is not good for us personally, may be good for us relatively. Suppose a trying dispensation makes us more tender and compassionate towards our fellowcreatures and our fellow Christians; suppose a distressing experience gives us the tongue of the learned, and enables us to speak a word in season to him that is weary suppose, as witnesses and examples of the power and excellency of the Gospel, we arouse the careless, and confirm the wavering: is there not enough here to call for our resignation and praise? Ezekiel was deprived of the desire of his eyes, with a stroke: to himself, this was painful; but it was profitable to his ministry, and useful to his chargeand this was the design of it. No man liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.

We judge carnally. What is not pleasing may yet be beneficial and natural evil may be moral good. When things are agreeable to our wishes, we never think of any difficulty in the Divine proceedings. While we have ease, and health, and friends, and success in business, we never complain of the darkness of Providence. But as soon as there is any reverse, O then we groan out, "His way is in the sea, his path in the deep waters, and his footsteps are not known"-as if every thing was to be estimated by our accommodation and convenienceas if God acted wisely or unwisely, righteously or unrighteously, just as his doings affect us-and affect, too, not our best interests, but our present and temporal! Is it wonderful that we, who deserve stripes, should feel the rod? that we who need correction, should meet with chastisement? Is it mysterious that the vine should be pruned? the ground ploughed? the gold tried in the fire? If the child now thinks certain restraints, and privations, and rebukes to which the father subjects him, needless and harsh, he will more than approve of them when he comes to years of maturity.

We judge prematurely. He that believeth

maketh not haste. It is good for a man not only to hope, but quietly wait for the salvation of God; and one reason is, because it will prevent a wrong conclusion. Therefore says the Apostle, judge nothing before the time until the Lord come. You would not judge of the abilities of the limner from the unfinished sketch, but you would wait till the canvas had received the last touches of his masterly pencil. You would not judge of the perfection of a building from the digging of the foundation, and the coarse materials lying in a kind of disorder all around; especially if you had never seen the plan or the model: but you would stay till the parts were all put together in their places, and the topstone brought forth with shouting-Let us stay till God has done. What I do, says he, thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter. Then every thing will speak for itself. speak for itself. Then we shall walk, not by faith, but by sight. Then we shall see what we now believe; and for ever acknowledge, "He is the rock; his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right, is he."

MARCH 28.-" Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." John xiv. 30.

THERE are many talkers-profane talkers-indecent talkers-foolish talkers-vain talkers. And there are some who are wise and good talkers; their lips are as a well-spring of life. But He was perfectly wise and good-Oh! to have heard him "talk"" The term is applied to his more public teaching-"While he yet talked to the people." And had some of his

ministers spoken more in a familiar and conversational mode, then they would have resembled him more; and the poor would have had the Gospel preached unto them; and the common people would have heard him gladly; and the children would have cried Hosanna.

It is here intimated that he had talked "much" with them. He was never reserved. If he kept back any thing from them, it was because they could not at the time bear it. He treated them not as servants, but friends; for all things that he had heard of the Father he made known unto them. He always instructed, and reproved, and encouraged them, as the occasion required. He seized every opportunity for religious discourse, and levied a tax of spiritual profit upon every natural object or providential occurrence. He could not see a sower going forth to sow, or a fisherman dragging his net, or a woman drawing water, but he derived from it a parable or an illustration-Teaching his followers to be social and communicative in divine things; and, for this purpose, to cultivate their understanding; and to be filled with the Spirit. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. How can much religious discourse be expected from those who have so little of the life of God in them? If, for the sake of consistency, they sometimes make the attempt, it must be a task; and they will soon drop into what is more natural to them, a conversation empty as the wind, and barren as the sand.

But "hereafter" he would not talk much with them-not from disinclination, but for want of intercourse. Their opportunities would soon be over-for he was going to leave them. With regard also to us-it is probable as to some-and certain as to others, that we have heard and read much more than we ever shall read or hear in future. Yet a little while is the light with us.

The way in which he refers to his removal from them by his suffering and death is remarkable"For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me."

He marks, first, the character of his adversarythe prince of this world. He is not so by right, but usurpation; and by God's allowing him power over those who provoke him. When the traitor

had received the sop-then Satan entered into him. He was in him before; but his agency was under restraints. These restraints were then all taken away; and the Devil had his victim entirely to himself. Israel would have none of him-so he gave them up to their own hearts' lust. All who walk according to the course of this world, walk according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. They may imagine themselves to be free, and many of them make a figure in the eye of sense; but faith sees them taken captive by the Devil at his will; and held in the vilest subjection-he is their prince-yea, according to the Apostle, he is the god of this world; and in reality they not only obey, but worship him.

Secondly, he sees his approach: "He cometh." Not personally-so he had come to him in the wilderness and been foiled; but in his instruments. In Judas that betrayed him; in Peter that denied him; in his disciples that forsook him and fled; in Herod that threatened him; in Pilate that condemned him; in the Jews that clamoured for his blood; and in the Romans that shed it. "One of you," says our Lord, "is a devil"-he gives him the name, because he bore his image, and did his work. "The Devil," we read, "shall cast some of you into prison." Is the Devil a justice of the peace? No; but if he acts unrighteously and cruelly, the justice of peace is the Devil. The Devil is not Voltaire; but, by poisoning and destroying the souls

of men, Voltaire is the Devil, who was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth. Thirdly, he is confident of the result of the conflict: "And hath nothing in me." He has enough in us.-First, enough of guilt. Hence he can alarm and dismay us. In the conscience of some he produces such terror and anguish, that the man chooses strangling and death rather than life. He is also the accuser of the brethren; and in their sins, and the sins even of their holy things, he finds enough against them, to perplex and distress them in their afflictions, and in their approaches to God. But he could find no guilt in Jesus; and therefore he could stir up no feeling of selfremorse or despair.-Secondly, enough of corruption. Hence he can easily draw us aside by laying hold of our envy, pride, avarice, impatience. Owing to the remains of unmortified passions, or, as the Apostle calls it, the sin that dwelleth in us, we are always in danger from outward things. We may be ensnared by our dress, our table, our business, and our friends: what is innocent and good in itself may become to us injurious and evil. Here the sparks fall upon tinder. But there was nothing inflammable in him; and therefore no unhallowed fire could be kindled. He was the Holy One of God. "He did no sin," and "in him was no sin !”

A proof that if he was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed.

We also see that there must be a great difference between him and ourselves, as to moral danger. He was safe every where, and in all circumstances. We must watch and pray, lest we enter