slothful spirit. "The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets." (Prov. xxii. 13.) Those, however, who hearken to the Lord, shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. (Prov. i. 33.)The righteous are bold as a lion;" they know God is their refuge and strength. They trust in Him in whom is everlasting strength. Weakness, lack of divine energy, and pride, are also associated with a slothful spirit. "As a door turneth upon its hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. The slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason." (Prov. xxvi. 14—16.)

Now let us look at the "field of the slothful;" it is covered with weeds, and exposed to the intrusions of every hurtful foe-all grown over with thorns and nettles, and the stone wall thereof broken down. It is indeed a solemn picture, and may well serve to remind us that we are the Lord's, and not of the world, even as He was not of the world; but, a chosen generation, a holy nation, and a peculiar people, and that our Lord looks for fruit. Naturally we only bring forth thorns and nettles; but God, in mercy, having united us to Him who is raised from the dead, given us the Holy Spirit, and separated us unto Himself by the blood of Jesus, it becomes us to be experimentally separate unto God, bearing much fruit. But, dear brethren, what is the state of our souls now? Are we fruitful in every good work, and diligent in keeping the stone wall from being broken down? The enemy desires ready access to us, and to our labour in the

Lord; but if we are found living as separated unto God by the blood and righteousness of His Son, we shall have an impenetrable shield round about us. When thus we are dwelling in God, we find we have something better than the world, and desire to be God's witnesses in separation from it, rather than to have the best associations with it. When the warming beams of the Sun of Righteousness, the fertilizing showers of divine grace, and the tender culturing hand of the heavenly Husbandman, are upon us, our souls prosper, and are ready to cry out, "Let my Beloved come into His garden, and eat His pleasant fruits!"

Beloved in Christ! let us beware of slothfulness ; let us be stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; for God is not unrighteous to forget any work or labour of love in ministering to His saints. The cup of cold water, given in the name of a disciple, shall not lose its reward; the uplifted heart in prayer or praise does not escape His eye; and the tear of sympathy He will treasure up in His bottle.

ON LUKE I.

How beautifully does Luke i. rise upon the heart! I read it like a new scene of light and joy, breaking in after a gloomy and wasted interval, and exceeding all that had been in the earlier days, or that had been promised by the prophets.

There had been most surely a return from Babylon in the times of Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah—and they were good times. The zeal of the servants of God,

the restoration of the house and city, the revived feasts, and the order and services of the people made them So. But such times had been clouded; the day was overcast; yea, while it was yet but morning, a change had come; and Malachi gives us an evil account of his times, in which condition, with a bright promise to the remnant, Israel goes on till the times of the New Testament. A dreary and evil interval indeed, without one single ray as from the light of the Lord, or the spirit of revelation, to animate or cheer it!

But, though it tarry, wait for it-it will surely come, and come with a bright witness. For such is this exquisite chapter. The morning breaks; the heavens. are opened, as it were, and the dreary wastes of Israel are revisited. And, as in the twinkling of an eye, all this takes place. No special harbingers, no marvellous notices of the coming Stranger; but the priest is at the accustomed altar, and the people in their places according to the manner; and, in the ordinary current of every day life, the women of the land are preparing for espousals, (verse 27,) when suddenly the heavens open, and visitations are made alike to the temple and the cottage, to the priest and the poor unknown virgin of Nazareth.

The suddenness and brilliancy of all this is very blessed. And how it tells us that the distance of heaven from earth is as nothing, when the due season comes for bringing them into communion. The ladder is a short one that will reach from heaven to earth byand-bye; and in this chapter we get a sight of it for a moment, or a sample of some of its happy services. Here the angels of God are ascending and descending.

Gabriel enters, without wrong, into the place of the priests, and stands even at the right side of the altar. He does not take the high style of the Angel-Jehovah, and ascend in its flame; nor does he, like Jesus-Jehovah, speak of himself as greater than that temple; but being a heavenly one, he enters without trespass upon the place of the priest. So also does he enter without reluctance into the place of the poor unknown Nazarene. The earth may not be so prepared to receive such visitations, as heaven is to make them, but Gabriel has for both Zacharias and Mary the same healing and gladdening word, "Fear not;" and joy, the most satisfying joy, diffuses itself everywhere. Old men and maidens, young men and children, join in the millennial dance. Mary and Elizabeth, and the child in the womb, and Zacharias, in their several way, attest their joy, and, in principle, all creation is lighted up in gladness. Here is more than earlier days had known, or voices of Prophets foretold. Ezra and Nehemiah had never had such days of heaven upon earth as these, nor had Malachi told the remnant of such tastes of soul-satisfying joy as Elizabeth had when she saluted Mary, or as Mary had when she uttered her song of praise.

He had indeed said, that they that feared the Lord spake often one to the other, and thought on His name together; but now on the hearts and on the lips of such a remnant, the gladdening light of the Spirit is shed, and the triumphant strains of the Spirit are poured forth.

And the suddenness, as well as the brilliancy of all this! Who was calculating on a bit of it all through the day before?

And then the ease with which heaven visits the earth, when the due time comes. No reserve in coming side by side with the highest; no reluctance in coming side by side with the poorest and meanest. The ladder stretches its ample foot across the length and breadth of the land, and down to every point of it. "Abundant entrance" is administered to the angels in the heavens above.

All these features of this communion attract me. Would that the soul could wait more in the joy and patience of faith, for the great original of this, for that millennial day when the ladder shall thus be raised, and the heavens, after this pattern, shall open on the earth again, when the passage downward shall be thus in full ease and brilliancy; and if the receivers of the joy that is brought be made so happy by it, what shall be the happiness of them who bear it to them, and who, in their measure, shall experience the Divine prerogative, and know that "it is more blessed to give than to receive "?

"THE WOMAN FEARING AND TREMBLING." MARK V. 33.

WE may receive a benefit from one, and receive it too with all assurance of our welcome to it, and yet find ourselves very far from being at ease or at home in the presence of our benefactor. Nothing is more common than this. Gratitude may be awakened very deeply and affectionately in the heart, and yet reserve and uneasiness by no means be removed. And the higher the personal dignity, the deeper the moral worth of the one who has served us, the more will this reserve