will is so brought into harmony with the divine will that, hearing, he obeys! Ah, if only we would let God have his way with us!

Did Philip and the Chancellor ever meet again? Probably not on earth; not on the desert road. But surely they met in the "sweet fields beyond the swelling flood." And, doubtless, there they spoke of the providence that had brought them together, like ships that pass in the night, and of the Voices that had spoken to them so strangely and in such divers ways.

The lesson is a plain one. Listen! "There are so many voices, and none of them is without signification."

Time was when God spake to his people in dreams and visions of the night; who shall say that he does not speak in like manner now? To the Treasurer of Queen Candace he spoke through his written Word; and blessed is the man who, reading, can thus hear him. To Philip in Samaria he spoke by the voice of an angel, saying. "Arise and go!" !" And when he reached the highway it was the voice of the Spirit that said again, "Go near and join thyself to this chariot."

God has so many voices! He speaks in nature; he speaks through conscience to the inner man; he speaks in the notes of the church bell, calling, "Come! Come! Come, and worship me!" He speaks in the Scriptures and by the Holy Spirit. And the secret of life is in knowing his Voice when we hear it.

We may not limit the methods of his speech; nor may we always be able to explain them. There is in Scripture, as in art, a blending of lights and shadows. God works in chiaroscuro; and wise is the man who can leave the shadow where God leaves it. The fact, however, is clear and indisputable; God speaks to men. You and I have heard him. All good impulses and high aspirations are as Voices of God. The vital question is not how he speaks, but shall we straightway heed him?

If he bids us remain in Samaria, so be it. If he bids us go down to Gaza by the way that is desert, so be it. "I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, I'll do what you want me to do." But alas for us when we interpose questions and murmurings and persist in taking our own way!

The habit of heeding is the pathway of life; and the secret of character is to run when he bids us.

I said, "Let me walk in the field;"
He said, "Nay, walk in the town."
I said, "There are no flowers there;"
He said, "No flowers, but a crown."

I said, "But the skies are black;
There is nothing but noise and din;"
But he wept as he sent me back.
"There is more," he said; "there is sin."

I said, "But the air is thick;

And fogs are veiling the sun;"
He answered, "Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone."

I said, "I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say;"
He answered me, "Choose to-night,
If I am to miss you, or they."

I pleaded for time to be given;
He said, "Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in heaven

To have followed the steps of your guide."

I cast one look at the field,

Then set my face to the town.
He said, "My child, do you yield?

Will you leave the flowers for the crown?"

Then into his hand went mine,
And into my heart came he,
And I walked in a light divine,
The path I had feared to see.

8. PRAYER

Be pleased, O Lord, to make and keep me content, wherever my lot may be. Help me to stand in my appointed place, serving faithfully and doing good as I have opportunity, for Jesus' sake. Amen.

9. HYMN: "Father, whate'er of earthly bliss." 10. BENEDICTION

Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

SIXTH SERVICE

The Lone Burden-Bearer

I. INVOCATION

ON

ON this thy holy day, O Lord, be pleased to lift upon me the light of thy countenance and give me peace. Let this hour be full of thy presence and this place as the gateway of heaven. Refresh my soul, for thy Name's sake. Amen.

2. HYMN: "All hail the power of Jesus' name." 3. SCRIPTURE LESSON

Isaiah 53.

Acts 8:1-40.

4. PRAYER

O Merciful God, I thank thee for the blessings of thy providence and grace. I acknowledge my ill desert and ingratitude, and humbly crave the pardon of my sins. Blessed be thy name for the ransom paid on Calvary. Help me to believe in the saving power of thy blood and gratefully to accept it. And then enable me to live as one whose sins are forgiven for Jesus' sake. Make clear the path of duty before me. Save me from the eternal

shame of having lived a useless life. Put me in the place of service appointed for me and make me willing to fill it. Bless my kinsfolk, friends and neighbors. Bless all those, throughout the world, who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. And bless the impenitent; show thy loving kindness in such a manner that they shall be conquered by it. Bless the preaching of the Gospel to-day. Let truth be exalted and error brought to naught. Save sinners and sanctify thy people. Protect our country. Guide all rulers and magistrates by thy counsel; and hasten the time when thy will shall be done and thy kingdom shall stretch from the river unto the ends of the earth. These things I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit be everlasting praise. Amen. 5. HYMN: "Am I a soldier of the Cross?" 6. OFFERING

7. THE SERMON

The Lone Burden-Bearer

"I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this, of himself or of some other man?" (Acts 8:34.)

The man whom we saw in our last sermon is riding slowly in his chariot on the desert road; on his knees is a copy of the Septuagint or Greek