the operations of his Spirit. So the mysterious putting forth of Divine power ir. the case of Mary is properly presented as the working of the Holy Ghost. J. GOD WORKING IN THE MINDS 01!' MEN 18 TUE UNIVERSAL TRUTH Oi' THE HOLY GHOST, 'l'his belongs exclusively to no one age, to no one dispensation, to no one race. To the heathen God is the "great Spirit." "Moved by thee, the prophets wrote and spoke." There is this "inspiration of the Almighty which giveth understanding," as the common heritage of the race; and special forms it takes, within Jewish lines, only illustrate the universal forms it takes for all humanity. II. Goo usmo, AS HIS AOEN0Y, THE LIFE AND WORDS AND WORKS OF JESUS, IS THE BPE0IAL CHRISTIAN TRUTH 01!' THE HoLY GHOST. So Jesus said, "He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you;" "He shall . . . bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." '!'be Holy Ghost of the early Church is the Holy Spirit of the Church of all the ages, only his instruments are precise; his agency is limited. He works through the outer revelation which has been brought to men by Christ, and is given to men in Christ.-R. T. Ver. 19.-Juaeice iB considerateness. Very little is known concerning Joseph the husband of Mary; and yet enough is known to reveal a character, And what more especially shows him up to our view is his determination to do what was right, but to do it kindly. According to Jewish ideas, betrothal was as sacred as marriage, and infidelities before marriage were treated as infidelities after marriage, and death by stoning was the punishment for such sins. It was customary for persons to be engaged, or espoused, for twelve months, and during that time the persons did not see each other. Mary bad to tell Joseph, and Joseph had to act under the circumstances in the way that seemed best. He was a just man, but be was a. kind man. No doubt what Mary told him made a great demand on his faith. He does not seem to have been able to receive her mysterious story until his mind was divinely guided; then he married Mary, and at the time that Jesus was born Joseph was h€r recognized husband. I. THE JUST MAN WANTS TO DO TilE RIGHT. But it is always difficult to decide what is right when other people are affected by our decision. When we have to judge the conduct of others we easily make mistakes. We judge as if persons acted from the motives which decide our action. It wa.s easy for Joseph to explain Mary's conduct, and see quite sufficient ground for refusing any further relations with her. And in forming judgment on such grounds, he would have been altogether wrong, e.ud he would have unworthily dealt with Mary. She was no wilful sinner; she had only come into the sovereign power and grace of God. In trying to be just there is grave.danger of our becoming most unjust. See Eli's suspicion of Hannah. II. THE JUST HAN WANTS TO DO THE KIND. Noble-minded men let mercy tone judgment. Ignoble-minded men love to persecute, and call it punishment. Charity hideth sin; is jealous concerning imperilled reputation; and suffers most deeply when punishment must be inflicted. So God's mercy loves to rejoice over judgment.-R. 'l'. Ver. 20.-Dreams as revelations. It has heen said that dreams represent the usual mode of Divine communication with persons who are outside the covenant. But this view is not fully maintained by a study of all the incidents narrated. It is true uf Abimelech (Gen. xx. 3-7), of Laban (Gen. x.xxi. 24), of Pharaoh's butler nm\ baker (Gen. xl. 5-19), of Phare.oh (Gen. xii. 1-7), of the Midianite (Judg. vii. 13-15), of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. ii. 1, 31; iv. 5, 8), of the Wise Men (eh. ii. 11, 12), of l'ilatc's wife (eh. xxvii. 19). But it is not true of Jacob (Gen. xxviii. 12; xxxi. 10), of Joseph (Gen. xxxvii. 5-9), of Solomon (1 Kings iii. 6-15), of Daniel (Dan. vii.), or of Joseph (eh. i. 20, 21; ii. 13, 19, 20). It is said that communication by dreams is the lowest form of revelation, because it deals with ma.n when the senses and the will are asleep, and the panorama of the contents of the min<l. keeps passing, and there is no intelli- gent selection and arrangement of them. Dreams are much regarded in heathen religions. They are very sparingly used in the Jehovah-religion; and all Divine directions, whether by dreams or otherwise, are dependent upon the inward earnestness and sincerity of the hnart. Perhaps it may be said that God used dreams in revealing hi1 will to those who were uot specially sensitive to f'l)iritual things. Poets, prophets, 28 -THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW [ou. 1. 1-26.
my~t ics, see visions. Common men, or men in ordinary moods and conditions of mind, dream dreams, which God fills with meaning. See how far this is illustrated in the sernral ca8es mentioned above. Note that Joseph takes no place as a prophet or specially gifted or spiritual man; and therefore what may be called the commonplaoe mode ol Divine communication was employed in his case. I. DREAMS ARE USUALLY WITHOUT SIGNIFIOANCE. 'l'hey represent the workings of the mind a1-nrt from the control of the will. 'l'hey may or may not be connected. They may or may not be remembered. They bear no relation to character or culture. They can only nourish superstition if unduly regarded. II. DREAMS Arm SOMl>TIMES FULL OF DIVINE SIGNIFICANCE. No sphere of man's life can be tl,ought of as beyond God's coutrol and use. lie can be the will that guides, shapes, arranges, our dreams, so that they shall convey to us some message from him. He bas done this. He still does this. '!'hough his working in us, by -ihe mo'l'ings and guidings of the Holy Ghost, makes special aud external forms of reYclation seldom, if ever, necessary.-R. T.