never to be forgotten. Taken together with the eleventh chapter of St. John's Gospel, it throws a most instructive Kght on the inner life of the family which Jesus loved.
Let us observe, for one thing, how different the cha- racters and temperaments of true Christians may be. The two sisters of whom we read in this passage were faithful disciples. Both had believed. Both had been converted. Both had honoured Christ when few gave Him honour. Both loved Jesus, and Jesus loved both of them. — ^Yet they were evidently women of very different turn of mind. Martha was active, stirring, and impulsive, feeling strongly, and speaking out all she felt. Martha was quiet, still, and contemplative, feeling deeply, but saying less than she felt. Martha, when Jesus came to her house, re- joiced to see Him, and busied herself with preparing a suitable entertainment. Mary, also, rejoiced to see Him, but her first thought was to sit at His feet and hear His word. Grace reigned in both hearts, but each showed the effect of grace at different times, and in different ways.
"We shall find it very useful to ourselves to remember this lesson. We must not expect all believers in Christ to be exactly like one another. We must not set down others as having no grace, because their experience does not entirely tally with our own. The sheep in the Lord's flock have each their own peculiarities. The trees in the Lord's garden are not all precisely alike. All true servants of God agree in the principal things of religion. All are led by one Spirit. All feel their sins, and all trust in Christ. All repent, all believe, and all are holy. But in minor matters th^ often differ