"And the Word was God.

And the Word was made flesh, and

dwelt among us."-JOHN i. 1-14; with 1 JOHN iv. 2, and 1 TIM. iii. 16.

THE FORMS of modern DISBELIEF, which are both widespread and exceedingly dangerous, are in many points widely different from the unbelief of the last century. In many ways they are peculiar, and differ from and are more subtle than the forms of unbelief that have existed at any time, or through any of the ages since Christ and his Apostles. A general resemblance may indeed be traced through them all from age to age, but each age has its peculiarities. The prevailing forms of unbelief in our day are exceedingly subtle. Great modesty is professed. And the highest mental culture, and the most intense admiration for the works of the Creator, and for the Fine Arts as expressive of the Godlike in man, are made the glosses under which the Personality of God, and the existence and character of His Son Jesus Christ are denied or undermined. The character of the attack agreed upon by the enemies of Revelation is changed. There is, then, in some measure, a necessity for "a restatement of Christian doctrines," and a new line of defense. Many of the old arguments, like the arms and artillery of a past age,