let us live for God, and for eternity : let us live, as we shall wish we had lived, when we shall stand before the judgment- seat of Christ to receive our eternal doom. Let us go forward in the path of duty, assured, that the rest which awaits us will richly repay our labours, and the crown of righteousness our conflicts.]
Acts xx. 35. Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
SCARCELY any thing can be conceived more cal- culated to improve our minds, than the committing to memory such portions of Scripture as are peculiarly important. The Jews were accustomed to have select passages of their law fastened upon their garments, in order that they might be continually reminded of their duty. David, with less ostentation, and more piety, " hid God's word within his heart," as the means of preserving him from sin a: and he has recom- mended a similar practice to all young people, in order that their corrupt inclinations may be checked by the recollection of God's commands b. Among the various passages which claim peculiar attention, this which is before us has a very distinguished place. It should seem that our gracious Lord was in the habit of frequently inculcating the divine lesson in the text. And so generally was this saying known among his Disciples, that the Evangelists did not judge it necessary to record it in any of their Gospels. Almost thirty years after his death, it was commonly mentioned in the Church, and was enforced by his Apostles as a principle of action, which was to be adopted by all his followers. St. Paul, having sum- moned the elders of the Ephesian Church to meet him at Miletus, took his final leave of them, and gave them all the cautions and directions which he judged necessary. He entreated them more particularly to
a Ps. cxix. 11. b Ps. cxix. 8.