Jesus prays for them. "I pray for them; I pray not for the world." I do not think that the construction which some very severe Calvinists put upon this is proper. They say that we have nothing to do with the world-that Christ never prayed for it; I think, whether it be true or not, this text does not prove it. This is his intercessory prayer within the veil; it is as the Head of all believers that Jesus is speaking, and, therefore, only of his own people; He is praying here only for his own people, and not for the world. But still, in the world are thousands who are not yet Christians, except in the purposes of God; and by and by they will emerge from the world, and believe the Gospel, and profess that truth which now they are ignorant of. "I pray for them; I pray not for the world"— that is, now, in this intercessory prayer-" but for them whom Thou hast given me; for they are thine." But what is meant by the words, "All mine are thine"? Well, a creature could say that ; "all that I have is thine." But what follows? But what follows?"And thine are mine;" no creature could add this: "and I am glorified in them."

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"I

Jesus then says, am no more in the world"-as He had told them before "I go to the Father." But then He prays for those left behind. "Holy Father;" how beautiful is that phrase! "Father;" therefore we are the sons of God. "Holy Father;" sinners as we are, now become sons, it is yet consistent with thy holiness that we should be so; "keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy name; and now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves." "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." That prayer is applicable to every true Christian. Christ does not pray that we may be taken out of the world; and every attempt to take ourselves out of

Christ's prayer is, that

the world is unscriptural and wrong. Christians while in the world may be kept from its evil, and be the lights of the world; that others, seeing their good works, may glorify their Father who is in heaven. We never ought to forget that our position is assigned us in providence; and that we are not at liberty to leave that position any more than the soldier or sentinel is to leave the post that is assigned him; but in it, through God's strength, we are to do the duties that devolve upon us; and there, not elsewhere, to glorify our Father in heaven. The better a man is, the more Christian a woman is, the more need the world has of them, not the more imperative it is upon him or her to go out of the world. If we be Christians, we are just the very people that the world wants; and to go out of it is to do what God forbids. And if we be not Christians, to go into a convent to get Christianity is much worse, depend upon it, than continuing where we are. It seems, there.. fore, obvious, that the true duty of a Christian is to remain where Providence has placed him. If you are a soldier, you can serve God as a soldier; if you be a sailor, you can serve him as a sailor; if you be a member of parliament you can serve God there; if you be a tradesman, or a merchant, or a lawyer, or a physician, you can serve God thus. And you will find it invariably true, that the man that cannot serve God just where he is, if there be nothing in his position opposed to God's Word, never would serve Him better if he were where he would be. And very often, the wish to change our place in order to be religious, as it is called, is simply a lazy wish to get out of difficulties that we will not manfully grapple with, and to get into smoother water, where we think we shall have less trouble, under the pretence that we shall be more religious. Christ's prayer is, "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those that thou hast given me. I do not pray that thou shouldest take them out of the world; but I pray that thou shouldest keep them from its evil," the evil of the world

Jesus prays, in the next place, in words that show the process through which a Christian is sanctified, "Sanctify them through thy truth." The Holy Spirit is the author of sanctification. God's truth is the medium of it. And, therefore, the means of sanctification is contact and acquaintance with God's truth; the reading of his Word, the hearing of it preached—that is the means of sanctification. "Thy word is truth." What a blessed thought! God's word is truth. The evidence that this Book is the inspiration of God is greater, more varied, more conclusive, than the evidence for any one fact that ever occurred in the world. It is much easier—it is not an extravagant statement, but a sober truth-it is much easier, as Archbishop Whately has done in his own powerful and conclusive manner, to prove that no such personage as Napoleon ever existed, than it is to prove that this book is not the Book of God.

"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory." Mark that prayer. Could you, could I, could a saint, could an apostle say, "Father, I will"? No; yet here is a personage who stands between heaven and earth, and says, "Father, I will "—the fiat of a God, not the petition of a lowly and suffering creature—“ I will that those thou hast given me be with me;" that is really heaven. Now one does not care where heaven is. When we speak of heaven being up and hell being down, we use popular language. Geographically looked at, up and down are mere phrases; these expressions are meant to denote, that up above all thought, above all imagination, above all the din, the turmoil, the taint of this world, is enthroned One, in whose presence there is fulness of joy, and at whose right hand there are pleasures for evermore. If we be with Christ it matters not where heaven is. I do not see why this world cannot be made a heaven; there is nothing in it to prevent its being made so. Let sin be removed from it; let it be consecrated

by the descending footstep of Him that redeemed it; let Christ be in

it and let us be with Him; and there must be everlasting and joyous heaven. The occupation of heaven is, "That they may behold my glory." Christ's glory shines from the plants, and flowers, and fruits of the earth; it shines from innumerable stars strewn through the depths and heights of infinitude; it shines from the cross, and evidences the love that gave Him to die for us, and the mercy that had pity upon us when there was no eye to pity us.

Thou Interceding High Priest, pray for us, that sanctified on earth through Thy truth, we may be with Thee in heaven for

evermore.

Christ in Gethsemane.

Matthew xxvi. 36; Mark xiv. 32.

ESUS prays in Gethsemane. A scene of awful agony a struggle pregnant with tremendous issues-is presented on this occasion. Angels look down amazed; evil spirits look up confounded and overwhelmed. The disciples, weary and way-worn and sorrowful, fall asleep. Never had Christ given expression to his keen and agonized soul in such words: "Abba Father, all things are possible to thee; take away this cup from me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what Thou wilt." His heart was overwhelmed in a sea of sorrow, his whole human nature recoiled from the fearful suffering. It is lawful to deprecate what it is human to feel-agony and pain. The stoic aspires to what is impossible-insensibility. Mere human nature sinks beneath its pressure, and has recourse to suicide. The Christian feels acutely, prays fervently, and in his bitterest grief cries to his Father, "Not as I will, but as Thou wilt."

He knows there is a need be in his heaviest trial, a benediction in his deepest baptism of tears, a triumphant issue to all his tribulation. But Gethsemane had in it what can be in no other garden. It was the reversal of what occurred in Eden. The sufferings of Jesus were expiatory and atoning. It was the burden of our sins that lay so heavy on the Saviour's soul. He was there wounded for our transgressions, the chastisement of our peace was on Him. His