wickedness, the condemning sin of this day of high and wide-spread evangelical profession. As nothing can exceed the grace that shines in the gospel of God, as now preached, so nothing can exceed the guilt of those. who in heart neglect it, while professing to have it. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation ?"

:

"Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." We cannot attempt to dwell upon this. It needs no comment. Human exposition could but weaken its force. The Holy Ghost alone can apply it to all those whom it may concern. But we earnestly pray that the reader of these lines may never be cast into that outer darkness-that place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. God grant that he may not only appear among the guests, but really have on the wedding garment, to the praise of that compelling grace to which we owe our present peace and everlasting glory.

OUT AND INTO.

"He brought us OUT that He might bring us IN."-Deut. vi. 23.

OUT of the distance and darkness so deep,
Out of the settled and perilous sleep:
Out of the region and shadow of death,
Out of its foul and pestilent breath;
Out of the bondage and wearying chains,
Out of companionship ever with stains ;—
Into the light and the glory of God,
Into the holiest, made clean by blood;

Into His arms-the embrace and the kiss,—
Into the scene of ineffable bliss ;
Into the quiet, the infinite calm,

Into the place of the song and the psalm.
Wonderful love, that has wrought all for me!
Wonderful work, that has thus set me free!
Wonderful ground upon which I have come!
Wonderful tenderness, welcoming home!

Out of disaster and ruin complete,
Out of the struggle and dreary defeat;
Out of my sorrow and burden and shame,
Out of the evils too fearful to name;
Out of my guilt, and the criminal's doom,
Out of the dreading, the terror, the gloom :-
Into the sense of forgiveness and rest,
Into inheritance with all the blest,
Into a righteous and permanent peace,
Into the grandest and fullest release,
Into the comfort without an alloy,
Into a perfect and confident joy.
Wonderful holiness, bringing to light!
Wonderful grace, putting all out of sight!
Wonderful wisdom, devising the way!
Wonderful power, that nothing could stay!

Out of the horror at being alone,
Out, and for ever, of being my own;
Out of the hardness of heart and of will,

Out of the longings which nothing could fill;
Out of the bitterness, madness and strife,
Out of myself, and of all I called life :-

Into communion with Father and Son,
Into the sharing of all that Christ won;
Into the ecstasies full to the brim,
Into the having of all things with Him;
Into Christ Jesus, there ever to dwell,
Into more blessings than words e'er can tell.

Wonderful lowliness, draining my cup!
Wonderful purpose, that ne'er gave me up!
Wonderful patience, that waited so long!
Wonderful glory, to which I belong!

Out of my poverty, into His wealth,
Out of my sicknesses, into pure health,
Out of the false, and into the true,
Out of the old man, into the New,

Out of what measures the full depth of "LOST!"
Out of it all, and at infinite cost!

Into what must with that cost correspond,
Into that which there is nothing beyond
Into the union which nothing can part,
Into what satisfies His, and my, heart!
Into the deepest of joys ever had—

Into the gladness of making God glad!
Wonderful Person, whose face I'll behold!
Wonderful story, then all to be told!
Wonderful all the dread way that He trod!
Wonderful end, He has brought me to God!

ISOLATION.

M. T.

It is one of our great difficulties at the present moment-indeed it has ever been a difficulty-to combine a narrow path with a wide heart. There is very much, on all sides, tending to produce isolation. We cannot deny it. Links of human friendship seem so fragile; so many things crop up to shake confidence; so many things which one cannot possibly sanction, that the path becomes more and more isolated.

All this is unquestionably true. But we must be very careful as to how we meet this condition of things. We have little idea how much depends on the spirit in which we carry ourselves in the midst of scenes and

circumstances which, all must admit, are peculiarly trying.

For example, I may retire in upon myself, and become bitter, morose, severe, repulsive, withered up, having no heart for the Lord's people, for His service, for the holy and happy exercises of the assembly. I may become barren of good works, having no sympathy with the poor, the sick, the sorrowful: living in the narrow circle within which I have retired; thinking only of myself, my personal and family interests.

But

What, we may well inquire, can be more miserable than this? It is simply the most deplorable selfishness; but we do not see it, because we are blinded by our inordinate occupation with other people's failures. Now it is a very easy matter to find out flaws, foibles, and faults in our brethren and friends. the question is, How are we to meet these things? Is it by retiring in upon ourselves? Never; no, never. To do this is to render ourselves as miserable in ourselves as we are worthless, and worse than worthless, to others. There are few things more pitiable than what we call "a disappointed man." He is always finding fault with others. He has never discovered the real root of the matter, or the true secret of deal

He is

ing with it. He has retired, but it is in upon himself. He is isolated, but his isolation is utterly false. miserable; and he will make all who come under his influence-all who are weak and foolish enough to listen to him-as miserable as himself. He has completely broken down in his practical career; he has succumbed to the difficulties of his time, and proved himself wholly unequal to meet the stern realities of actual life. And

then, instead of seeing and confessing this, he retires into his own narrow circle, and finds fault with everyone except himself.

How truly delightful and refreshing to turn from this dismal picture to the only perfect Man that ever trod this earth! His path was indeed an isolated one-none more so. He had no sympathy with the scene around Him. "The world knew him not." "He came unto his own [Israel], and his own received him not." "He looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but he found none." Even His own beloved disciples failed to sympathise with, or understand Him. They slept on the mount of transfiguration, in the presence of His glory; and they slept in the garden of Gethsemane, in the presence of His agony. They roused Him out of His sleep with their unbelieving fears, and were continually intruding upon Him with their ignorant questions and foolish notions.

How did He meet all this? In perfect grace, patience, and tenderness. He answered their questions; He corrected their notions; He hushed their fears; He solved their difficulties; He met their need; He made allowance for their infirmities; He gave them credit for devotedness in the moment of desertion; He looked at them through His own loving eyes, and loved them, notwithstanding all. Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."

Christian reader, let us seek to drink into our blessed Master's spirit, and walk in His footsteps; and then our isolation will be of the right kind, and though our path may be narrow, the heart will be large.