often suffers them to wander in the far and drear country of mental unrest, and to feed upon its husks, and so come to themselves, and arise and go back to their Father's heart and home, from whence it had been better had they never strayed, 2. Some- times, and more often, moral. Religion is that which binds. It is a ligature, a restraining cord upon the evil propensities of our nature. If, therefore, doctrines be offered which will relax that little-loved bond, they will be eagerly welcomed. A faith that will give not true liberty, but "licence," men will ever love. 3. And always spiritual. Where the heart is surrendered to Christ the mind will not be ensnared by these subtleties of the evil one. If the Holy Spirit of God have wrought in us the great regenerating change, we shall have liberty and deliverance from all these. Safety from the wanderings of the intellect, as well as from the worse wanderings of our sinful nature, are alike ensured to him who has given himself up unreservedly to God. v. BUT THOSE WHO WOULD WALK IN THE WAY Goo WOULD RAVE THEM GO MAY KNOW THE WAY BY ITS BEING "OLD" AND GOOD. All old ways are not good, but the way of God is both. It is old, therefore familiar to many; has been often described, is well marked out; its different stages are well known. "The wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein." And it is good. It leads to him who is the supreme Good -God. It has been the chosen way of all the good, It makes those good who walk therein. He who alone on this earth of ours was perfectly good----0ur Lord Jesus- walked in it, and lives to enable us to walk therein also. It 'is the will of God that we should walk therein. "Its ways are all ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace." "Ye shall find rest to your souls." For all these reasons it is the good way as well as the old; therefore let us "stand," "see," and "ask" for this way, and this way alone.-C. Ver. 16.-.At the meeting of the ways. "Stand ye in the ways," etc. I. 'l'HIS 1s WHERE VERY MANY ABE. The young especially. Paths stretch out on either hand, some of them inviting, some repelling. But for the young, and for many others beside who have not yet fully chosen their path, the present is a time when a decided choice must be made. If the matter were to be settled according to the inviting or other aspec~ of the beginning of the ways, the one we should choose would soon be fixeJ. upon. But we have to take into consideration the progress of the way, and, above all, the end of the way. Here the text gives- 11. Gooo COUNSELS FOB ALL WHO HA VE COME TO THIS MEETING OF THE wA YS. We nro bidden: 1. Pause a while. "Stand ye in the ways." Oh, if we could but secure this thoughtful pause! if we could but induce those we are now contemplating to "ponder" a while the paths before them I if it were but realized that the way wo take is a matter for consideration, and that only a fool would rush heedlessly on I 2. investi- gate. As one at the meeting of the ways, but not certain which was the right one for him, would look along each way in turn, and "see" which appeared to be the most likely to bring him to his desired destination. Therefore we nre bidden, not only "stand," but "see." 3. Inquire. Other travellers come along--men who are familiar with the district, who have traversed one or other of these roads themselves. Then let us avail ourselves of their knowledge and experience, and "ask" o.s to these ways. 4. And let your mind be made up as to the character of the way you. desire to walk in. Lot there be no mere vague, listless looking over all the paths without much concern which of them yo~ take; but we are bidden, "Ask for the old, paths .•. the good way." "The wo.y the holy prophets went, The way that leads from bo.nishment, The King's highway of holiness." All the "old" paths are not also "good ways;" far from it. But there is an old, o.n,l therefore well-known, well-trodden, and hence unmistakable way, which also is the goorl way. One purpose of the lives of God's faithful people is that, by the observation in the record of them, men may be led to ask for the paths in which these walked, feeling sure the way they took must be a good, the good waY,. :8appy they w~o hav_e been led to resolve they will find out the secret of such men s lives aud make 1t their own. These will ask, not for any way, but for the old paths, the good way. li4 THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [oH. v1. 1-30.
III. GREAT ENCOURAGEMENTS TO FOLLOW THIS COUNSEL. 1. It is implied that if such guidance be asked it will be g;iven. For, if that guidance were not given, how could any walk in these paths? 'l'hat it is open to them to do so proves that the gni<lance aske<l has been given. .And so it ever will be. 2. It is promised that if wo walk in the old and good way, we shall find "rest" to our souls. After all 'this is everything. If a man has inward rest and peace, heaven for him has begu~ below. What matters it what we have if this rest be not? ,vhat ·matters what we have not if this rest be ours? .And it is a trll6 rest-not a mere lethargy of the soul or sleep of conscience, but that " rest which remaiucth for the people of God," the rest of faith, 1.hc rest promise<l by the Lord Jesus when he said," Come unto me, ... and I will," etc. IV. CHRIST HIMSELF IS THAT ,VAY-THE OLD, TilE GOOD WAY, Let the will be utterly surrendered to him; let our faith daily look to him; then "he shall be made to ns of God, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption," This is what he meant when he said, "I am the Way." " This is the way I long had sought, And mourned because I found it not; Till late I h0ard my Saviour say, 'Come hither, soul, I o.m the Way."' And so we shall find rest to our souls.-O.